Hansel and Gretel take over Great Room

Tri-Cities Opera perform Hansel & Gretel in Great Room

How do you keep three hundred elementary school children focused and attentive for an hour? You put them all in the East Hill Great Room and call in Hansel and Gretel!

The Tri-Cities Opera Company of Binghamton, N.Y. kept students spellbound as they twice performed Engelbert Humperdink's opera "Hansel and Gretel" on Friday, March 3rd. Magnificent music, wonderful costumes, and simple scenery brought the famous Brothers Grimm fairytale to life—leaving even the youngest in silent wonder.

The performances were arranged by Elementary Music teacher Susan Crua and funded by a grant from HFM BOCES.

"This was an incredible opportunity for the children to see live opera," said Mrs. Crua. "And although this is the third year the opera company has visited us, this is the first time we included our 5th graders in the performance."

The fifth grade chorus played the role of the enchanted gingerbread children that Hansel and Gretel ultimately free at the story's end.

John Isenberg, Education Outreach Coordinator for the Tri-Cities Opera explained that the company performs 65 shows at schools in New York and Pennsylvania each year. This is in addition to three major productions at their theater in Binghamton.

"We come to areas that would not normally see opera," said Mr. Isenberg. "We work to rock the stereotypes. We want to show the students that opera doesn't have to be boring; it can be fun!"

The troupe's repertoire includes a broad range of music suitable for children. They have often performed songs from children's movies, Broadway show tunes, and mini opera/musicals like "Little Red Riding Hood" and "Billy Goats Gruff."

(see a summary and photos of the performance)