ENTERTAINMENT NOTES

Rushing takes over at Point

Stephen Rushing is replacing the retiring Jim Swiggart as general director of Opera in the Ozarks at Inspiration Point Fine Arts Colony, west of Eureka Springs.

Swiggart, who will take the title general director emeritus, started as a student artist in the 1950s and spent 25 years as its director. He and his wife, Janice, will continue to reside at nearby Holiday Island.

Rushing, a baritone, is also an alumnus of the operatic training program (summer of 1990) and served as its assistant general director for the 2013 season.

The 2014 season will run from June 20 through July 18, with a repertoire that includes Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte, Giacamo Puccini’s Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi and the Stephen Sondheim musical Into the Woods. A July 13 alumni concert at Bentonville’s Arend Arts Center will feature “Point” alumni, including American soprano Latonia Moore.

Moore made an unexpected debut at the Metropolitan Opera in March 2012, replacing Violeta Urmana in the title role of Giuseppe Verdi’s Aida.

Opera in the Ozarks is continuing nationwide auditions through February. Visit the website, opera.org, or the Opera in the Ozarks Facebook page.

Choir and orchestra

The Benton-based Arkansas Foundation for the Visual and Performing Arts is forming a new community Saline Orchestra and Choir, open to all musicians at any skill level.

The choir’s inaugural rehearsal will be 3-5 p.m. Jan. 5 at First United Methodist Church of Benton, 200 N. Market St.; the orchestra will meet for the first time at the church, 3-5 p.m. Jan. 12. Sunday afternoon rehearsals will alternate between choir and orchestra thereafter.

No audition is required; past experience in bands or orchestra is helpful but not necessary. Oksana Pavilionis and Brian Hamby of the foundation and Bruce Wallace, the church’s music director, will share conducting duties. Call (870) 405-6856.

Craft school classes

The Arkansas Craft School, on Main Street in Mountain View, is registering students for its 2014 season of classes and craft workshops in clay, fiber, metal, wood, glass, mixed media and “kid’s craft” at the school, on the Ozarka campus of Mountain View College and at artist studios across the state.

A complete list of so-far scheduled classes, including descriptions, instructor information, schedules and costs, is available at arkansascraftschool.org. There’s a $50 nonrefundable registration deposit; scholarships will be available based on financial need and merit. Call (870) 269-8397 or email [email protected].

Style, Pages 51 on 12/22/2013

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