School of Music presents modernized ‘Don Giovanni’ opera set in Washington, D.C.

The cast of Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” prepared for months to debut a modern twist to the centuries-old opera first performed in 1787, which opened on Thursday night and continues with three more performances this weekend at the Center for Music and the Worship Arts Concert Hall.

“‘Don Giovanni’ is kind of the Don Juan story that a lot of people are familiar with from literature,” said voice professor Dr. Samantha Miller, director of the opera. “He is a man who is deeply flawed and deeply depraved, and his depravity has really impacted basically everyone in his life negatively. This is the story of how he has to be held accountable for his actions.”

The School of Music’s unique modern version of the opera is set in Washington, D.C., in 2025. Instead of being an 18th century nobleman, Don Giovanni is a chief of staff to the senator.

Miller said that while the traditional version has a dark ending that leaves the audience feeling hopeless, the opera has been revised to end in a more redemptive arc.

“We have added another one of Mozart’s classics from his Requiem ‘Lacrimosa,’ and it’s about how at the end of our lives we will have to stand before God and ultimately God is our judge, and we should choose repentance and choose Jesus,” she said.

Second-year vocal performance graduate student Cole Hoeness, who plays the title role, shares the Gospel and offers an altar call at the end of the performance.

“This is definitely the biggest role I’ve ever had, but it’s been a lot of fun and just a great opportunity to grow as a musician,” he said. “Really it’s been an edifying experience too, trying to add the redemptive aspects into the show.”

Hoeness has prepared for the role since last April, taking diction classes at Liberty as the opera is performed entirely in Italian (the words are projected in English on the backdrop). He will graduate this May, and he said playing this role offers him a competitive edge on his résumé.

“Getting roles like this as an emerging artist is crucial in getting your name out there and demonstrating that I can do this,” he said. “Once you learn a show, you don’t really forget it. You can do it again, or I can do a different role in the same production.”

Miller said another special part of the performance are LED scrims (backdrops), a new technology that many opera and theater companies around the world utilize, including Sight & Sound Theatre in Lancaster, Pa.

“This was School of Music Dean Dr. Stephen Müller’s idea to incorporate this to help us be in the cutting-edge world of where opera is going and making opera more relatable and more modern in its production. That’s what we do at Liberty; we want to be on the cutting edge and give God glory in the process.”

Starring alongside Hoeness as Donna Anna, the Commendatore’s daughter, is Blythe Condon, who is also pursuing a master’s in vocal performance.

“This has been such a great experience to steward my gift that I’ve been given by God,” she said. “This opportunity has also been given by God, and by Dr. Müller too, so it has really taught me the essence of what humility really is and His wisdom and His acts of discipline and perseverance through this whole thing. It’s been such a wonderful opportunity, and I’m so grateful.”

She said the opera has given many other graduate students the chance to be involved in a large project.

Caroline Harper, who is pursuing her master’s in music education, conducts the orchestra.

“As the music director, my role has involved to not just rehearsing what is written on the page but also supporting the cast in telling this story while honoring what the composer intended for the music,” she wrote in the opera’s playbill. “I encourage you to listen carefully to each character during this performance. You will start to hear their pain, happiness, sorrow, joy, and even grief simply in the way the melodies and harmonies intertwine with one another.”

The opera also features many undergraduate students. Kolby Kendrick, who plays the role of Leporello, servant to Don Giovanni, completed his B.M. in Vocal Performance last semester and is using this unique opportunity to prepare for graduate school.

“Having the opportunity to be in four operas at Liberty, one every year I’ve been here, it’s really been a blessing from God to have these opportunities to grow musically but also grow as a person,” he said. “Performing arts is such a spiritual experience because you get the opportunity to portray empathy and portray characters that the audience can ultimately connect to. For me, every time I go onstage, it’s an act of evangelism, it’s an act of testimony of seeing where God has brought me and seeing how there’s a redemptive aspect in every story and every opera. Even if we don’t see it, there’s God’s providential hand in every situation.”

Performances are scheduled for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at Liberty.edu/Tickets.