Hansel and Gretel Opera at Purchase
An announcement from the Purchase Opera company of the Conservatory of Music at Purchase College:
December 7-9:
Every theatrical performance has two stories: what happens on stage, and what happens behind the scenes — the artists’ experiences, creative vision, and triumphs.
Now, for the holiday season, Purchase College, SUNY gives audiences the chance to experience both stories in action. In four performances of the fairy tale opera Hansel and Gretel, the Purchase Opera company of the Conservatory of Music at Purchase College, SUNY, not only presents a heart-warming production of the Grimm fairy tale set to music, it also offers a glimpse beyond the footlights into the process of staging an opera.
Audiences will experience being “right in the action,” says Suzanne Farrin, director of the Conservatory of Music, as the Purchase College Recital Hall, where it will be performed, is an intimate space, without barriers between the stage and audience. “Audiences will be close enough to the singers and musicians to feel the sweat, sound, and energy of the performance, and at the end will actually meet the singers,” Farrin adds. “Our goal is to make this opera a popular draw for Westchester families every year.”
Following each performance, a question-and-answer session gives audience members the opportunity to ask their most burning questions of the performing artists, musicians, and the artistic director. The complex relationship between the parents and children in Hansel and Gretel, and the witch’s grisly defeat, are sure to provoke comments and questions. The performances will take place in the Conservatory of Music building on December 7, 8, and 9 at 10:30 am, and December 9th at 7:00 pm.
Purchase College, part of the State University of New York (SUNY) network of 64 universities and colleges, was founded in 1967 by Governor Nelson Rockefeller. His aspirations for Purchase were to combine on one campus conservatory training in the visual and performing arts with programs in the liberal arts and sciences. Today, Purchase College, SUNY is a community of students, faculty, and friends where open-minded engagement with the creative process leads to a lifetime of intellectual growth and professional opportunity. For more information about the College, visit www.purchase.edu.
image: Harrison-Edwards Public Relations
