Amahl and the Night Visitors Presented by Seaglass Theater Company

Experience the warmth and wonder of the season with Amahl and the Night Visitors, Gian Carlo Menotti’s beloved one-act opera, performed by an exceptional cast under the direction of David McCarty, with conductor and pianist Dr. Matthew Larson and chorus master Margaret Bossi.

Join Seaglass Theater Company for this heartwarming story of a poor shepherd boy whose life is changed forever when three kings, following a star, stop at his humble home on their journey to Bethlehem.

The performances are free, and all are welcome. Reservations are recommended for the Fairhaven performance, and can be made on Eventbrite: https://amahlfairhaven.eventbrite.com

For more information, please visit www.seaglasstheater.com or call 508-951-7187 (Seaglass Theater Company).

ABOUT THE CAST/CREATIVE STAFF

ISABELLA ABBRESCIA (Amahl)- Isabella Abbrescia, soprano, is a passionate advocate for the transformative power of opera. Having recently graced the stage as Amy in Adamo’s Little Women, Despina in Mozart’s Così fan tutte, and Lilian in Jodi Goble’s new work The Eleanors, Isabella's performances reflect her widely-praised expressive character skills, musicality, and commitment to the historical nuances of her repertoire. A rising force in the industry, Isabella garnered acclaim as an encouragement award recipient from the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition in 2025 and was a national semi-finalist in the CS Music competition in 2023. Currently pursuing her Performance Diploma at BU’s Opera Institute, Isabella continues to build on the foundation laid by her previous mentor, Rebecca Folsom, who taught her during her time at Boston Conservatory while she earned her MM in Opera. With a deep passion for understanding the traditions that have shaped her craft, Isabella Abbrescia envisions a future where her work inspires audiences and shapes the industry for generations to come.

RYAN LUSTGARTEN (Kaspar)- Ryan Lustgarten was born in Seattle, WA and is currently based in Manhattan. He received his Bachelor of Music in Voice and Opera Performance degree from Washington State University in 2016, his Master of Voice & Opera degree from Northwestern University in 2020 and was a member of the Boston University Opera Institute from 2020-2022. Ryan recently performed the role of Borsa in Verdi’s Rigoletto with Savannah Voice Festival, and before that the role of Fenton in Verdi’s Falstaff with Pacific Northwest Opera. He is also a recent Munday Encouragement Award winner of the Jensen Foundation Competition and Semifinalist in the Lotte Lenya Competition. Ryan, also a lover of early music, is annually engaged as a soloist and ensemble member of professional ensembles such as Upper Valley Baroque and The Boston Camerata. Ryan is excited to be ever-involved in operatic workshops, for he has a deep passion for contributing to the creation of fledgling contemporary operas.Away from the stage, Ryan enjoys a rousing tennis match, a juicy book, watching the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sundays, and avidly consuming any and all things Star Wars.

ANTHONY PILCHER (Melchior)- Anthony Pilcher, baritone, was most recently the bass soloist in Mozart's Missa Brevis in F with the Woods Hole Cantata Consort. Earlier this season, he performed the roles of Joe Aikens and Max Detweiler in The Stephen Foster Story and The Sound of Music, respectively, as part of the Stephen Foster Drama Association’s 2025 season. Additionally, he was a Young Artist with Opera Saratoga, a Vocal Fellow at Emmanuel Music’s Bach Institute in Boston, MA, and portrayed Ben Upthegrove in Boston Opera Collaborative’s production of Menotti’s The Telephone. He was a mainstay of Seaglass Theater Company’s 2024 season, appearing in their Armed Forces Day concert Stars & Stripes, the recital Not Afraid To Dare: Music By Black Composers, and their cinema concert Hooray for Hollywood. He was recently the Baritone Vocal Fellow with the Grant Park Music Festival in Chicago, IL, where he performed works such as Brahms’ Ein deutsches Requiem and Joel Thompson’s Seven Last Words of The Unarmed with the Grant Park Festival Chorus and Orchestra. He has performed numerous operatic and concert works with companies such as Boston University’s Opera Institute, Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra, Odyssey Opera, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, and the Bay View Music Festival. Originally from Buffalo, NY, he holds degrees from Ithaca College and Boston University. For more information, visit anthony-pilcher.com.

PAUL SOPER (Balthazar)- Baritone Paul Soper is delighted to return to Seaglass Theater and be with dear friends. He was last seen at Seaglass as the Emcee in their Stars and Stripes concerts. Paul made his operatic debut with Houston Grand Opera as the Innkeeper in Manon and has sung with Boston Lyric Opera, Brooklyn Academy of Music, Glimmerglass Opera, Opera Naples (FL) and the National Touring Company of New York City Opera. Known for his wide range of repertoire, recent seasons include the title role of Rachmaninoff's Aleko with Commonwealth Lyric Theater, the Abbot in Britten’s Curlew River and the Herarld in Burning Fiery Furnace with Enigma Chamber Opera, Brahms Requiem with Newton Chorus, Mozart’s Requiem and Puccini’s Messa di Gloria with the Fine Arts Chorale, Verdi Requiem with the Paul Madore Chorale, Bach's St. John Passion with the Pioneer Valley Symphony and St. Matthew Passion with Gulfshore Opera(FL). Theater credits include Judge Turpin in Sweeney Todd with Lyric Stage Company, Emile DeBecque in South Pacific with Seacoast Repertory Theater, and Signor Naccarrelli in The Light in the Piazza with Nextdoor Theater. Mr. Soper has also been a frequent guest with Boston Bel Canto Opera, the Chamber Orchestra of Boston, Charleston Chamber Opera, Falmouth Chorale, Cape Cod Opera, Opera Providence, Connecticut Early Music Festival, Intermezzo Opera and the Seaglass Theater Company. Paul is also an alumni of Boston's former educational outreach, improvisational Opera-to-Go Company. Twice a Leonard Bernstein Fellow at the Tanglewood Music Center, Mr. Soper currently is a Choral Fellow at the historic Old South Church, where he performed Melchior in the their production of Amahl and the Night Vistors last holiday season. Upcoming projects include recording Curlew River with Enigma Chamber Opera this coming January, reprising the role of the Abbott.

PATRICE TIEDEMANN (Mother/Artistic Director)- Ms. Tiedemann’s performance highlights include appearing as a soloist with the Boston Pops for their Holiday Concerts, with Boston Lyric Opera as The Water in the East Coast premiere of The Little Prince, Hansel & Gretel with the Rhode Island Philharmonic, with the Pioneer Valley Symphony as Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana and Rosalinda in Die Fledermaus with Opera Providence and Cape Cod Opera. In recent seasons, she has appeared as a soloist for Holiday Pops with the Cape Symphony and the New Bedford Symphony and as Dido in Dido & Aeneas with the Woods Hole Cantata Consort, plus Vaughan Williams’ Dona Nobis Pacem with the Andover Choral Society. Other notable engagements include Mother Abbess in The Sound of Music with New Bedford Festival Theatre and Theatre by the Sea, the Verdi Requiem and Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with the Boston Civic Symphony, and Dubois’ Seven Last Words of Christ and Beethoven’s 9th Symphony with the University Chorale of Boston College, as well as appearances across the US in classical, sacred and theatrical repertoire. Upcoming engagements include a return to the Cape Symphony for Holiday Pops and the Mother in Amahl and the Night Vistors with Seaglass Theater Company and the Dennis Union Church. As the Artistic Director of Seaglass Theater Company, she produces creatively staged performances of classic vocal repertoire for the Southern New England area. In 2021, she served as the dramaturg and sang the role of Eliza Brock for the world premiere of Jodi Goble’s Whaling Women.

DR. MATTHEW LARSON (Music Director)- He received his Doctorate in Collaborative Piano from Arizona State University under the tutelage of Eckart Sellheim. An accomplished recitalist, Dr. Larson has played over 700 concerts in the U.S. and Europe. He has worked with Metropolitan Opera stars Carol Vaness, Lawrence Brownlee, Jennifer Larmore and Sherrill Milnes; Academy of Ancient Music director Christopher Hogwood; vocal pedagogy pioneer Richard Miller; and the eminent collaborative artist Dalton Baldwin, with whom Matthew was invited to study in New York. He has served as Assistant Conductor for Boston Lyric Opera; Music Director of University of Connecticut’s Opera Program; Pianist/Coach for Yale University’s Opera Program; Vocal Coach and Music Director for Arizona State University’s Lyric Opera Theater; Staff Pianist for The American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria; Music Director of Opera Providence; Vocal Coach at Walnut Hill School for the Arts; Staff Pianist for Opera New England; Pianist for the Boston Symphony Orchestra Tanglewood Festival Chorus; and Music Director of Cape Cod Opera. As a clinician, Dr. Larson has been a guest artist or artist-in- residence at Yale University, Brown University, Harvard University, University of Nebraska at Lincoln, Arizona State University, Wheaton College, University of Connecticut, and Eastern Mennonite University. Currently, Dr. Larson serves on the Faculty of the Boston University Opera Institute; as Music Director for Seaglass Theater Company; and as Minister of Music at United Congregational Church in Milton, Massachusetts.

DAVID MCCARTY (Stage Director)- David McCarty has directed and choreographed in the fields of musical theater, opera and dance for over 30 years. As a stage director in opera, past productions include Faust with Cleveland Opera, Madama Butterfly with Syracuse Opera, The Elixir of Love with Indianapolis Opera, and The Merry Widow with Opera Providence. As Producing Artistic Director of Cape Cod Opera his productions included Cavalleria Rusticana/I, Pagliacci, Carmen, Tosca, Cosi fan tutte, The Merry Widow, Die Fledermaus, and Don Pasquale. He choreographed and directed for numerous theaters on Cape Cod, including the Cotuit Center for the Arts and Eventide Theater Company.