Musical numbers in the Illinois Wesleyan Opera Theatre production of Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro (“The Marriage of Figaro”) featured the Illinois Wesleyan Symphony Orchestra, an ensemble similar in size and make-up to the orchestra for which Mozart composed. “Before this revolutionary work, orchestras often tagged along with singers. Here, text and music merge into an organic whole,” Nancy Steele Brokaw ’71 wrote in the production’s program notes. Performers included (from left): Kelsey Maka ’18 as Countess Almaviva, Celia Williams ’17 (Susanna), John McHugh ’17 (Figaro), and Sara Caligiuri ’18 (Marcellina).

(Photo by Crystal Muro ’19)