By GINNY COOPER / Staff Writer

MONTEVALLO—Thanks to a generous gift from Merril Lynch and Co. Inc., the University of Montevallo music department will perform “The Mikado” April 24 through 27.

“The Mikado” is a two-act comic opera, written by W. S. Gilbert with music by Arthur Sullivan, which originally opened in 1885. The opera is set in Japan, and satirizes British politics and institutions of the time.

The cast will feature award winning student singers. The orchestra will be composed of musicians from among Montevallo’s music faculty and students, as well as from the Tuscaloosa Symphony and other area musicians.

The opera will run Thursday, April 24 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, April 27, at 2 p.m. at Palmer Auditorium.

Tickets can be purchased at the door, and are $15 for adults and $8 for students and senior citizens.