Classic ‘Amahl’ opera returns to Augustana

The Augustana OperX program will perform “Amahl and the Night Visitors” at 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 17, on the Brunner Theatre Main Stage.

Dr. Patrick McNally, assistant professor of music and director of opera, will direct the performance.

“Amahl and the Night Visitors” is a touching one-act opera commissioned for television in 1951. Composer Gian Carlo Menotti felt inspired to write a work that recaptured his childhood and wrote the piece to be kid-friendly, according to a Wednesday Augustana release.

The opera tells the story of Amahl, a boy with a disability who meets the Three Kings on their way to meet the Christ child in Bethlehem. Amahl lives with his mother, a widow. One fateful night, Amahl gets a miraculous visit from Three Wise Men that changes his life.

“After being caught stealing some gold coins from one of the Magi so that she can buy food to feed her son, Amahl’s mother becomes a believer in their message of a King who has no need for earthly wealth,” McNally said in the release.

“But in a larger sense,’ he continued, “it’s a story that aims to remind us that the gift of giving can come in many forms, and that even the unlikeliest of people can shower us with the blessing of profound compassion and humanity we so desperately need.”

“Amahl and the Night Visitors,” an hour-long one-act, was commissioned by NBC and first performed by the NBC Opera Theatre on Dec. 24, 1951, in New York City, where it was broadcast live on TV from that venue as the debut production of the Hallmark Hall of Fame. It was the first opera specifically composed for television.

In the story of the three kings coming to greet the Christ child, when they stop to rest for the night, they are taken in by an impoverished, disabled boy and his mother. Amahl is dazzled both by their stories and the exotic treasures they carry, but the humble host will soon show them what it truly means to give with a generous heart, triggering a miraculous ending to this inspiring story, according to a synopsis.

OperX vocalists work with instrumentalists, composers, chamber orchestra and other singers to create dynamic performances that combine their diverse energies and talents, Augustana said.

Last year, OperX performed “Amahl” April 21 and April 23 at Brunner Theatre Center, 3750 7th Ave., Rock Island.

Tickets are $14; free for students; $12 for seniors and non-Augustana students; $10 for faculty, staff and children, available HERE.

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