The Marietta College Department of Music is presenting an Opera Workshop — Amahl and the Night Visitors by Gian Carlo Menotti — at 7:30 p.m., Monday, April 15, in Hermann 217.
“The cast of this opera has been working extremely hard all semester to prepare and perform this opera,” said Marshall Kimball, Chairman of the Music Department. “It is a very accessible opera for everyone and a story that can be enjoyed by all. Dr. Amy Yekel, a dramatic soprano, has performed in numerous operas and knows what it takes to put together a project like this. She has successfully cast this opera to help the students develop, as well as show their strengths as vocalists. It will be a delightful evening for all in attendance.”
Amahl and the Night Visitors, a one-act opera, is presented in English, unlike many operas. This opera, inspired by Hieronymus Bosch’s painting “Adoration of the Magi” symbolizes a significant milestone in opera’s history as it was the first opera to be specifically commissioned for television. Menotti alone wrote the story, libretto, and the music. Amahl was first performed by NBC Studios in New York City and was broadcast live on December 24, 1961. It received rave reviews and has become a popular opera for the general public, as well as opera enthusiasts. Amahl and the Night Visitors has taken its place with A Christmas Carol, Miracle on 34th Street, It’s A Great Life as holiday classics.
The opera is under the direction of Yekel, who is a voice professor, with piano accompaniment furnished by the Music Department's Collaborative Pianist, Merewyn Weinkauf.
The event is free and open to the public. Ample parking is available in the parking lot next to the Hermann Fine Arts Center.