Union Avenue Opera Prepares for 23rd Festival Season, Featuring ALBERT HERRING, CAROUSEL & HANSEL UND GRETEL

Over 30 artists will make their Union Avenue Opera [UAO] debut during its 23rd Festival Season this summer.

The seven-week summer season will open Friday, July 7 as world-renowned soprano Christine Brewer makes her return to the UAO stage as Lady Billows in Benjamin Britten's Albert Herring. The season continues through Saturday, August 26 with performances of Rodgers and Hammerstein's beloved Carousel and Engelbert Humperdinck's cautionary fairy tale, Hänsel und Gretel.

"Our 2017 Festival Season promises to be among our best yet and is full of beautiful voices and theatrical surprises. I am particularly thrilled to have Christine Brewer back on our stage for a second summer, and to welcome Ken Page in his UnionAvenue Opera debut as he leads our first-ever foray into the classic American musical Carousel," said founding artistic director Scott Schoonover.

"Our third production of the summer is full of the magic of the deep woods. Fairies, witches and enchanted children tell the tale of Hänsel und Gretel, a fairy tale on the surface, but a sophisticated and subtly dark story for any opera lover," Schoonover said.

Christine Brewer is back this summer. "I'm so happy to be returning to Union Avenue Opera this season to sing the only comic role I do, Lady Billows! I'm really looking forward to working with Scott Schoonover and Tim Ocel on Albert Herring, a real gem by Benjamin Britten. Union Avenue Opera will be the perfect venue for this chamber opera," said Brewer.

Over the years, Union Avenue Opera has grown in artistic quality and excellence. Known throughout the region for presenting original language operas such as Madama Butterfly, Rigoletto, Tosca, and Wagner's epic four-part Ring cycle alongside newer works including Dead Man Walking, A Streetcar Named Desire, and Doubt.

In 2014 UAO launched Crescendo, a free college-level young artists program focused on the student. Since the program's inception, 90 students have participated in the program and $12,000 in scholarships has been awarded.

All operas will be presented in their original language with projectEd English supertitles and accompanied by a full union orchestra; all instrumentalists are members of the American Federation of Musicians.

Single tickets are on sale for as low as $35 and subscription packages start at $80. Tickets may be purchased online at www.unionavenueopera.org, by phone at (314) 361-2881, and at Union Avenue Opera, 733 N. Union Blvd, St. Louis, MO, 63108. Student rush tickets are available at the door for $15 (cash only) with a valid student ID. There is ample free parking available.

Don't miss UAO's Free Friday Night Lecture Series at 7:00 p.m. before the performance in the Union Avenue Fellowship Gallery presented by Dr. Glenn Bauer of Webster University (July 7, 14, 28, August 4, 18, 15). Lectures are free and open to the public.

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Benjamin Britten: ALBERT HERRING

Union Avenue Opera premiere

Four Performances: July 7, 8, 14, 15 at 8:00 p.m.

Presented in English with English supertitles

First performed in 1947

What's a village to do when a May Queen is needed and the purity of its young women is in question? Go against tradition and select the only virgin in the village: a boy - scandalous!

For years, the town leaders, led by the old-fashioned autocrat Lady Billows (sung by Christine Brewer), have chosen a sweet young maiden to represent purity and virtue at the annual May Day Festival. This year, there isn't a girl among them without moral blemish. Enter Albert Herring; timid from years living under his mother's thumb, he is mortified at being named "King of the May."

Thanks to the help of friends who spike his lemonade, Albert throws caution to the wind, resulting in an evening of drunken debauchery. Come morning, Albert is ready to confront the town's elders in this coming-of-age story. Benjamin Britten's only true comic opera, Albert Herring explores the themes of innocence lost, social stratification, and Victorian morality, all cast in the composer's brilliantly witty chamber score.

Rodgers and Hammerstein: CAROUSEL

Union Avenue Opera premiere

Four Performances: July 28, 29, August 4, 5 at 8:00 p.m.

Presented in English with English supertitles

First performed in 1945

A theater and opera lover's dream come true: performances of a beloved Broadway musical, powerfully sung as only UnionAvenue Opera artists can, and accompanied by our full orchestra. Revel in the rich music performed as its creators intended. Come see why Carousel is included in the repertory of opera companies all over the world.

When carousel barker Billy Bigelow and factory worker Julie Jordan fall in love, little do they realize that his rebellious ways could lead to tragedy. Given a chance to make good, is it too little too late, or will a change of heart save Billy and those he loves? Their achingly relevant story unfolds in one unforgettable song after another: "If I Loved You," "Soliloquy," "You'll Never Walk Alone," and the robust "June is Bustin' Out All Over."

Carousel is one of the musical theater's most soul-stirring masterpieces. Directed by Broadway's Ken Page (Cats, Ain't Misbehavin'), this vibrant production will be filled with magical moments, soaring choreography, and breathtaking music like never before seen on the Union Avenue Opera stage. It will be easy to understand why, of all the groundbreaking shows they created, Carousel was Rodgers and Hammerstein's personal favorite.

Billy Bigelow - Wes Mason, baritone

Engelbert Humperdinck: HÄNSEL UND GRETEL

Union Avenue Opera premiere

Four Performances: August 18, 19, 25, 26 at 8:00 p.m.

Presented in German with English supertitles

First performed in 1893

Our third opera of the summer season is a deliciously fun retelling of the beloved Brothers Grimm fairy tale that will appeal to audiences of all ages. Though the plot will appeal to children with its tuneful and accessible melodies, the elaborate orchestrations will entice even the most "grown-up" of opera-goers.

Once upon a time, two children found themselves lost in a dark forest, until they happened upon a house made entirely of sweets. What happens next ... well, that's the story of Hänsel und Gretel complete with a cackling witch, enchanted fairies, and a gingerbread house. In the dizzying excitement of "The Witch's Ride" and the serene beauty of the children's "Evening Prayer," Humperdinck's music magically evokes the contrasting worlds of the story and the perils of growing up!

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