Union Avenue Opera presents The Mini Ring, arranged by Elise LaBarge and based on Wagner’s The Ring Cycle, on Saturday, December 1, 2012 at 1 pm, Union Avenue Opera, Union Avenue Christian Church, 733 North Union Boulevard, St. Louis. The performance is free and open to the public.The vocalists will perform with piano accompaniment. Advance reservations are not required and doors open at 12:30 pm day of show. Street parking and a parking lot behind the church off Enright Avenue are available. The event is best for elementary and middle school aged youth (and all you caregivers who would like a taste of Wagner).
The event begins with an interactive lecture by Union Avenue Opera Education Coordinator, Stephanie Ball, who briefly will talk about opera’s history and influence. During the lecture, the children will be taught a leitmotif (a short recurring musical phrase associated with a particular person, place, or idea). Audience members are encouraged to sing the leitmotif when it is heard throughout the performance. The 45 minute Mini Ring production follows the lecture.
The Mini Ring Story
What would you do if one day you discovered a magical ring that made you the best at everything? Would you keep it a secret? Would you share it? Find out what happens when the head cheerleader, Flossy, the captain of the football team; Wotan, the exchange student; Siegfried, and some of their classmates at Valhalla High come upon such a ring and the decisions they make. Join them on an incredible journey as they discover that friendship and success are not earned by magic, but through kindness, humility, and hard work.
Artists
The Mini Ring features Joy Bolden (Brunhilde), Melissa Payton (Flossy), Nathan Ruggles (Fasolt), Tom Sitzler (Wotan), Clark Sturdevant (Siegfried), Philip Touchette (Alberich), and Sophia Hays (Erda). Vera Parkins is Music Director and Allyson Ditchey directs the cast.
For more information contact Union Avenue Opera at info@unionavenueopera.org or call 314.361.2881.
PHOTO: Baritone Tom Sitzler performs the role of Wotan in Union Avenue Opera’s The Mini Ring.