“For three nights in early December, the Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen … in Manhattan … will host Gian Carlo Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors” in a production by On Site Opera, writes Taylor Grant in Friday’s (11/30) Musical America (subscription required). “While professional musicians and vocalists will assume the major roles, the chorus will be composed of people who have been homeless and now live at Breaking Ground, New York City’s largest provider of permanent housing for the homeless…. Past [On Site Opera] productions have taken place at Madame Tussauds New York and the Bronx Zoo…. A collaboration with Breaking Ground, which is located just a few blocks from On Site’s rehearsal space … was enthusiastically embraced. Twenty-five residents from Breaking Ground auditioned for the chorus. Soprano Christine Flood, a former teacher and one of those selected, has been pleasantly surprised to find that ‘our voices meld together quite well.’ … For [general and artistic director Eric] Einhorn, ‘Who they were, and whatever their experience of homelessness, is secondary to them being here and doing this project with us…. We’re really looking forward to a way to deepen the relationship and prolong it beyond this.’ ”
Posted December 4, 2018
