"Hansel and Gretel" Opera Offers a Rare Peek Behind the Scenes

In four performances of the fairy tale opera Hansel and Gretel, the Purchase Opera company of the Conservatory of Music at Purchase College, SUNY, not only presents a heart-warming production of the Grimm fairy tale set to music, it also offers a glimpse beyond the footlights into the process of staging an opera. 

Audiences will experience being “right in the action,” says Suzanne Farrin, director of the Conservatory of Music, as the Purchase College Recital Hall, where it will be performed, is an intimate space, without barriers between the stage and audience. “Audiences will be close enough to the singers and musicians to feel the sweat, sound, and energy of the performance, and at the end will actually meet the singers,” Farrin adds. “Our goal is to make this opera a popular draw for Westchester families every year.” 

Following each performance, a question-and-answer session gives audience members the opportunity to ask their most burning questions of the performing artists, musicians, and the artistic director. The complex relationship between the parents and children in Hansel and Gretel, and the witch’s grisly defeat, are sure to provoke comments and questions. The performances will take place in the Conservatory of Music building on December 7, 8, and 9 at 10:30 am, and December 9th at 7:00 pm. 

An uplifting tale of familial love and loyalty triumphing against all odds, Hansel and Gretel is a longtime holiday favorite, and one of the most popular operas.This year’s English-language production, an original, abridged adaptation by Purchase Opera alumna Nadine Kulberg, will make the magical German-language opera accessible and entertaining to audience members of all ages, according to Farrin. A six-time recipient of the National Opera Association Award, Purchase Opera achieved nationwide recognition with its previous Hansel and Gretel production in 2004. The 2011 production, sponsored by the Westchester Community Foundation, is a foretaste of the full-length, German- and English-language opera slated for 2012.