Papageno, opera's favorite bird-catcher, will likely never lie again. The Queen of the Night's servants put a lock on his mouth after he falsely claimed to slay a colorful monster with many children's legs. He tried to sing anyway.
The lights in the Children Museum's auditorium flashed on and off when the queen made her dramatic entrance.
And as Papageno and Papagena sang of their love for each other, they promised to have many children named after them. "Yes, we'll have many Papagenos, Pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-ge-nos," went one of the lyrics. Papageno tapped the head of a different cast member each time he sang "pa."
These were just some of the highlights of Steven LaCosse's adaptation of Mozart's "The Magic Flute," which members of an opera camp presented Friday at the museum with first- through fourth-graders. The camp is a partnership of Piedmont Opera and the Children's Museum of Winston-Salem.
"It was wonderful," said Sharon Letchworth, the mother of Katie Tolle, who played the Priestess, and Rebecca Tolle, who played the Queen of the Night. "They did such a good job."
Letchworth said she might take her kids to see a professional opera production, now that they know so much more about opera. Frank Dickerson, the executive director of Piedmont Opera, said he hoped the camp would create future fans and singers of opera.
Campers who are museum members paid $180 for the session and non-members paid $20 more. See www.childrensmuseumofws.org for more information.
Piedmont Opera put up about $4,000 to pay LaCosse, who also served as the production's director, pianist Mary-Ann Bills and several singers trained at UNC School of the Arts. The opera company also provided scholarship assistance to five campers.
The production of "Magic Flute," highly popular since its composition in 1791, followed four days of preparations that began Monday. During that time, about 13 children got a hands-on education in all the elements that go into the making of an opera, including singing, acting, movement, the memorization of lines as well as the making of sets, props and costumes. They also learned the art form's key terms, and they got coaching and demonstrations from current and former students at the A.J. Fletcher Opera Institute of UNCSA.
Two Fletcher singers, Amanda Moody and Kyle Guglielmo, sang the roles of Papagena and Papageno respectively. The campers contributed ensemble singing and/or played speaking parts.
Moody expressed admiration at all the campers had accomplished in a week.
"They're amazing," she said.
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