Amahl and the Night Visitors

Opera “newbies” and afficionados alike will rejoice in the chance to experience this joint production of Gian Carlo Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors, presented by the Southland Symphony Orchestra of Ontario and Repertory Opera Company of Pomona.

Amahl is a family-friendly opera and has been enduringly popular since its premier in 1951. Commissioned by NBC as the first opera written for television, Amahl and the Night Visitors debuted on December 24, 1951 becoming the first network television Christmas special to become an annual tradition. Composer Gian Carlo Menotti drew inspiration for the opera from Hieronymus Bosch’s The Adoration of the Magi, which hangs in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and from his childhood in Italy where gifts were brought at Christmas by the Three Kings instead of Santa Claus.

Featuring Repertory Opera’s outstanding principal vocalists in collaboration with the Southland Symphony Orchestra, this live, in-person performance will showcase some of the finest singers in Southern California. Their great vocal skill and dramatic ability and deeply immerse the audience in the action of the story.

“We are thrilled with this production of Amahl and are so very proud of our outstanding principal singers, chorus, and orchestra”, says Dr. Sylvia Lee Mann, who is the Music Director & Conductor of the Southland Symphony, and the Pastor of Bethel Congregational Church. Dr. Mann leads the musical production, and LizBeth Lucca, director of Repertory Opera, leads the dramatic action with the spirited cast of talented vocalists.

This production of Amahl and the Night Visitors features Leeza Yorke as the Mother; Lee Conger as King Kaspar; Shawn Taylor as King Melchior; Michal Dawson Connor as King Balthazar; Also featuring KEvin Wiley as the Page, and young Repertory Opera artists as Amahl. The Shepherd’s Chorus includes members of the Repertory Opera Company Chorus and the SSO Chorus.

A bonus performance, with piano accompaniment only, will be offered on Wednesday Jan 11 at Trinity Methodist Church in Pomona, featuring LizBeth Lucca in the role of the mother.

Amahl and the Night Visitors tells the story of Amahl, a shepherd boy who has a propensity to tell tall tales, and his mother. Amahl’s most recent story is about a star with a tail that moves across the sky like a chariot on fire. It is a magical, holiday tale of the journey of the Magi. When three splendid strangers knock on the door and ask to rest in their tiny home, Amahl is thrilled and fascinated. When the visitors describe the miraculous child they are seeking, both Amahl and his mother are moved to give reverence to the child as well. Their humble faith conjures a miracle. Through love and forgiveness, the charming story kindles the spirit of the holiday season. This is an inspiring and family-friendly production that is sure to touch the hearts of all ages.

Tickets for this special production: $20 for the general public, and free for children age 12 and under. For advance tickets and additional event details, visit https://southlandsymphony.com