Once Upon a Time- Lyric Fest's Family Concert

Lyric Fest concludes its 9th season by presenting Once Upon A Time, a Family concert. The annual program for children is an engaging and interactive introduction to opera for young audiences, with a cast of professional artists hailing from opera companies across the USA. Featuring mini-versions of three semi-staged operas: Mozart’s The Magic Flute, Rossini’s The Barber of Seville and Hansel and Gretel by Humperdinck. Q-and-A immediately following the program. All ages welcome, most appropriate for ages 6-13. Adults $15, students/children $5.

Cast: actor Jake Miller, singers Markus Beam, Jeffrey Halili, Abla Hamza, Maggie Moliterno, Daniel Pantano, Katy Pracht, Sheryl Woods, Suzanne DuPlantis, Randi Marrazzo and pianist Laura Ward. “Our family concert is a place where kids can come and be kids – and really get turned on to music,” says Lyric Fest’s Founding Artistic Director Suzanne DuPlantis. “This year, we will bring three fabulous, kid-friendly operatic stories alive. and it is our hope that the audiences really get turned on to music.” The 2012 Once Upon a Time is a shorter reprise of the program Lyric Fest produced in 2007. Presented in fast-paced, nutshell versions, these operatic stories are told by engaging, energetic singers and actors. “This is a proven winner,” says DuPlantis. “Kids and parents alike forget they are listening to OPERA!” A puckish Imp (actor Jake Miller) and a lovable Fairy-God Mother (soprano Sheryl Woods) will usher the spectators along this journey with kings and queens, princes and princesses, witches and bird-men. The production is enhanced by often hilarious banter, with costumes, minimal stage sets, acting and dancing. Kids from the audience will be actively participating in the action. “We will actually need children to volunteer to stand in for Gingerbread boys and girls in Hansel and Gretel,” says Founding Artistic Director Randi Marrazzo. “So bring your budding thespians!”