« go back
THE MICHIGAN OPERA THEATRE CHILDREN’S CHORUS
PRESENTS:
The Maker of Illusions
* * *
MOTCC Presents First Full-Length Children’s Opera
on the Detroit Opera House Main Stage
* * *
DETROIT, Michigan, March 31, 2008...The Michigan Opera Theatre Children’s Chorus is pleased to announce its first full-length opera performance: Seymour Barab’s The Maker of Illusions, on Monday, May 19, 2008 at 7:30 p.m. on the Detroit Opera House main stage. This is the first children’s opera to be performed completely by Michigan children on a grand scale. Costumes, sets, props and lighting have all been designed specifically for this performance by Michigan Opera Theatre Staff. The lead roles and chorus of The Maker of Illusions is composed of Metro Detroit children, ages 10-16. More information on the opera can be found on The Maker of Illusions Fact Sheet accompanying this release.
Seymour Barab’s The Maker of Illusions has been consistently performed throughout the country as a light children’s opera with moral lessons about inner beauty and caring for others. Set in a fantasy land, the plot surrounds a wicked queen who has squandered her “life force” on evil deeds. The queen is exiled to a mountaintop, where she is guarded by a genie and his goblins. Fearing the loss of her beauty, the queen commands the genie to create an illusion that will entice a young boy to the mountain so she can steal his “life force.” The genie’s magic lures the boy, but proves no match for the boy’s sister, who saves him from the evil queen. In the end, the queen learns that the beauty of a person lies in their affection and compassion for others.
Tickets for The Maker of Illusions are $15 for students and $30 for adults. Limited quantities of Patron Tickets are available for $50, which include prime seating and a poster signed by the cast. Tickets are available at the Detroit Opera House ticket office (1526 Broadway, Detroit, 48226), by phone at (313) 237-SING (7464) and online at www.MichiganOpera.org. Proceeds from tickets sold will benefit future Michigan Opera Theatre Children’s Chorus programs. For more information on The Maker of Illusions, visit the Michigan Opera Theatre website at www.MichiganOpera.org, call Megan Landry at (313) 237-3261 or email mlandry@motopera.org.
The Michigan Opera Theatre Children’s Chorus
The Michigan Opera Theatre Children’s Chorus (MOTCC), led by Michigan Opera Theatre Chorus Master Suzanne Mallare Acton, is a permanent children’s ensemble for Metro Detroit youth interested in vocal musical theatrical art. Accepting children ages 10-16 with unchanged voices by audition; the choir performs as a separate ensemble as well as with international opera stars in Michigan Opera Theatre productions.
Currently in its inaugural season, the children accepted into the MOT Children’s Chorus learn the various aspects of opera and voice training; including voice studies, movement and audition techniques in a professional environment with internationally-renowned opera singers and voice specialists as coaches and mentors. With the opening of the new Ford Center for Arts and Learning at the Detroit Opera House in 2006, the physical space is now available to undertake this large and promising project. A generous grant from the Mandell L. and Madeleine H. Berman Foundation provided the startup funding necessary to form the ensemble.
|
 |
|
|
