PRESS RELEASE -- December 2-3, 2007
Ring in holiday season with MVNU’s "Amahl"
MOUNT VERNON, Ohio -- Mount Vernon Nazarene University’s Music Department will present Amahl and the Night Visitors on Sunday, Dec. 2, at 2:30 p.m., and Monday, Dec. 3, at 8 p.m.
The event will take place in Thorne Performance Hall and $4 tickets may be purchased in advance or at the door.
Amahl and the Night Visitors is a one-act opera in English by Gian Carlo Menotti. It was first performed on Dec. 24, 1951, in New York City at NBC studios, where it was broadcast on television. Specifically composed for television in America, the opera is now a popular Christmas classic. It was one of the first Christmas TV specials to become an annual tradition, prsented on NBC, “The Alcoa Hour” and the “Hallmark Hall of Fame.” It has been said that more people have seen Amahl than any other opera in the world.
The story focuses on Amahl, a poor crippled shepherd boy, and the miracle that cures him. Three kings come to visit Amahl and his mother. They have come searching for a king and bring with them treasures of great value. After Amahl’s mother is caught trying to steal some of the gold to help her child, the Kings forgive her. She is so overcome with gratitude that she tries to return the gold and Amahl tries to donate his shepherd’s staff—because due to a miracle, he can now walk.
The cast, under the director of Virginia Cameron, will also perform for four public schools in Fredericktown and Mount Vernon on Tuesday, November 27. The opera will be accompanied by piano and a chamber wind ensemble. This charming stage work is ideal for children and adults, interlaced with tears and laughter and carefully woven around the story of a newborn king who brings healing and transformation to all those who seek him. For more information or advance tickets, contact (740) 397-9000, ext. 3000.
About MVNU
Mount Vernon Nazarene University is a private, four-year, intentionally Christian teaching university for traditional age students, graduate students and working adults. U.S. News & World Report ranks MVNU in the top 50 Best in the Midwest (Bachelor’s-Comprehensive) institutions for the third year in a row. With a 400-acre main campus in Mount Vernon, Ohio, and eight additional satellite Adult and Graduate Studies campuses throughout the state, MVNU emphasizes academic excellence, spiritual growth and service to community and church. MVNU offers an affordable education to more than 2,670 students from 23 states and five countries/U.S. territories. Inquiries are welcome at the Admissions Office by calling 1-866-462-MVNU or online at admissions.mvnu.edu.
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