Spring 2008 Trips

• "AIDA" - Sunday April 6, 2008

  Performance begins at 2 p.m. Bus leaves Coliseum Blue Gate at 11:00 a.m. An Ethiopian princess enslaved at the Egyptian court, Aida secretly loves the one man with the power to destroy her homeland. Radamès returns Aida’s love, but the ruthless princess Amneris stands in their way. Whether they betray their country or their love, there is no escape. Intimate human drama within the epic sweep of ancient Egypt—it’s grand opera at its most spectacular. And with a powerhouse of an international cast and magnificent chorus, it’s a musical experience that rivals the Pyramids! Sung in Italian with English texts projected above the stage. Run time is approximately 3 hours including one intermission. Transportation and Ticket Price: Orchestra $70.00 First Tier $55.00 Price does not include meal.

• Scenic Western Maryland Railroad - Saturday, May 3, 2008

After Boarding our bus at 8:00 a.m. in Morgantown, we will head east on I-68. Leaving this new highway at Exit 34, we will take the National Road into Cumberland, MD. The National Road or National Pike, known to most of us as US Route 40, is America’s first major national effort to develop an interstate system of transportation. Its construction was started under President Thomas Jefferson.

Our first stop will be the Cumberland Visitor Center of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Park. The C&O Canal has beginnings even earlier than the Pike, having had George Washington, a major sponsor, and steamboat inventor (West) Virginian James Rumsey of Shepherdstown, as an early C&O Canal engineer and administrator.

About 11:15 a.m. we will pick up our box lunches and board our coach on the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad and let the steam locomotive pull us back up the mountain to Frostburg. There we will visit the Threasher Carriage Museum. This is an outstanding collection of horse-drawn vehicles collected by a local native and successful business man, Jim Threasher. The collection includes both pleasure and work vehicles, all restored to like-new condition.

Re-boarding our train, we will return to Cumberland and stop at Penn Alps for an early supper buffet and arrive in Morgantown around 6:30 p.m.

• "The Capulets & Montagues" - Sunday May 11, 2008

  World-class opera stars Vivica Genaux and Laura Claycomb ignite the stage in this version of the famous tale of star-crossed lovers. Vivica, a dazzling Pittsburgh favorite, sings Romeo, one of those “pants roles” in which delectable mezzo sopranos play the part of ardent young men. When Genaux’s “almost inhuman gift for vocal pyrotechnics” sings opposite Claycomb, hailed for her “Botticellian looks” and a voice “that caresses every note,” it’s a beguiling bel canto masterpiece you don’t want to miss! Sung in Italian with English texts projected above the stage. Run time is 2:30 including one intermission.

• Fallingwater & Kentuck Knob - Monday, May 19, 2008

Join us for a day of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture. First we will visit Fallingwater where George Longenecker will give a private tour of the grounds. After our tour, we will visit the Fallingwater Café for lunch. After lunch we will continue our tour at Kentuck Knob. This tour is limited to 20 people so make your reservations quickly.

• "H.M.S. Pinafore" - Sunday, June 22, 2008

The Pittsburgh Savoyards, Inc. is a semiprofessional, community-based, non-profit theater company funded by local contributions and ticket sales. We operate for the purposes of perpetuating the heritage of Gilbert & Sullivan comic operas, and providing a hands-on opportunity for interested persons to learn about and experience musical theater. While our focus is the performance of the comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan, we occasionally perform non Gilbert and Sullivan concerts and other composers' comic operas. The Company has been in existence since 1938, and is informally affiliated with a number of similar groups throughout the country.

Join OLLI for the afternoon performance of H.M.S. Pinafore. After the show, we will be eating at Red Lobster.

• Deluxe Shepherdstown Tour - July 18-19, 2008

Our trip departs Charleston Friday morning, July 18, heading out for Momongalia County where we will lunch at Lakeview Resort before traveling to the Eastern Panhandle and the Bavarian Inn. After dinner we'll catch the shuttle to meet production personnel at the Contemporary American Theater Festival and enjoy an evening of comedic theater from Tony Award-winning playwright Greg Kotis. We will spend the night at the Bavarian Inn, have breakfast and take a walking tour of historic downtown Shepherdstown. After lunch, we'll settle back for a scenic journey to Elkins and dinner at Graceland's Victorian mansion a with a mountain view.