DANBURY, CONN. — The Western Connecticut State University Opera Ensemble will present the holiday opera classic “Amahl and the Night Visitors” in three performances at the university on Friday, Dec. 11, and Saturday, Dec. 12.

This year’s presentation will mark the 15th annual WCSU Opera Ensemble production of the English-language opera by Gian-Carlo Menotti, originally commissioned for broadcast on the NBC television network in December 1951. Performances of the one-act opera will be at 8 p.m. on Dec. 11, and at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Dec. 12, in Ives Concert Hall in White Hall on the university’s Midtown campus, 181 White St. in Danbury. Admission will be $10 for adults, and $5 for senior citizens and children under 12. WestConn students will be admitted free with a valid ID.

Professor of Music Dr. Margaret Astrup is the director and producer for the “Amahl” performances, which will feature a cast of WestConn student and community actors and music provided by the WCSU Orchestra.

Astrup observed that “Amahl” has become a standard part of the WCSU Opera’s performance and training repertoire, as well as an important element of its community outreach program. “I was concerned at the beginning that we would exhaust the local audience after a year or two, but it has truly become a community tradition,” she said. “I know people who come each year as part of their holiday celebration.”

Astrup promised audiences a unique theatrical experience. “Each year we make changes and improvements, and further develop the production,” she said. “We are not preparing the opera from scratch, so we have the luxury of adding to what we have done before.”

The family-oriented appeal of the opera — the story of an impoverished and crippled shepherd boy’s encounter with the Three Kings on their way to Bethlehem and the heart-warming outcome of their chance meeting — is well suited to its Ives Concert Hall venue, Astrup noted.

“Because we perform in a concert hall rather than a theatre, we use the entire hall as our stage,” she said. “The children get close to Amahl and the Kings as they meander, singing, through the audience, and the shepherds emerge from among the people. In this way, the audience can feel more like participants in the opera.”

The Opera Ensemble production will feature separate casts portraying the principal roles in each of the three Ives Concert Hall performances. Cast in the title role of the child Amahl are Joseph Benitez, Teo Hernandez, and Matthew Stayner, all of Hamden. The role of Amahl’s mother will be played by Karolina Wojteczko, of Derby; Amanda Forker, of Wethersfield; and Annie Bryson, of Shelton.

Playing Kaspar will be Scott Towers, of Branford; Michael Martone, of Guilford; and Oren Givoni, of Watertown. Brian Joy of Naugatuck; Brendan Stone, of Wolcott; and Matthew Popp, of Orange, are cast in the role of Melchior. Balthazar will be portrayed by Joshua Lara, of New Britain; Alex Patrie, of Griswold; and Jean Carlos Rodriguez, of Waterbury. David Sylvia, of West Haven; Erick Sanchez, of Stamford; and John Janeiro, of Terryville, will play the role of the Page.

The Opera Ensemble also will present a benefit performance of “Amahl” at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 6, as part of the Bethesda Music Series at Bethesda Lutheran Church in New Haven. The Bethesda Music Series (BMS) presents musical performances to raise funds for charities in the New Haven area; tickets will not be sold and a free-will offering will be taken at the performance.

In notes describing his composition of the opera, Menotti explained he was inspired by his fond memories of the Three Kings as the legendary source of Christmas gifts during his childhood in Italy. Astrup noted the 50-minute production “has all the elements of grand opera with arias, ensembles and choruses, but it is also filled with spectacle and humor. Parts will make you laugh, and others may leave you in tears.”

For tickets and information, visit www.wcsu.edu/tickets or call (203) 837-8499.

Western Connecticut State University offers outstanding faculty in a range of quality academic programs. Our diverse university community provides students an enriching and supportive environment that takes advantage of the unique cultural offerings of Western Connecticut and New York. Our vision: To be an affordable public university with the characteristics
of New England’s best small private universities.