Gramercy Opera Returns to Brooklyn's Montauk Club with A GRAMERCY OPERA CHRISTMAS

This December, following the smash success of Dickens' A Christmas Carol: The Opera, Gramercy Opera returns to Brooklyn's exclusive Montauk Club to usher in the holiday season with "A Gramercy Opera Christmas."

The program will start with Story of an Hour, winner of the inaugural Salzman-Gramercy Opera Advancement Prize. With music by Broadway composer Michael Valenti and libretto by Kleban- and Fred Ebb-award winner Stacey Luftig, and based on the 1894 short story by Kate Chopin, this one-act operetta set on Christmas eve tells the story of a tragic train accident and its consequences on two sisters--one of whom's husband is believed to have taken that train. The cast includes Kate Fruchterman, Sable Strout, Aaron Theno, and Jay Lucas Chacon.

Following the operetta will be a rousing rendition of "A Child's Christmas in Wales," performed by noted Metropolitan Opera tenor Anthony Laciura, and Christmas carols sung by the cast and Gramercy Opera's Children's Chorus. Produced by Gramercy Opera's Artistic Director, Allison McAuley, the program will be directed by Carnegie Hall soloist Scott Bradley Joiner and conducted by Ian Niederhoffer, who recently made his European operatic debut conducting two world premieres with the Vienna Summer Music Festival.

Story of an Hour, while to be presented at "A Gramercy Opera Christmas" as a stand-alone, is part of a longer piece called The Portrait, which comprises three separate stories that explore the way our expectations, especially about love, are heightened at the holidays. Act I, set in the 1700s, is an opera, Act II, set in the 1800s, is an operetta, and Act III is a musical comedy with book and lyrics by Tony Award-winner Joe DiPietro.

Come kick off your holiday season and join Gramercy Opera for music, tears, Christmas cheer, and a whimsical Christmas classic! Performances are December 13th at 7 pm and December 14th at 3 pm at The Montauk Club, 25 Eighth Avenue, Brooklyn, New York. Tickets are $30 for adults, $25 for students, and children 10 and under are admitted free. To purchase tickets, go to gramercyopera.com/upcoming.

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