New opera theater director to sing American classics at UTSA debut

(Nov. 9, 2001)--William McCrary, baritone and new director of opera theater, will have his UTSA singing debut at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 12 at the Arts Building Recital Hall on the 1604 Campus.

Presented by the Department of Music, McCrary's vocal recital will include songs of American composers from the nineteenth century to the present including Stephen Foster, Charles Ives, Aaron Copland, John Alden Carpenter, Ned Rorem, Richard Hundley, Keith Gaites and Samuel Barber.

McCrary most recently taught voice and opera theater at the University of New Orleans. As a performer, he is an active recitalist, having performed Schumann's "Dichterliebe" at the famed Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colo. and a recital of songs by American composers for Northbay Opera in Northern California.

On the professional lyric theater stage he appeared as Captain Corcoran in "H.M.S. Pinafore," Archibald in "Secret Garden," Joe Hardy in "Damn Yankees" and Che Guevara in "Evita." For his performance as Anthony in "Sweeney Todd," he was nominated for the San Francisco-Bay Area Theatre Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical. He sang as a soloist with the Sacramento and Oakland Symphonies and the South Eastern Louisiana University Choir.

For the lyric stage Dr. McCrary directed "The Magic Flute" (UNO), "Kiss Me, Kate" (Jefferson Performing Arts Society) and "Das Barbecu" (CSU, Chico's Court Theatre). Next spring at UTSA, McCrary will direct Gian-Carlo Menotti's "The Consul" as the opera production of the academic year.

McCrary directed several opera education productions including: "Down in the Valley" (UNC), "Chip and His Dog" (UNO), "Trouble in Tahiti" (UNO), "The Face on the Barroom Floor" (UNO), "Porgy and Bess" (Metropelican Opera/New Orleans Opera) and "Evangeline" (Metropelican Opera/New Orleans Opera).

He received his B.M. from the University of Montana, a M.M. in voice performance from San Francisco State University and a D.A. in voice performance and pedagogy from the University of Northern Colorado at Greeley. He graduated from UNC with high honors and received the UNC Graduate Dean’s Citation for Excellence. McCrary is a member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing, the National Opera Association and Opera For Youth.

Admission to the recital is free and open to the public. Free parking is available in lot 8. For more information, contact Jasmin Khair at (210) 458-4550.

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