Actor/director John de Lancie to host opera master class

Posted by Jayme Blaschke
University News Service
September 10, 2010

John de Lancie, actor and director best-known for his role of the alien Q on various Star Trek television series, will present an opera master class at Texas State University-San Marcos Sept. 14-18.

The master class will focus on acting as it relates to opera. An informal workshop presentation by the participating students will be held at 6 p.m. Sept. 19 in room 216 of the Music Building on campus. The presentation is free and open to the public.

"It is an opera-intensive class," said Sam Mungo, director of opera studies at Texas State. "He came to me with the idea of offering a class on acting as it relates to opera, and I invited him to come to Texas State. This is the inaugural presentation of his class."

De Lancie is no stranger to opera and classical music. He grew up in a household where his father, also named John, was first chair principal oboist in Philadelphia for many years and ran a conservatory. In recent years, de Lancie has devoted more of his career to opera, making his opera directorial debut in 2006 with Puccini's Tosca with the Atlanta Opera, and opening the San Antonio Opera's season in 2009 with another Puccini favorite, Madama Butterfly. He has written, narrated and hosted concerts with orchestras across the country, including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic and Philadelphia Orchestra.

For more information, contact Sam Mungo at (512) 878-9538 or via email at sm58@txstate.edu.