Michael Patterson's opera on stage Friday at Wieting

TOLEDO CHRONICLE - OPERA Iowa, Des Moines Metro Opera's educational touring troupe, hit the road for its 2010 tour on Jan. 26. During the ten-week tour, the group will give the world premiere performances of Michael Patterson’s A Dream Fulfilled: The Saga of George Washington Carver including a stop at the Wieting Theatre in Toledo on March 26. It is sponsored by Toledo P.E. O. Chapter DF.

The 10-member troupe will also perform Rossini’s classic opera buffa The Barber of Seville and Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel.

Composed by Iowa’s own Dr. Michael Patterson, a Toledo native and South Tama High School graduate. A Dream Fulfilled: The Saga of George Washington Carver is a 50-minute opera that delves into the life of the agricultural pioneer and Iowa hero, focusing on the key events that would shape the destiny of this great scientist. A Dream Fulfilled was created in cooperation with the State Historical Society of Iowa, which provided research assistance.

The Barber of Seville is a sparkling romantic comedy by the great bel canto composer, Gioacchino Rossini. The story surrounds the incorrigible Figaro, opera’s best-known barber, and a character made popular to many by none other than Bugs Bunny!