Opera Adaptations

Some of the Treble Chorus of New England’s most successful performances have been opera adaptations created by Marie Stultz.

She has considerable experience in taking complex operas usually sung by professional adults and adapting them for children's voices and acting abilities. Her adaptations have been performed by choral ensembes throughout the United States and Canada.

If your school, church, and community choral ensembles is looking to perform an opera that is entertaining, musically challenging, and great fun, you can choose from 14 adaptations that are available from Mira Music Education Publications, mirausa2@aol.com. Selections include:

Original Operetta

• The Tethered Colt for Children’s Choir, appropriate during Lent. Composed by Marie Stultz and written for the children’s choruses at Old North Church in Marblehead, MA. It was performed on Channel 7 for Westy Egmonts’ Show of Faith and distributed throughout New England on local television.

Established Composers with Original Play by Marie Stultz

• Let’s Build a Town by Paul Hindemith is an ecological adaptation from this great composer’s single opera for children. Appropriate for public schools concerned with the enironment or for community children’s choirs. Perfect for Earth Day Celebrations. The music is published by Schott Publishing with original play in facsimile from Marie. (35 mins.)

• The Seven Goats by Englebert Humperdinck with play based off of the Brothers Grimm by Marie Stultz. Perfect for community chorus or public school, this charming story and music comes to life on the stage. (25 mins.)

  Adaptations of Great Operas

• Dido and Aeneas by the great Baroque English composer Henry Purcell. This adaptation has been researched to its original origins. Purcell wrote this fabulous 60 minute opera for a private girl’s school in Chelsea, England. This 55 minute adaptation can be sung by only trebles or with upper voices and young male singers. Perfect for uppper middle school or high school, this aclaimed realization will electrify your audience.

• Magic Flute by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. This 55 minute adaptation is the perfect alternate to the high school musical. As most accomplished conductors know, Mozart is manna for the voice. Your high school chorus or accomplished dramatic ensemble will flourish when learning and presenting this adaptation that makes sense in an opera of three hours that has been loved by audiences throughout the world.

Adaptations of additional operas, including Gilbert and Sullivan, are available. Requests for scripts, outlines, and dramatic details are available from the composer, subject to a fee. Email for details.

Marie Stultz’s Practical Guide to Performing Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas with Young Singers includes everything a choral director would need to provide adolescents and their audiences with a superb musical experience.

The Guide includes...

• Selecting the right performance space
• Set design on your budget
• Staging the opera for maximum drama
• Casting appropriate voices...and more!

The Performance Guide is only $10.
The Performance Guide & Video of the live performance is just $25.

They are available from Morningstar Music Publishers at
www.morningstarmusic.com