[NEohioPAL] HANSEL UND GRETEL OPENS NOV. 12

[Alice Iseminger]

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A DARK FAIRY TALE COMES TO MUSICAL LIFE IN HUMPERDINCK'S OPERA H=C4NSEL UND =

GRETEL, AT OBERLIN COLLEGE'S HALL AUDITORIUM, NOVEMBER 12, 14, 15 & 16
Conducted by Steven Smith, former Assistant Conductor of the Cleveland=20
Orchestra; with a special appearance by members of the Oberlin Choristers

Complimentary NEohioPAL Tickets for Wednesday, Nov. 12:
Call 440-775-8171 or email alice.iseminger at oberlin.edu

OBERLIN, OH - A dark but richly charming retelling of the famous Grimm=20
fairy tale, Engelbert Humperdinck's H=E4nsel und Gretel opens on Wednesday, =

November 12, at 8 PM in Oberlin College's Hall Auditorium.  With its lushly =

melodic score based on folk tunes and originally conceived for children,=20
this magical opera is sure to enthrall and delight audiences of all ages.

The conductor is Steven Smith, former assistant conductor of the Cleveland=20
Orchestra and music director
of the Oberlin Conservatory orchestras. Stage direction is by Jonathon=20
Field, opera director and associate professor of Opera Theater.  The=20
production will include a special appearance by members of the  Oberlin=20
Choristers, under the direction of Katherine Plank.  The opera will be sung =

in German, with English supertitles.

Synopsis and Director's Notes
H=E4nsel and Gretel are home alone, working on a long list of chores. They=20
are painfully hungry in their impoverished home, but like any children,=20
they become distracted from their work and begin to play and tease one=20
another.  Their mother comes home and scolds them for their horseplay,=20
sending them into the woods to pick strawberries for dinner. Her husband=20
Peter comes home and is horrified that the children are alone in the woods=20
- he has heard of an evil witch who bakes children into gingerbread. Peter=20
and Gertrude rush off to find H=E4nsel and Gretel.  In the forest, Gretel=20
weaves wreaths out of wild flowers as H=E4nsel picks
the last of the strawberries. They play together, imitating the sounds of=20
the forest as they munch on the berries. Soon it is dark, and they realize=20
that their basket is empty, and worse, they are lost. As night falls, the=20
children are soothed by the Sandman and a host of gentle angels.  They sing =

with the angels a familiar prayer of peace: "When at night I go to sleep,=20
fourteen angels watch do keep..."  The next morning, H=E4nsel and Gretel=20
awake to discover a fantastic cottage made of candy, with a fence made of=20
gingerbread children.  An old crone emerges from the house and attempts to=20
lure the children in. When they resist, she casts a spell on them and locks =

H=E4nsel in a cage.  She summons Gretel to the oven, but the girl tricks =
her=20
and pushes her in. The witch's spells are broken, and everyone rejoices,=20
singing "When in direst need we stand, God will offer us His hand."=20
(Information from Arizona Opera, www.azopera.com)

"H=E4nsel und Gretel is intriguing because of the juxta
positions it presents," explains Field.  "What is eternally captivating=20
about fairy tales is the constant tension between good and evil, age and=20
innocence, appearances and realities.  This production reveals the real=20
darkness and sinister twists in the story, but highlights the goodness that =

triumphs in the end."

Location and Ticket Information
Performances of H=E4nsel und Gretel are at 8 PM, Wednesday, Friday, and=20
Saturday, November 12, 14, and 15, with a 2 PM matinee on Sunday, November=20
16.  Hall Auditorium is wheel chair accessible, parking is free and hearing =

enhancement is available upon request.  H=E4nsel und Gretel is sponsored by =

the Oberlin Conservatory Opera Theater program (www.oberlin.edu/operathe)=20
and produced in cooperation with the Oberlin College Theater and Dance=20
Program (www.oberlin.edu/~thedance) with support from the Louis C. Sudler=20
Fund.

Tickets are $5 for all students, $8 for Oberlin College ID, Senior=20
Citizens, and educators, and $12 for the general publ
ic.
ALL TICKETS ARE $3 MORE WHEN PURCHASED AT THE DOOR.
Tickets may be purchased from Central Ticket Service at 775-8169.  CTS is=20
located in the lobby of Hall Auditorium, and is open from noon to 5 PM,=20
Monday through Friday, and  Saturdays, November 8 & 15.

Hall Auditorium is located at 67 N. Main St. on Rte. 58, between the=20
Oberlin Inn and the Allen Art Museum.

Performers and Production Team
This production of H=E4nsel und Gretel features Oberlin Conservatory =
students=20
double cast in the principal roles. The principals alternate performances,=20
with one cast appearing Wednesday and Saturday, and the other Friday and=20
Sunday. The principal roles include H=E4nsel (Sara Fanucchi '05, Kathryn=20
Leemhuis '05); Gretel (Marie Masters '06, Adrianne Herman '04); the Sandman =

(Emily Goddard '04); the Dew Fairy (Colette Boudreaux '06); Gertrude, the=20
mother (Megan Hart '05, Karen Jesse '04); Peter, the father (Michael=20
Weyandt '05, Ferris Allen '04); and the Witch (Megan Hart '05, Karen Jesse=20
'
04).  Singing in the ensemble are Meagan Brus '05, Amy Helfer '04, Heidi=20
Wells '04, Robin Hok '04, and Kate Lerner '07.

The Oberlin production team of professional staff and students includes:=20
Assistant Music Director Alan Montgomery; Assistant Director and Stage=20
Manager Victoria Vaughan; Scenic Designer/Managing Director/Technical=20
Director Michael Louis Grube, associate professor of theater; Costume=20
Designer Chris Flaharty, associate professor of theater; Sound Engineer and =

Lighting Designer Jen Groseth, lecturer in theater; Props Manager Damen=20
Mroczek, lecturer in theater; and Assistant Stage Managers Jodi Gage '05=20
and Marta Johnson '04.

Who's Who
Engelbert Humperdinck (Composer, 1854-1921) saw the greatest success of his =

career in H=E4nsel und Gretel, though his repertoire includes later, more=20
ambitious operas as well.  His interest in music drama apparently sprang=20
from the first opera he heard, Lortzing's Undine. The year he heard it,=20
Humperdinck began work on two S
ingspiels, Perla and Claudine von Villa Bella, and on the music drama=20
Harziperes.  After excelling at the Cologne Conservatory, he continued his=20
studies at the Munich Konigliche Musikschule in 1877.  He began=20
incorporating new influences into his music, which had long adhered to the=20
Schumannesque traditions of his teachers. He developed a passion for=20
Wagner's music, and went to Bayreuth to work with the composer.  Ten years=20
later, his sister requested that he set some folksongs for H=E4nsel and=20
Gretel.  The simple project developed into Singspiel and finally opera, and =

the public's delight at the work celebrated the spontaneity and childlike=20
wonder that shone through Humperdinck's music.

Steven Smith (Conductor) recently completed his tenure as assistant=20
conductor of The Cleveland Orchestra and music director of its Youth=20
Orchestra.  He the music director of the Santa Fe Symphony and Chorus, and=20
is Oberlin's associate professor of conducting and the music director of=20
the Oberl
in Conservatory Orchestras.  Smith has guest conducted with the symphony=20
orchestras of Detroit, Houston, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Auckland, New=20
Zealand.  During the 2000-2001 season, he led the Cleveland Orchestra Youth =

Orchestra at Carnegie Hall.  Mr. Smith was associate conductor of the=20
Kansas City Symphony from 1996-1998, during which time he received the=20
Conductor Career Development Grant and was named Foundation Artist by the=20
Geraldine C. and Emory M. Ford Foundation. He has served as music director=20
of the San Juan Symphony, assistant conductor of the Colorado Springs=20
Symphony, and conductor of "Epicycle: an ensemble for new music."  Also an=20
active composer, Smith has been commissioned by The Cleveland Orchestra,=20
and his work has since been featured on National Public Radio and performed =

by the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the National and Columbus symphonies.=20
Mr. Smith earned master's degrees from the Eastman School of Music and the=20
Cleveland Institute of Music.

Jonathan
 Field (Director) has directed over 90 productions and is becoming one of=20
America's most sought-after stage directors.  He has directed touring=20
productions for the Lyric Opera of Chicago of Trouble in Tahiti, Gianni=20
Schicchi, The Old Maid and the Thief, and The Spanish Hour. For San=20
Francisco Opera's Western Opera Theatre he directed La Cenerentola and Die=20
Fledermaus and for Seattle Opera, an updated version of La Boh=E8me. In San =

Francisco he has also directed Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin and Mussorgsky's =

Boris Godunov in the original Russian.  He has directed 10 productions for=20
the Arizona Opera, being deemed by the press "their most perceptive stage=20
director." Since coming to the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in 1997, he=20
has directed Carmen, Slow Dusk, The Old Maid and the Thief, Rom=E9o et=20
Juliette, Cos=EC fan Tutte, Manon, Don Giovanni, Coyote Tales, La=20
Cenerentola, Die Fledermaus, The Rake's Progress, The Bartered Bride, and=20
Alcina. As artistic director of Lyric Opera Clevelan
d, Field directed the 2002 production of Don Giovanni, which was nominated=20
for the Northern Ohio Live Award of Achievement in classical music/opera.=20
In the 2004 season Mr. Field will direct Cos=EC fan Tutte (opening July=20
28th), and artistic direct Little Women (opening June 16th).



Media contact: Alice Iseminger, 775-8171.  For more information, visit=20
www.oberlin.edu/~events.

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<fontfamily><param>Monaco</param><flushleft>A DARK FAIRY TALE COMES TO =
MUSICAL LIFE IN HUMPERDINCK'S OPERA H=C4NSEL UND GRETEL, AT OBERLIN =
COLLEGE'S HALL AUDITORIUM, NOVEMBER 12, 14, 15 & 16=20

Conducted by Steven Smith, former Assistant Conductor of the Cleveland =
Orchestra; with a special appearance by members of the Oberlin Choristers=20


<color><param>ffff,0000,0000</param><bigger>Complimentary NEohioPAL Tickets =
for Wednesday, Nov. 12:=20

Call 440-775-8171 or email alice.iseminger at oberlin.edu</color>


OBERLIN, OH - A dark but richly charming retelling of the famous Grimm =
fairy tale, Engelbert Humperdinck's H=E4nsel und Gretel opens on Wednesday, =
November 12, at 8 PM in Oberlin College's Hall Auditorium.  With its lushly =
melodic score based on folk tunes and originally conceived for children, =
this magical opera is sure to enthrall and delight audiences of all ages.=20


The conductor is Steven Smith, former assistant conductor of the Cleveland =
Orchestra and music director =20

of the Oberlin Conservatory orchestras. Stage direction is by Jonathon =
Field, opera director and associate professor of Opera Theater.  The =
production will include a special appearance by members of the  Oberlin =
Choristers, under the direction of Katherine Plank.  The opera will be sung =
in German, with English supertitles. =20


Synopsis and Director's Notes=20

H=E4nsel and Gretel are home alone, working on a long list of chores. They =
are painfully hungry in their impoverished home, but like any children, =
they become distracted from their work and begin to play and tease one =
another.  Their mother comes home and scolds them for their horseplay, =
sending them into the woods to pick strawberries for dinner. Her husband =
Peter comes home and is horrified that the children are alone in the woods =
- he has heard of an evil witch who bakes children into gingerbread. Peter =
and Gertrude rush off to find H=E4nsel and Gretel.  In the forest, Gretel =
weaves wreaths out of wild flowers as H=E4nsel picks =20

the last of the strawberries. They play together, imitating the sounds of =
the forest as they munch on the berries. Soon it is dark, and they realize =
that their basket is empty, and worse, they are lost. As night falls, the =
children are soothed by the Sandman and a host of gentle angels.  They sing =
with the angels a familiar prayer of peace: "When at night I go to sleep, =
fourteen angels watch do keep..."  The next morning, H=E4nsel and Gretel =
awake to discover a fantastic cottage made of candy, with a fence made of =
gingerbread children.  An old crone emerges from the house and attempts to =
lure the children in. When they resist, she casts a spell on them and locks =
H=E4nsel in a cage.  She summons Gretel to the oven, but the girl tricks =
her and pushes her in. The witch's spells are broken, and everyone =
rejoices, singing "When in direst need we stand, God will offer us His =
hand."  (Information from Arizona Opera, www.azopera.com)=20


"H=E4nsel und Gretel is intriguing because of the juxta=20

positions it presents," explains Field.  "What is eternally captivating =
about fairy tales is the constant tension between good and evil, age and =
innocence, appearances and realities.  This production reveals the real =
darkness and sinister twists in the story, but highlights the goodness that =
triumphs in the end."=20


Location and Ticket Information=20

Performances of H=E4nsel und Gretel are at 8 PM, Wednesday, Friday, and =
Saturday, November 12, 14, and 15, with a 2 PM matinee on Sunday, November =
16.  Hall Auditorium is wheel chair accessible, parking is free and hearing =
enhancement is available upon request.  H=E4nsel und Gretel is sponsored by =
the Oberlin Conservatory Opera Theater program (www.oberlin.edu/operathe) =
and produced in cooperation with the Oberlin College Theater and Dance =
Program (www.oberlin.edu/~thedance) with support from the Louis C. Sudler =
Fund.=20

 =20

Tickets are $5 for all students, $8 for Oberlin College ID, Senior =
Citizens, and educators, and $12 for the general publ=20

ic.  =20

ALL TICKETS ARE $3 MORE WHEN PURCHASED AT THE DOOR.=20

Tickets may be purchased from Central Ticket Service at 775-8169.  CTS is =
located in the lobby of Hall Auditorium, and is open from noon to 5 PM, =
Monday through Friday, and  Saturdays, November 8 & 15.=20


Hall Auditorium is located at 67 N. Main St. on Rte. 58, between the =
Oberlin Inn and the Allen Art Museum.=20


Performers and Production Team=20

This production of H=E4nsel und Gretel features Oberlin Conservatory =
students double cast in the principal roles. The principals alternate =
performances, with one cast appearing Wednesday and Saturday, and the other =
Friday and Sunday. The principal roles include H=E4nsel (Sara Fanucchi '05, =
Kathryn Leemhuis '05); Gretel (Marie Masters '06, Adrianne Herman '04); the =
Sandman (Emily Goddard '04); the Dew Fairy (Colette Boudreaux '06); =
Gertrude, the mother (Megan Hart '05, Karen Jesse '04); Peter, the father =
(Michael Weyandt '05, Ferris Allen '04); and the Witch (Megan Hart '05, =
Karen Jesse '=20

04).  Singing in the ensemble are Meagan Brus '05, Amy Helfer '04, Heidi =
Wells '04, Robin Hok '04, and Kate Lerner '07.  =20


The Oberlin production team of professional staff and students includes: =
Assistant Music Director Alan Montgomery; Assistant Director and Stage =
Manager Victoria Vaughan; Scenic Designer/Managing Director/Technical =
Director Michael Louis Grube, associate professor of theater; Costume =
Designer Chris Flaharty, associate professor of theater; Sound Engineer and =
Lighting Designer Jen Groseth, lecturer in theater; Props Manager Damen =
Mroczek, lecturer in theater; and Assistant Stage Managers Jodi Gage '05 =
and Marta Johnson '04.    =20


Who's Who=20

Engelbert Humperdinck (Composer, 1854-1921) saw the greatest success of his =
career in H=E4nsel und Gretel, though his repertoire includes later, more =
ambitious operas as well.  His interest in music drama apparently sprang =
from the first opera he heard, Lortzing's Undine. The year he heard it, =
Humperdinck began work on two S=20

ingspiels, Perla and Claudine von Villa Bella, and on the music drama =
Harziperes.  After excelling at the Cologne Conservatory, he continued his =
studies at the Munich Konigliche Musikschule in 1877.  He began =
incorporating new influences into his music, which had long adhered to the =
Schumannesque traditions of his teachers. He developed a passion for =
Wagner's music, and went to Bayreuth to work with the composer.  Ten years =
later, his sister requested that he set some folksongs for H=E4nsel and =
Gretel.  The simple project developed into Singspiel and finally opera, and =
the public's delight at the work celebrated the spontaneity and childlike =
wonder that shone through Humperdinck's music.=20


Steven Smith (Conductor) recently completed his tenure as assistant =
conductor of The Cleveland Orchestra and music director of its Youth =
Orchestra.  He the music director of the Santa Fe Symphony and Chorus, and =
is Oberlin's associate professor of conducting and the music director of =
the Oberl=20

in Conservatory Orchestras.  Smith has guest conducted with the symphony =
orchestras of Detroit, Houston, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Auckland, New =
Zealand.  During the 2000-2001 season, he led the Cleveland Orchestra Youth =
Orchestra at Carnegie Hall.  Mr. Smith was associate conductor of the =
Kansas City Symphony from 1996-1998, during which time he received the =
Conductor Career Development Grant and was named Foundation Artist by the =
Geraldine C. and Emory M. Ford Foundation. He has served as music director =
of the San Juan Symphony, assistant conductor of the Colorado Springs =
Symphony, and conductor of "Epicycle: an ensemble for new music."  Also an =
active composer, Smith has been commissioned by The Cleveland Orchestra, =
and his work has since been featured on National Public Radio and performed =
by the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the National and Columbus symphonies.  =
Mr. Smith earned master's degrees from the Eastman School of Music and the =
Cleveland Institute of Music.=20


Jonathan=20

 Field (Director) has directed over 90 productions and is becoming one of =
America's most sought-after stage directors.  He has directed touring =
productions for the Lyric Opera of Chicago of Trouble in Tahiti, Gianni =
Schicchi, The Old Maid and the Thief, and The Spanish Hour. For San =
Francisco Opera's Western Opera Theatre he directed La Cenerentola and Die =
Fledermaus and for Seattle Opera, an updated version of La Boh=E8me. In San =
Francisco he has also directed Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin and Mussorgsky's =
Boris Godunov in the original Russian.  He has directed 10 productions for =
the Arizona Opera, being deemed by the press "their most perceptive stage =
director." Since coming to the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in 1997, he =
has directed Carmen, Slow Dusk, The Old Maid and the Thief, Rom=E9o et =
Juliette, Cos=EC fan Tutte, Manon, Don Giovanni, Coyote Tales, La =
Cenerentola, Die Fledermaus, The Rake's Progress, The Bartered Bride, and =
Alcina. As artistic director of Lyric Opera Clevelan=20

d, Field directed the 2002 production of Don Giovanni, which was nominated =
for the Northern Ohio Live Award of Achievement in classical music/opera.  =
In the 2004 season Mr. Field will direct Cos=EC fan Tutte (opening July =
28th), and artistic direct Little Women (opening June 16th).=20




Media contact: Alice Iseminger, 775-8171.  For more information, visit =
www.oberlin.edu/~events.=20

</flushleft></fontfamily>=

--Boundary_(ID_6/jZ7TsiLyfZvzcy2df9Cg)--