Amahl and the Night Visitors

Vashon United Methodist Church’s (VUMC) and Vashon Lutheran Church’s (VLC) music director Marita Ericksen will be directing two performances of the opera, Amahl and the Night Visitors, by Gian Carlo Menotti just after the New Year. Amahl and the Night Visitors was the first opera specifically composed for television in America. "The performers are a group of people from Vashon Island Chorale, Vashon Opera, Methodist and Lutheran Church Choirs, Vashon_Maury Chamber Orchestra - people who have sung and played with me in various music groups on the island. It was my idea to do Amahl and the Night Visitors after I had a conversation with a few of the soloists - Jennifer Krikawa, Joe Farmer, Alivia Jones were all very encouraging. Then I made an appeal for chorus people and instrumentalists and folks just responded." (quote from Marita) It’s a beautiful opera with a Christmas/Epiphany theme of the 3 Wisemen traveilling to visit the Christ child.

Jennifer Krikawa will be singing the role of
Mother, Alivia Jones will be Amahl, Joe Farmer,
Jim Gilmour and Dick Paulsen will play the 3
Wisemen, Elise Ericksen will dance the role of Sheperdess
and Max Lopuszynski will be the Page. Marita
will direct them along with a 35 voice chorus and
9 instrumentalists, including Evan Stults, Karin
Choo, Mary Walker, Gaye Detzer, Michael Marcus, Sarah Church, Erica Walker, Erika Raven,
Adam Hoagland and Aaron Stephens.
 
"Gian Carlo Menotti is one of my favorite composers. I feel fortunate to be able to do this piece with such talented local musicians - a group of people getting together for the joy of it and to help raise funds for both churches" (quote from Marita) The two 1 hour performances are fundraisers for the Vashon Lutheran Church, Saturday, January 5 at 7:00 pm and the Vashon United Methodist Church, Sunday, January 6 at 6 pm. A free-will offering will be collected.