UNA Pressroom

A Holiday Premiere Brought To You By Una Opera

Nov. 09, 2018



Michelle Eubanks, UNA, at media@una.edu, 256.765.4392 or 256.606.2033

Vanessa Borelly Vega, UNA School of the Arts

FLORENCE, Ala.-UNA Opera is excited to present the Shoals with the collegiate premiere of "The House Without a Christmas Tree."

Performances will take place in Norton Auditorium Friday, Nov. 16 at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 18 at 2:00 p.m.

In this captivating Christmas story, we meet Addie, a precocious child that doesn't understand why her father dislikes Christmas so intensely-even refusing to allow a Christmas tree in the house. When Addie brings home a tree she won in a school contest, it leads to a miracle of sorts-her father's broken soul is transformed.

"The House without a Christmas Tree" is a new opera, written by Ricky Ian Gordon and Royce Vavrek, which premiered at the Houston Grand Opera last holiday season. It is based on an original story by Gail Rock and the beloved 1972 television movie of the same name.

Gordon chose to translate this into an opera because he said, "What you want a piece about the holidays to do, is for hearts to be opened and people to feel closer to one another." Gordon and Vavrek accomplished both with this masterful score.

The University of North Alabama Opera program, School of the Arts and Department of Music invite you to start the holiday season with this heartwarming story.

Purchase your tickets by visiting una.edu/schoolofthearts, contacting the School of the Arts Box Office at (256)765-5500 or by stopping by the School of the Arts Box Office on 126 W. Tombigbee St. (Wednesdays and Thursdays 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. and Fridays 12:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.).

Tickets are $12 for adults in advance and $15 at the door. Tickets are $5 for children (17 and under) and UNA students.

For more information on any of the programs in the UNA School of the Arts or the Department of Music: una.edu/schoolofthearts or una.edu/music.

UNIVERSITY OF NORTH ALABAMA

The University of North Alabama is an accredited, comprehensive regional state university offering undergraduate and graduate degree programsthrough the colleges of Arts and Sciences, Business,Education and Human Sciences, and the Anderson College of Nursing and Health Professions.Occupying a 130-acre campus in a residential section of Florence, Alabama, UNA is located within a four-city area that also includes Tuscumbia, Sheffield and Muscle Shoals. UNA Athletics, a renownedcollegiate athletics program with seven (7) Division II National Championships, is now a proud member of the NCAA Division I's ASUN and Big South Conferences.The University of North Alabama is an equal opportunity institution and does not discriminate in the admission policy on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, disability, age or national origin.

https://www.una.edu/