Notes from the podium: Familiar fairytale brought to life by Bremerton symphony, opera
You are going to love this year’s OrKIDstra production of "Little Red Riding Hood," from the Bremerton WestSound Symphony and Kitsap Opera. Until last year, I hadn’t even heard of this work, written by Seymour Barab in 1962 especially for audiences of children. In a departure from darker versions of the classic folk tale, Barab’s version is wholesome, innocent, and humorous. Though billed as a “children’s opera,” there is spoken dialogue as well as singing. The music is tuneful and accessible, and really enhances the storytelling. In our production, the action takes place in front of the orchestra, in full view of the audience rather than in a pit. The work is about 45 minutes in length, performed without intermission, and will be sung in English with projected supertitles.
The five main characters of the story are portrayed by three singers in costume: Katrina Noble as Little Red Riding Hood, Cori Battaglia as the Mother and Grandmother, and Erik Lawrence as the Wolf and the Woodsman. Artistic direction and preparation of the singers is by Andrew Etherington, and I will conduct.
Three performances will be presented at the Bremerton High School Performing Arts Center. The first two will take place on the morning of Tuesday, March 19, for audiences of school children. The third performance, for the general public, is 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 24.
It has been a great pleasure to collaborate on this project with Andrew Etherington, Kitsap Opera’s new artistic director. Andrew also teaches voice and leads opera productions at Olympic College. You might have heard him in the title role of "Faust" or as a tenor soloist with the symphony, but here you will see and hear the result of his work behind the scenes. I have invited him to tell us more.
Notes from Andrew Etherington:
Did you know that Kitsap County has its own local opera company? Kitsap Opera was founded in 1992 by the amazing Leone Cottrell-Adkins, who directed, conducted, and even performed when needed. Leone and a team of board members have been producing accessible opera here on the Kitsap Peninsula for 32 years. It is my honor to continue their legacy.
While we typically think of operas performed for adults at night, in big theaters, with lights and sets, there is also a genre for younger audiences. As the artistic director of Kitsap Opera, my desire is to program for all Kitsap families. We are thrilled to be partnering with the Bremerton WestSound Symphony to bring you this exciting performance of "Little Red Riding Hood," which is part of our larger season that began with a holiday sing-along and short Christmas opera at Admiral Theatre this past December. We hope to see you again this coming September for Rossini’s Cinderella, a delightful pairing of both the opera and a royal ball, where prince and princess costumes and Bridgerton dances are encouraged!
For this production of "Little Red Riding Hood," I encourage you to laugh and cheer “Bravo!” as loud as you can! Some people think opera is stuffy, but not here in Kitsap. Have fun and enjoy the show!
Little Red Riding Hood and WestSound Youth Jazz
When: Sunday, March 24, doors open at 2 p.m., jazz at 2:15 and show at 3
Where: Bremerton High School Performing Arts Center, 1500 13th Street
Tickets: $10 for adults, at at bremertonwestsoundsymphony.org or by calling 360-373-1722. Youth 18 and under are free.
Gary Dahl is a resident of Silverdale and teaches music in the Central Kitsap School District. He serves as associate conductor and personnel manager of the Bremerton WestSound Symphony, principal timpanist of the Bremerton WestSound and Port Angeles Symphonies, and conductor of Kitsap Opera.
Andrew Etherington is a faculty member at Olympic College and has performed with the Seattle Opera, Tacoma Opera, Vashon Opera, Pacific Northwest Opera, Kitsap Opera, and Puget Sound Concert Opera. He is artistic director of Kitsap Opera. Learn more at www.kitsapopera.org.