04 Jan A Christmas Opera ‘Visits’ McPherson County
In December, a Donor Advised Fund gave us at the Foundation the opportunity to schedule Music on Site to perform the Christmas Opera ‘Amahl and The Night Visitor’.
‘Amahl and the Night Visitors’ is an opera in one act by Gian Carlo Menotti that follows a disabled boy and his mother as they are visited by three strangers. These strangers would be the Three Kings that are currently traveling to attend the birth of Jesus.
Music On Site has brought their performance of ‘Amahl and The Night Visitor’ to McPherson County every season since 2019 (2020 canceled due to Covid). The group gave performances in front of multiple schools across the county on Dec. 13 and then a free performance for all community members on Dec 17.
J. Bradley Baker, Executive Director of Music On Site, described the experience as enriching for their singers and noted that the students were full of smiles. One 3rd Grader was even heard saying “Wow, opera is cool”!
“For the us [at the Foundation] supporting the arts is a great priority” Becky Goss, President and CEO of the McPherson County Community Foundation said, “It’s a really cool opportunity to show kids and our community members an artform that they may not be familiar with.”
Music On Site, Inc. is a Kansas-based 501(c)(3) music production company that works to close opera’s opportunity gap across socioeconomic divisions by cultivating opera education and appreciation in K-12 students in rural communities, and advancing and promoting the careers of those pursuing a career in opera through:
- Presenting free school outreach opera performances and educational programs in rural school districts without access to opera;
- Producing free-admission opera performances for families and community members;
- Producing high-level professional opera productions that elevate the arts and cultural offerings of the State of Kansas;
- Providing free, high-quality professional training, classes, networking, and mentorship to young artists pursuing careers as singers, directors, and pianists;
- Provide additional opportunities for opera professionals to engage with the public and further their craft.