[FAC] REMINDER: 'Hansel and Gretel' Sat. & Sun. Events

[Diane Nixon]

California Opera Association collaborates with Rotary Storyland to kick off the 45th anniversary of the park with performances of ‘Hansel and Gretel’  at Tower Theater (March 18th – 20th ) and special appearances of the cast and production at the park March 17th and later in Spring (May 19th).

March 17, 11 AM - 1 PM at Rotary Storyland, 890 West Belmont Avenue
Meet the California Opera “Hansel and Gretel” Characters from 11 AM – 1 PM on Saturday March 17th!   Visitors of the Rotary Storyland Park during this time will receive complimentary VIP Passes to the March 18th 3 PM performance at Tower Theatre, based on availability and admission to the park. 
 
March 18, 3 PM at Tower Theatre, 815 East Olive Avenue
California Opera Association presents the Engelbert Humperdinck 19th century  classic fairy tale opera, “Hansel and Gretel” at the Tower Theatre on Sunday at 3:00 PM, a rare masterpiece, popular and deeply enduring, performed for audiences of all ages.   The traditional story of “Hansel and Gretel” find two children in the woods, whose bravery and ingenuity overcome the forces of and free them from an ogre.  With several themes and morals throughout the story, the music is among the most beloved and cherished of all time. Community artists and an international cast of characters make over this family friendly favorite! Tickets: 485-9050 or visit www.towertheatrefresno.com
 
California Opera Association performs ‘Hansel and Gretel’ as a way to promote patronage of the Rotary Storyland park.  Visitors of the Park between now and March 18th will receive complimentary VIP Passes to attend the Tower Theater performance on March 18th at 3:00 PM.   Later in Spring (May 19th), California Opera will perform excerpts of the children’s opera in the Storyland Amphitheater to celebrate the park’s 45th anniversary event.

The March 18th public performance will be followed by daytime matinee performances on March 19th and 20th of the opera for Fresno and surrounding community school children at Tower Theatre.  Each year, several thousand school children with their teachers attend the annual Fresno children’s opera performances, funded in part by the Fresno Arts Council, Harry C. Mitchell Trust, and the Fresno Opera League. 

The performances have evolved from what the California Opera Association and the City of Fresno Department of Parks, Recreation and Community Services has termed “All City Panorama Days” and “Fine Arts Fridays” involving a cross section of children from the community in the making of an opera. A free program inclusive of all who have an interest in cultural fine arts, led by Edna Garabedian in Voice and Drama, Jennifer Myers in Vocal Ensemble, Anne Cartwright in Dance and Choreography, Nita Edelman in Art, Steve Wall in Stage Crafts, Leonard Ingrande and Boris Nixon in Instrumental Music, children have come together with lead role adults in the presentation of a traditional, live performance event for the past several years.

In order for the work to appeal fully to young children in the reduced time frame, California Opera artists perform ‘Hansel and Gretel’ in English and have fully redesigned the work to include a special narration by the Paul Martzen family.  This spring, casting highlights newcomers Israeli Soprano Ayelet Cohen as the ‘Dew Fairy’, and Mezzo-Soprano Montserrat Verdugo of Mexico as ‘Hansel’, and features Fresno’s Soprano Jennifer Myers as ‘Gretel’ and Lemoore Tenor sensation Zachary Sheely as the ‘Witch’. The ‘Sandman’ and ‘Gingerbread Children’ feature  Kim Rincon, Graciela Esquivel, Clarkia Cobb, and Deidre Byers among other veteran teen leaders to coach the younger participants and new opera performing enthusiasts. Leonard Ingrande conducts, and Edna Garabedian provides artistic direction.

In 1962, Storyland — a park with storybook exhibits to promote literacy — sprouted, backed by the city and community groups. The amusement park's managers are treating 2007 as a make-or-break year. This is a crucial season as the Fresno City Council encourages the community to support the facility. The California Opera Association is proudly helping Fresno’s Rotary Storyland celebrate its 45th anniversary in 2007 with the kick-off to Spring of Engelebert Humperdinck’s ‘Hansel and Gretel’. A partnership that evolved between the opera company and the City of Fresno involving years of a successful fine arts after-school program, one may wonder how else the opera and Storyland seem to be involved.  The facility Parks and Recreation Department Director Randall Cooper and Executive Director of Storyland Barry Falke are encouraging local businesses to get involved with supporting Storyland.  California Opera and Rotary Storyland share the same mission is many ways. "The mission, we believe, is still really important and that is to provide affordable entertainment to families and children throughout the entire valley. We feel that mission is worth supporting," Falke said, Garabedian and Cooper agree.

Engelbert Humperdinck is best known for his fairy-tale opera ‘Hansel and Gretel’ first staged in Weimar, Germany in 1893. Humperdinck began work on ‘Hansel and Gretel’ after his sister asked him to compose music for a play for her children in 1890. He first started to compose ‘Hansel and Gretel’ based on the fairy tale by Ludwig Grimm, as a Singspiel consisting of a play with 16 songs and piano accompaniment. With its highly original synthesis of Wagnerian techniques and traditional German folk songs, ‘Hansel and Gretel’ was an instant and overwhelming success for audiences of al ages.  On receiving the score of Humperdinck's opera in October 1893, Richard Strauss declared the work a masterpiece and conducted the premiere just two months later. The lush simplicity captivated the world and was eventually translated into 20 languages to become a rare masterpiece, popular & deeply enduring. The traditional story of ‘Hansel and Gretel’ find two children in the woods, whose bravery and ingenuity overcome the forces of and free them from an ogre.  There are several themes and morals throughout the story, and the music is among the most beloved and cherished of all time.


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