North Cambridge Family Opera Company
to Perform World Premiere of "Springtime for Haman"

• Family opera uses music and dance to strengthen families and communities in Cambridge, MA.
• For the fifth time since its formation in 1999, the North Cambridge Family Opera Company (NCFOC) is staging a premiere of an original opera written for family audiences and performed by a multi-generational cast.

This year features the world premiere of "Springtime for Haman," a sensitive and entertaining treatment of the biblical story of the courageous young Queen Esther, who risks her life to save her cousin Mordechai and the Jewish people from Haman, the vengeful Grand Vizier of Persia.

This opera, in two 50-minute acts, was composed and is directed by Cambridge resident David Bass. The cast is comprised of both children and adults, often with several members of the same family participating. The music is accessible to children, sophisticated enough to appeal to adults, and spans a wide range of classical and popular styles. The lyrics are witty and understandable, but seek to gently expand the vocabulary of the children, with cameo appearances of words like "pemmican," "apoplectic," and "cognoscenti." This story of Esther provides timeless lessons about the value of courage and conviction, and the folly of hatred and vengeance.

"Don't be put off by the term 'opera,'" suggests Bass, who founded NCFOC in 1999 as a way to involve his young family and their friends in music. "Opera is just a story told through song and movement, with little or no spoken dialogue. Our productions are fast-paced and engaging for both adults and children, on and off-stage ... and we don't do Viking helmets!"

Assisting Bass on this production are choreographer Deborah Mason of the Deborah Mason School of Dance, and set designer Dale Senechal, former technical director of the Boston Opera. All participants are volunteers, as is Bass, who studied music at Yale before taking up a career in chemical engineering.

"Springtime for Haman" will be performed at the King Open School, 850 Cambridge Street, Cambridge MA 02141 (East Cambridge). The show will be performed the weekends of March 20/21 and March 27/28, with Saturday shows at 3 pm and 7 pm, and Sunday shows at 1 pm and 5 pm (sandwiches are available for purchase at intermission of the Sunday 5 pm shows). Tickets are $5/children, $10/adults, $25/families of four, and $5/each for groups of 10 or more attending on the same date.

More about Springtime for Haman

This year's production is a rich tale of intrigue amid a clash of cultures. The beautiful Jewess Esther has been chosen to be Queen by the buffoonish Persian King Ahashveros. The King has also named Haman, an Agagite, to be his Grand Vizier. The conceited Haman commands that all citizens bow to him, but Mordechai, Esther's cousin, refuses, citing Jewish law. Haman is enraged by this perceived insult and vows the annihilation of all Jews, who are traditional enemies of the Agagites. Unaware that the King's beloved Queen Esther is Jewish, or that the King is in Mordechai's debt for saving his life, Haman dupes the King into approving an order that all Jews in the Persian empire be killed on a specific date the following spring. Upon seeing Haman's order, Mordechai convinces Esther to intercede on behalf of the Jews. Despite the danger to herself, Esther enters the King's chambers uninvited (an act punishable by death), reveals her Jewish heritage and accuses Haman of plotting to kill her and her people. The King replaces Haman with Mordechai as the new Grand Vizier, and Mordechai issues an edict which counteracts Haman's order. With this, the Jews of Persia are saved, and Mordechai bids all to stand and "look [him] in the eye ... for we are all of equal worth in the eyes of God."

More about the North Cambridge Family Opera Company

NCFOC is a non-profit arts organization whose mission is to provide children and adults the opportunity to experience and enjoy the telling of story through song and movement. NCFOC performs contemporary operas which are based on stories appealing to both children and adults, and are musically accessible to children but sophisticated enough to hold the interest of adults.

Currently in its sixth year of operation, NCFOC began as an informal group of children and adults and is now incorporated as a non-profit organization. According to founder David Bass: "We found the experience of singing opera to be a unique way to strengthen families, to build friendships, and to enhance the relationships between generations. The philosophy of NCFOC is to welcome all who want to sing and perform."

Previous NCFOC productions include Bass's original compositions as well as original works of other composers:

• 1999 and 2000 "Space Opera" - featuring the hilarious adventures of everyone's favorite robots, aliens, and heroes.
• 2001 "The Coronation of Esther" - the touching prequel to "Springtime for Haman," in which Queen Vashti of Persia is banished for disobeying King Ahashveros, and Esther, a young Jewish woman, is chosen by the King to replace her.
• 2002 "Antiphony" by British composer Graham Preskett and librettist John Kane - a sparkling comedy based very loosely on the children's fable of the ant and the grasshopper.
• 2003 "The Puzzle Jigs" by British composer David Haines - an enchanting opera about accepting people's differences told through a little girl's adventure in a fantasy world of jigsaw puzzle pieces.

Productions are financed through grants, donations, volunteerism and ticket sales. Participants are asked to donate money based on their ability to pay. In addition to regularly scheduled performances, NCFOC is available to perform at schools and other organizations. For more information visit http://www.FamilyOpera.com

2/25/2004