LaFi Publishers, Ltd.

Latin American Frontiers International Publishers, Ltd.

Phantasmagorilla?

No! Phantasmagoria

A Children's Opera

Music by Efraín Amaya  
Libretto & Set by Susana Amundaraín 

Premiered at the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh, February 24, 2007  

Phantasmagoria: (noun) A series of strange or bizarre images seen as if in a dream.

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Mr. Amaya’s Phantasmagorilla? No! Phantasmagoria is a children’s opera featuring Latin American influences, along with some hip-hop and reggae connotations. It was premiered and commissioned by Gateway to the Arts and Opera Theater of Pittsburgh on February 24, 2007. The Point Chamber Orchestra performed under the baton of Mr. Amaya, with a libretto by his wife, artist Susana Amundaraín. "I really wanted to do something with a real experience: something that kids could identify with and that families could identify with," she says.

The opera tells the story of Bernard, a boy who attends an opera called The Ghosts of the Opera with his mother, father and sister. Bernard would rather be anywhere but there, and soon enough, he falls asleep and dreams of many strange and wondrous things – some thoughts lingering in his subconscious mind, some suggested by the opera’s title, and all intricately tied to the beautiful music of the orchestra that plays while he sleeps. “With drama and dreaminess, the opera is perfect for children,” says Jonathan Eaton, artistic director for Opera Theater of Pittsburgh.

Music by Efraín Amaya
Libretto by Susana Amundaraín
Directed by Kelly Van Aken
Set design by Susana Amundaraín
Video by Vanessa Briceño

Characters:

Mother & Grandmother................. Kimberly Steinhauer
Father............................................. Sean Donaldson
Bernard (brother)...........................Amadís Amaya
Nessie (sister)................................. Annie Rago & McKenna Whistler
Opera Singer & Mrs. Cirkem…….Charlene Canty
Usher & Fairy ........ Alexandra Blackwell & Shelby Burke

The Point Chamber Orchestra
Music Director & Conductor Efraín Amaya
Dilshad Posnock, flute
Amy Galbraith, oboe
Jorge Variego , clarinet
Jason Posnock, violin
Barney Culver, cello
José Puentes, double bass
Katie Palumbo, piano

Sponsoring organizations: Gateway to the Arts & Opera Theater of Pittsburgh

LaFi Publishers, Ltd. 2007

Opera Preview: Operetta has children's interests at heart (2-22-2007)

Opera Preview: 'Phantasmagorilla' tunes up for new generation of opera-goers (2-21-2007)