Augustana OperX to perform ‘Amahl and the Night Visitors’ and ‘Stolen Scenes’

The Augustana OperX program will perform “Stolen Scenes” and “Amahl and the Night Visitors” April 20-23. Performances will be directed by Dr. Patrick McNally, assistant professor of music and director of opera.

“Stolen Scenes” will feature excerpts from the operatic repertoire accompanied by a pianist. Student musicians will perform works by Mozart, Gilbert and Sullivan, Bizet, Monteverdi and more.  

“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. 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.

“Opera is amazing because it’s a visceral combination of high-level specialists telling a story,” McNally said. “You have people focused on singing brilliantly, dancers soaring, technical elements like evocative lights and fantastic sets, and all of it works together to share a story worth retelling every night.”

“Stolen Scenes” will be performed April 20 and 22 at 7:30 p.m. “Amahl and the Night Visitors” will be performed April 21 at 7:30 p.m. and April 23 at 1:30 p.m. All performances take place in the Brunner Theatre Main Stage.