Nashville Opera Presents Humperdinck's Hansel and Gretel 11/5-7

Nashville Opera presents Engelbert Humperdinck's delightful operatic adaptation of the classic fairy tale Hansel and Gretel November 5 -7 at the Noah Liff Opera Center. Performances begin at 7 PM on Friday and Saturday, 2 PM for the Sunday matinee. Stuart Holt directs the production, and Maestro Amy Tate Williams conducts the Nashville Opera Chamber Orchestra. Mr. Holt will present the Hotel Indigo Opera Insights discussion one hour prior to each performance in the theatre which is located at 3622 Redmon Street in the Sylvan Heights neighborhood of West Nashville. Suitable for the entire family, the fully-staged production of Hansel and Gretel is sung in English and has a running time of less than two hours which includes a 20 minute intermission. General admission seats are priced at $30 for adults and $10 for children 12 and younger. Patrons donating a bag on non-perishable food will receive one children's ticket for each adult seat purchased. Tickets are available by calling Nashville Opera at (615) 832-5242 or online at www.nashvilleopera.org. Due to the popularity of Hansel and Gretel, no "walk-up" tickets will be available the day of the show.

The cast includes Mary Ragland Young Artist Program members: mezzo-soprano Sarah Kloppenstein as "Hansel," soprano Samantha Jeffreys as "Gretel;" soprano Alexandra LoBianco as "Gertrude/Witch," baritone Peter Thompson as "Peter;" and soprano Sabrina Laney Warren as "Sandman/Dew Fairy." Nashville-based scenic designer Erica Edmonson created the sets, and Gordon Olson provided the lighting designs. Amy Tate Williams leads the 14-member Nashville Opera Children's Ensemble.

Nashville Opera will stage Hansel and Gretel at the state-of-the-art Noah Liff Opera Center. The 250 seat studio will be transformed into the Enchanted Forest complete with falling snow, angels, and gingerbread cut-outs. The award-winning facility, which was designed by renowned Nashville architect Earl Swensson, is configured to provide unlimited artistic possibilities for both Nashville Opera and the larger community it serves.

The production will be featured as part of the Tennessee Performing Arts Center's Humanities Outreach Tennessee (HOT) program for schools at the James K. Polk Theater, and in touring performances at the Alhambra Theatre in Hopkinsville, Kentucky on November 11th and at Wilson Central High School in Lebanon on November 13th.

Hansel and Gretel is an adaptation of the beloved story found in The Brothers Grimm anthology Nursery and Household Tales. The opera follows siblings, Hansel and Gretel, two children who dawdle with the chores given to them by their mother. When she arrives back at their cottage and sees what little progress has been made, she punishes them by sending them out into the forest to collect strawberries. Disoriented and tired, the children become lost and fall asleep. When they awake the next morning, they discover that they have slept next to an enchanted gingerbread house. They are invited in by a kindly woman who plans to bake the children into gingerbread cookies. Hansel and Gretel trick the witch and she becomes a gingerbread cookie herself.

About Nashville Opera
Nashville Opera, Tennessee's largest professional opera company, is dedicated to creating legendary productions and programs. Among the most successful regional companies in the United States of America, Nashville Opera has presented three different world premiere operas since its inception in 1981. Main stage performances are presented at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center and play to over 17,000 people annually. Nashville Opera's extensive education and outreach touring program reaches over 30,000 students throughout Middle Tennessee. These projects are supported by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Tennessee Arts Commission, and the Metro Nashville Arts Commission.

About the Mary Ragland Young Artist Program
In 1995, Nashville Opera established the Mary Ragland Young Artist Program. The program is named after Nashville Opera's founder Mary Cortner Ragland, a Juilliard trained soprano. It provides four or more developing professional singers and one pianist valuable performance opportunities.

Selected from some 100 applicants that audition each season, the Mary Ragland Young Artists are in residence for four months. During this time they receive coachings, participate in master classes, and participate in workshops that explore the business side of opera.

About the Noah Liff Opera Center
The Noah Liff Opera Center is one of Nashville's newest and most elegant entertainment venues. Designed for maximum flexibility, the 2-story, 26,000-square-foot facility was created by renowned architect Earl Swensson and Earl Swensson Associates. The facility is located at 3622 Redmon Street - off 37th Avenue North between Murphy Road and Charlotte Avenue.

 

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