AMAHL AND THE NIGHT VISITORS OPERA IN ONE ACT BY GIAN CARLO MENOTTI
A collaboration with Uptown! Opera Tutti Emily Bullock, Director Timothy Crawford, Music Director SUNDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2019 UPTOWN! KNAUER PERFORMING ARTS CENTER 226 N. HIGH STREET, WEST CHESTER, PA 3:00 PM
CAST: Amahl ................................................................................................................... Lyndsay Varsaci His Mother ............................................................................................................. Chase Sanders King Kaspar ........................................................................................................... James Quinter King Melchior ........................................................................................................... Michael Bilik King Balthazar ................................................................................................... Michael Spaziani The Page ......................................................................................................................... Julie Perri Chorus: Sofia Bobrysheva* Emily Bullock Peyton Cole Vincent Craig Richard Cross Linda Heffernan Jesse Shutt John Eric Son* Heidi Starr* Leetal Tusia* (* on stage) Set design and construction, lighting ............................................................... Brydon Lidle IV Choreography............................................................................................................... Heidi Starr
STORY Amahl, a disabled boy who can only walk with a crutch, and his widowed Mother, are extremely poor and starving. One night the Three Kings and their page stop at their house to rest as they travel to visit the Christ child. Amahl’s selfless act causes a miracle to happen, which changes their lives forever. Amahl and the Night Visitors was the first opera commissioned specifically for television. It was premiered, live, by NBC Television Opera Theatre in New York City, December 24, 1951. The production was staged by Mr. Menotti. Menotti initially had some trouble coming up with a story for his opera. His inspiration finally came from a visit to the Metropolitan Museum in NYC, where he saw Hieronymous Bosch’s painting “The Adoration of the Magi”. The musical score was completed only a few days before the air date, and Samuel Barber had to be brought in to assist in completing the orchestrations. The first professional stage production was given by New York City Opera, April 9, 1952.
Uptown! Opera Tutti! and WCU Opera are proud to collaborate on Amahl and the Night Visitors, an opera in one act by Italian-American composer Gian Carlo Menotti.
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UPCOMING WELLS SCHOOL OF MUSIC EVENTS For full event details visit wcupa.edu/music or call (610) 436-2739 Tuesday, December 3, 2019, 8:15 PM Statesmen & Jazz Combos Concert Daniel Cherry, directors Madeleine Wing Adler Theatre Performing Arts Center Wednesday, December 4, 2019, 8:15 PM Concert Band & Wind Symphony Concert Adam Gumble & M. Gregory Martin, directors Madeleine Wing Adler Theatre Performing Arts Center Thursday, December 5, 2019, 11:00 AM Wells School of Music Convocation Recital Emily Bullock & Ralph Sorrentino Madeleine Wing Adler Theatre Performing Arts Center Thursday, December 5, 2019, 12:00 PM Madeleine Wing Adler Concert Series: Jazz Division Marc Jacoby, director Madeleine Wing Adler Theatre Grand Foyer Performing Arts Center Thursday, December 5, 2019, 8:15 PM Symphony Orchestra Concert Joseph Caminiti, director Madeleine Wing Adler Theatre Performing Arts Center
*Tickets required for this event.
Events at the Wells School of Music are often supported by individual donors and organizations. Contributions to the Wells School of Music may be made out to: WCU Foundation, 202 Carter Drive, West Chester, PA 19382 Please include “School of Music Deans Fund� in the memo line. For further information, please call (610) 436-2868 or visit wcufoundation.org A majority of performances are available to watch via live stream at Facebook.com/ArtsAtWCUPA and LiveStream.com/wcupa. Mr. Robert Rust, Audio & Visual Technician Steinway & Sons Piano Technical, Tuning and Concert Preparations by Gerald P. Cousins, RPT If you do not intend to save your program, please recycle it in the baskets at the exit doors.
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