‘Amahl And The Night Visitors’ Opera Returning To WCSU For Holiday Season

DANBURY — Western Connecticut State University’s Opera Ensemble will stage Gian Carlo Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors in two performances this holiday season. This year’s production will mark the 17th annual WCSU Opera Ensemble presentation of the English-language opera which was originally broadcast live on the NBC television network in December 1951.

The one-act opera will be performed at 8 pm on Friday, December 9, and at 2 pm on Saturday, December 10, in Ives Concert Hall (within White Hall), on the university’s Midtown campus, 181 White Street.

Tickets are $10, $5 for children and seniors. To purchase tickets in advance, call 203-837-TIXX or visit www.wcsu.edu/tickets. Tickets also will be sold at the door.

Directed by Professor of Music Dr Margaret Astrup, Amahl and the Night Visitors has become a popular seasonal tradition providing an inspirational and universal message of giving and community unity to family audiences of many faiths for the past 16 years.

Inspired by Menotti’s fond memories of Christmas during his childhood in Italy, the opera tells the story of a poor and crippled shepherd boy and his miraculous encounter with the Three Kings on their pilgrimage to Bethlehem.

The cast of Amahl uses the entire concert hall as their stage, giving audience members the feeling that they are participants in the opera, too. Amahl and the kings sing and meander through the auditorium and the shepherds emerge from the audience. The 50-minute opera has captivated audiences, appealing to people of all ages and musical tastes, with its mix of tuneful melodies, dancing rhythms and delightful choruses.

This year’s cast includes Lucas Hernandez and Christopher Jessup, sharing the role of Amahl, and Lauren Brown and Lisa Murray in the role of Amahl’s mother. The roles of the kings include Erick Sanchez and Andrew Gadwah as Kaspar; Brendan Stone and Zachary Ross as Melchior; and Jean Carlos Rodriguez as Balthazar.

In addition, Wesley Marchena and Nick Ciasulla will appear as the kings’ page; and Carly Phypers, Tyler Campbell, Caroline Strange and Ryan Reynolds are featured as dancers.

For more information, contact the office of WCSU University Relations at 203-837-8486.