Join us for the Watch Party Premier on February 25th @ 7pm on our YouTube channel
In recent years, the Southern Arizona Symphony Orchestra has traveled to Mexico to participate in the San Luis Opera Festival and Linus Lerner International Vocal Competition, in San Luis Potosí, Mexico. The festival normally occurs during the summer and includes fully staged operas, but during the pandemic the organizers had to get creative. In December 2020, they produced an animated version of Gian Carlo Menotti’s one-act opera, Amahl and the Night Visitors.
SASO players recorded their parts individually, and their performances were combined with recordings by musicians in Brazil and in Mexico to provide the orchestral sound for the project. “This production, as far as I know, is unique in the world. Over 50 players and singers performed their parts in their own homes” said SASO Music Director Linus Lerner. “Combining music from such different environments was a challenge,” Lerner added, but he couldn’t be more proud of the results. SASO will premiere the animated opera on their YouTube channel on February 25th at 7 pm.