Colby-Sawyer Singers to Perform Classic One-Act Holiday Opera, 'Amahl and the Night Visitors'
NEW LONDON, N.H. – Colby-Sawyer College will present an entertaining concert by the Colby-Sawyer Singers this holiday season, showcasing the musical talents of the group in the one-act holiday opera, “Amahl and the Night Visitors.”
The concert will be performed on Thursday, Dec. 10, at 7 p.m. in the Sawyer Center Theatre at the Sawyer Fine and Performing Arts Center. Admission to the event is free, and the public is encouraged to share in an evening of music and holiday cheer.
“Amahl and the Night Visitors,” written for television by Gian Carlo Menotti, has become a Christmas favorite since its premiere in 1951. The opera tells the story of Amahl, a young, crippled shepherd, and his mother. One evening, three kings stop at their home, explaining that they are on a journey to visit a wondrous child and need a place to stay for the night. Amahl and his mother agree to open their home to them, prepare what little food they have and invite neighbors over for entertainment.
After the action has died down and the household is asleep, Amahl's mother makes the decision to steal from the kings in hopes of making a better life for her son, whom she can't bear to see grow into a beggar. The rest of the opera revolves around the consequences of a mother's attempt to make a better life for her son.
The Colby-Sawyer Singers, comprised of Colby-Sawyer students and local community members, will perform under the musical direction of Fine and Performing Arts adjunct faculty member, Susan Cancio-Bello. Also contributing to the production are stage director Don Boxwell and Colby-Sawyer faculty member and set designer Mike Lovell.
Cope Makechnie, a fifth grader from Andover, N.H., will take the stage as Amahl. Joining the cast are community members Michelle Gosnell as Amahl's mother, Greg Johnson as King Kaspar, and Jack Tate in the role of King Balthazar. Rounding out the talented cast is Colby-Sawyer adjunct faculty member Josh Galligan, filling the role of King Melchior, and Colby-Sawyer student Chris McCarthy as the page.
Musical accompaniment for “Amahl and the Night Visitors” will be provided by community member Jean Liepold, as well as an orchestra comprised of both community members and Kearsarge Regional High School students. The performance will also feature the talents of dancers from the Kearsarge Conservatory of the Performing Arts.
The Colby-Sawyer Singers include sopranos Rebekka Almond, Linda Barnes, Tiffany Barnes, Anna Bishop, Wally Borgen, Liana Crawford, Anh Nguyen, Nancy Edwards-Cogswell, Nancee Leach, Deb Reed, Pan Sanborn, Kate Staiger, Cole Subik and Julia Zhu. The altos include Cotton Cleveland, Susan Galligan, Meghan Hardiman and Molly Kidane. The group's tenors are Carol Foss, Greg Johnson and Chris McCarthy, with basses Willie Bacote, Steve Norris and Michael Warning.
To learn about other upcoming events at Colby-Sawyer College visit www.colby-sawyer.edu/events
-Jessica K. McLavey '10
Jessica K. McLavey is an English major and an intern in College Communications at Colby-Sawyer College.
Colby-Sawyer, founded in 1837, is a comprehensive liberal arts college located in the scenic Lake Sunapee Region of central New Hampshire. Students learn in small classes through a select array of programs that integrate the liberal arts and sciences with pre-professional experience.
Colby-Sawyer College, 541 Main Street, New London, N.H. 03257 (603) 526-3000.
