Steven White, artistic director of Opera Roanoke, is one of the conductors called in for the Metropoloitan Opera's current run of Verdi's "La Traviata" following the withdrawal
of the original conductor, Leonard Slatkin, after one critically drubbed performance. White conducted the April 7 performance, and will return for the April 10 performance.White, whose wife is soprano Elizabeth Futral, conducted at the Baltimore Opera before its demise, and has been a cover conductor for several Met productions. In an interview with The Roanoke Times' Mike Allen, the conductor recalls that his first "Traviata" was in Roanoke:
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Following his Met dates, White returns to Roanoke for a concert presentation of Donizetti's "Lucia di Lammermoor," with soprano Amy Cofield in the title role, April 30 and May 2 at Shaftman Performance Hall in the Jefferson Center. Tickets: $20-$80. Details: (540) 982-2742; www.operaroanoke.org