Hansel and Gretel

Director's Notes

I performed in this version of Hansel and Gretel in 1999 as a member of the Indianapolis Opera Ensemble, a young artist ensemble consisting of four singers and a pianist who, among other things, performed children’s operas as part of the opera company’s educational outreach.  Denise Page Caraher has written the libretti (books) for multiple operas for children, sometimes adapting an existing story, as in the case of Hansel and Gretel, and other times, creating something completely new with existing music by great opera composers.  Denise’s stories are clever and fun for all ages, and I had always hoped to someday direct one.

The opera is perfect for our current group of Opera Workshop performers, allowing them to sometimes play multiple roles and bring a lot of humor to what was originally written as a very dark story about food insecurity and an evil witch who preys on children.  Though the theme of food insecurity remains—after all, Hansel and Gretel’s mother wouldn’t have sent them out into the woods to pick strawberries if the family had abundant food—our version also stresses healthy eating and family cooperation.  For this reason, we are proud to partner with Izzy’s Food Pantry to hold a donation drive in the lobby collecting non-perishable breakfast items for students on our campus who, like Hansel and Gretel, are experiencing food insecurity.

It has been a real pleasure to collaborate with Dr. Jose Flores, who has spent countless hours working through the score to reduce Humperdinck's large orchestral work into a piece for a small instrumental ensemble.  Prof. Leticia Bajuyo has also been an essential collaborator, connecting the idea of food insecurity and the food pantry drive into a physical manifestation of set pieces constructed with a facade of donated food packaging.  Our other collaborators include Dr. Michael Mazzatenta and Ms. Arlene Long, who served as rehearsal pianists while Dr. Sangmi Lim was away on maternity leave.  Now we welcome Dr. Lim back as well as baby Ella!

The lush, Romantic score is the true magic of this opera.  Humperdinck, who also assisted the composer Richard Wagner, uses frequent modulations, recurring folk-melodies, and evocative themes developed in a variety of ways, giving what we think of as a light story for children increased depth and significance.  Enjoy the magic!

Ellen Denham

The Creators