North End Music & Performing Arts Center is thrilled to feature an exciting cast of professional artists from the Boston area alongside inspiring young singers performing this year’s NEMPAC Opera Project 2019 Production “The Little Prince” Opera by Rachel Portman based on Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s beloved French children’s novel of the same name. Co-presented by NorthEndBoston.com, this opera will take place on June 20th and 22nd, 2019 at 7:30 pm, at Faneuil Hall’s Great Hall in Boston.
Directed by Alexandra Dietrich and conducted by Dr. Tiffany Chang, an all-age cast will captivate the audience with this timeless story of the meaning of life, the meaning of death, and the thread of love that weaves both experiences into the quilted pattern of human experience.
“The cinematic and colorful score is as imaginative as the story itself. It is an engaging piece that both our artists and audiences will enjoy exploring and investigating. Being immersed in this tale for the young at heart, we are able relearn so many valuable life lessons. After all, ‘All grown-ups were once children…but only a few remember it’”, praises Daniel P. Ryan, a VOICES Boston Associate Conductor, who directs the NEMPAC Opera Youth Choir for this year’s production.
Entering its 8th performance season, The Little Prince will be a fully staged opera sung in English, and will continue the NEMPAC Opera Project’s initiative to stage children with professionals as in their prior productions including Don Giovanni (2018), La Bohème (2015) and La Cenerentola (2016). This opera will showcase a diverse group of young singers between the ages of 8 and 14 from Boston and surrounding neighborhoods–members of the NEMPAC community and VOICES Boston–as the onstage chorus of stars. The cast includes two young singers in the titular role of the Little Prince.
Our youngest cast members come from diverse, rich cultural backgrounds and balancing creative personalities with fascinating interests:
Ten-year-old Linus Schafer Goulthorpe joins the NEMPAC Opera Project’s The Little Prince in his debut performance as the Prince on June 20th. He lives in Charlestown with his loving family and is in the fourth grade at Buckingham Browne & Nichols School (BB&N). He has been singing with choruses at NEMPAC and the New England Conservatory (NEC) since the age of six. As a music student, he also plays piano. Linus has many interests, including soccer, chess, sailing, reading, and visiting his grandparents in New Orleans and England.
Linus shared that “I’m excited to play the Prince because has a questioning personality and he’s curious about the world. Through his search, the Prince meets many different people, some who are thoughtful and some who aren’t, but he learns from all of them. He learns that what matters isn’t power or possessions, but caring for things, like the environment of his planet, and making connections with others like the Fox and his Rose. I’m looking forward to singing with all the adults, especially the Fox because she teaches him that the most important things in life are invisible, like love and friendship. And then he shares that lesson with the Pilot. I like the Prince because he is a good student and a teacher too. He’s a good role model. He sets a good example, that what is important is to be kind.”
Clare Cho is an eleven-year-old voracious reader and huge music lover. On June 22nd, she will perform in her first opera as the Prince with the NEMPAC Opera Project’s production of The Little Prince. Clare fell in love with theater at age six and became enamored with artistic expression in 2014. She has performed in eight Broadway Jr. collections and six other musical productions in Newton and Wellesley and has enjoyed many roles such as Belle in Beauty and the Beast Jr., Mrs. Andrew from Mary Poppins Jr., and Prince Eric in The Little Mermaid Jr. Since joining VOICES Boston in 2018, Clare has continued to follow her passion for music. When not on stage, she likes playing the violin and writing stories. She’s a fifth grader at Angier Elementary School and lives in Newton with her doting family.
Clare has said, “I am excited to be playing the little Prince role. The little Prince is serious in a childish way and it will be challenging to act like that. I feel as though the Prince likes the Lamplighter most of all, out of all the other planets’ residents (except Earth) because he sings together with him. This story is beautiful, sad, and inspiring. I love the music, especially the Vain Man song and the Roses. Because opera does not have children’s roles in it most of the time, it is a one-time experience for me so far! I cannot wait to be on stage, singing with my heart pounding happily to the rhythm.”
The NEMPAC Opera Youth Choir, a collaboration of young singers from NEMPAC and VOICES Boston, includes Suvi Carlile, Emeliz Espinal, Lucía Gonzalez Fayos, Erin Han, Georgina Harington, Lillian Kuklewicz, Sophia Lyons, Elizabeth Mann, Samantha Markey, Zoe Nazarchuk, and Phoebe Niese.
“As a non-profit, NEMPAC not only provides music education and arts programming to the North End/Waterfront and neighboring communities, but we have provided years of innovative opera performances through the NEMPAC Opera Project. The Little Prince is the perfect opera and vehicle to feature our young, up and coming singers in prominent roles alongside established professionals to unite them in telling this moving story set to lush melodies crafted by Rachel Portman, one of most renowned and awarded female composers of our time”, states Opera Project Artistic Director, Alexandra Dietrich.
This year, Artistic Director Alexandra Dietrich will honor the extraordinary 8 year trajectory of NEMPAC Opera Project with a celebratory outdoor performance with highlights of past productions including Bizet’s Carmen, Puccini’s La Bohème, Rossini’s La Cenerentola, and Mozart’s Don Giovanni. This special “al fresco” performance performed by the cast of The Little Prince and Assistant Conductor Steven Bergman on piano is free and open to the public in Christopher Columbus Waterfront Park on Sunday June 16th at 4:00 pm.
To learn more, and to see the cast please visit https://nempacboston.org/nempac-opera-project/.
What: NEMPAC Opera Project 2019 Production “The Little Prince”
Where: The Great Hall at Faneuil Hall, Boston MA 02201
When: Thursday, June 20th & Saturday, June 22nd
Time: 7:30 pm
Tickets: www.nempacboston.org/tickets
Price Options:
VIP Orchestra: $75
VIP Balcony: $65
General Admission: $30
Senior (65+): $25
Student: $20
Child (4-12): $15
Group VIP (10+): $63
Group General Admission (10+): $25.50
To learn more, please visit www.nempacboston.org.
The Little Prince Sponsors
The 2019 Production of the NEMPAC Opera Project The Little Prince would not be possible without the support and generosity of sponsors at different levels:
Co-Presenting Sponsor $5,000+
NorthEndBoston.com
Anonymous Donor
Maestro Level Sponsor $2,500+
TD Bank
Berkshire Bank
Brookline Bank
Greater Tacoma Community Foundation
Friends of the Christopher Columbus Park
Orchestra Level Sponsor $1,000+
The City of Boston
Boston Cultural Council
