Elgin Opera offers dinner, song

Elgin Opera presents "Love Potions & Fairy Tales" Dec. 1 at Elgin Community College Business Conference Center, 1700 Spartan Drive in Elgin.

A gourmet dinner at 5:30 p.m. will be followed at 7 p.m. by a performance featuring the participants in a variety of Broadway and operatic scenes from "Elixir of Love," "Lakme," "Der Rosenkavalier," "Romeo and Juliet," "Carmen," "Die Fledermaus," "Oklahoma," "Les Miserables," "Show Boat," as well music by Cole Porter and Irving Berlin, Italian songs and Josh Groban selections.

Singers participating in this event will include the winners and finalists of Elgin Opera's first vocal competition: Danielle Floyd (St. Charles), Erica Roti (South Elgin), Victoria Narayan (Elgin), Kathleen Narayan (Elgin); as well as many of the professional singers of the opera company such as artistic director Solange Sior (Elgin), Susan Dennis (Bartlett), Oscar Menoyo (Schaumburg), Paula Mrazek (Cary), David Carmona (Roselle).

Singers from the Elgin Opera Training Ensemble include: Jerilyn Szalonek and Emily Ortlieb, both of Algonquin; Kimberly Albrecht of Barrington; Laura Frederickson of Bartlett; Elizabeth Hadley of Carpentersville; Christina Bernandoni, Larry Brook, Rachel Ferguson, Jeorge Holmes, Andrew Reyes, Meghan Smeenge, and Sarah Stultz, all of Elgin; Erica Bland of Hoffman Estates; and Ingrid Israel of Roselle. Concert pianist Chiayi Lee will accompany the singers at the piano.

Cost for the dinner-concert package is $25. For reservations, call the Elgin Opera office at (847) 214-8340. Deadline for reservations is Nov. 24.

The same program will be presented at 7 p.m. Nov. 28 at Drendel Hall for the residents of Del Webb Sun City in Huntley. Tickets for the event are $10 and can be purchased by contacting Del Webb's director of activities. No dinner is included in this performance.