FULL THE OLD MAID AND THE THIEF (Menotti) & CAPTAIN LOVELOCK (Duke) Conway AR 2026

Information on the Performance

• Work Title: THE OLD MAID AND THE THIEF, CAPTAIN LOVELOCK  
• Composer: Menotti Gian Carlo, Duke John  
• Libretto: Gian Carlo Menotti, Based on Ludvig Holberg's play, “The Changed Bridegroom”  
• Venue & Opera Company: Concert Hall, WIndgate Center, Conway, AR, University of Central Arkansas  
• Recorded: February 20, 2026
• Type: Concert Live
• Singers: Fatima Garduno, Emma Williams, Jessalynn Fendley, Amelia Upton, Mengfan Mu, Mary Ruth Kitchens, Yixuan Wang, Sydni Armstrong, Daniel Carrera
• Conductor: Gregory Church  
• Orchestra: Camila Osses, PIANO  
• Stage Director: Celeste Church  
• Costume Designer:   

Information about the Recording

• Published by: UCA Department of Music  
• Date Published: 2026  
• Format: Streaming
• Quality Video: 4 Audio:4
• Subtitles: nosubs  

• ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THIS PERFORMANCE

  PROGRAM LEAFLET

  Captain Lovelock
  In this charming chamber opera based on the Danish comedy The
  Changed Bridegroom by Ludvig Holberg, the widowed Terentia
  confides in her cunning maid, Pernille, that while eager to secure a
  future for her daughters, Leonora and Laurentia, she secretly harbors
  her own desires for a romantic revival. She enlists the help of Madame
  Kirsten, a local matchmaker and confidante, who states that she has the
  perfect candidate. The household is thrown into a flutter by the arrival
  of the dashing Captain Lovelock. Through a series of clever deceptions
  and sharp-witted schemes, the characters navigate a maze of vanity and
  mistaken identity, ultimately discovering that in the game of love, the
  heart is often quicker than the eye.

  THE OLD MAID AND THE THIEF
  The quiet, gossip-fueled world of Miss Todd and her restless maid,
  Laetitia, is disrupted when Bob, a handsome drifter, appears at their
  door. Smitten by his charm and desperate for excitement, the two women
  conspire to keep him as their guest, even after their prying neighbor
  Miss Pinkerton warns of a dangerous convict on the loose. To fund
  Bob’s stay and keep him “domesticated,” the virtuous Miss Todd is
  driven to a series of increasingly bold neighborhood thefts. Menotti’s
  dark comedy proves that while Bob may be the supposed vagabond, the
  true corruption lies behind the closed doors of “proper” society. The
  opera was originally conceived and presented as a radio broadcast
  production. Tonight’s performance retains this intent and is set in the
  radio station broadcast room of KUCA in the heart of Conway,
  Arkansas.

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