East Village Opera Company January 30, 2009

Let’s get this straight from the start: the East Village Opera Company is not really an opera company—not by any traditional definition, anyway. But for a group that performs famous arias by such venerated composers as Puccini, Verdi, Purcell and Bizet through a musical consciousness nurtured on Led Zeppelin and Metallica, bucking expectations comes pretty naturally.” Billboard perfectly pegged this seemingly wacky but actually brilliant compilation of electrified classics and classic riffs. Fronted by Ottawa musicians, singer Tyley Ross and arranger and multi-instrumentalist Peter Kiesewalter, this powerhouse five-piece band brings emotion and the timeless musicality of opera into the 21st century.

Even the usually old-school Wall Street Journal was not immune to an impish, talented take on The Marriage of Figaro: “This music, played with precise and surging verve, may not have made such a theatrical splash since Mozart first unleashed it on 18th century Vienna.” Riveting vocals, a five-piece full-on rock band, and a not-so-typical string quartet give opera its due reverence—and throw on a bit of irreverence—for a rollicking, spectacular, genre-jumbling event.

Single tickets are $30, $25 for seniors, $21 for non-University of Illinois students, $16 for University of Illinois students and HS and younger.

Official Website: http://www.krannertcenter.com