Cabildo and The Gitanos at First Church of Christ, Scientist, Sacramento

The Light Opera Theatre of Sacramento presents two rarely performed one-act operas, The California premiere of The Cabildo by Amy Beach and The United States premiere of The Gitanos by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor.

Amy Beach’s only opera, The Cabildo, is a romantic and thrilling nested story about the imprisonment and escape of the legendary gentleman pirate, Pierre Lafitte. As the opera opens, a tour guide regales visitors with the story of Lafitte and his love, Lady Valerie. The tour group moves on but one of the tourists, Mary, remains in the cell, falls asleep and, through her dreams, Lafitte’s escape comes to life.

The Gitanos, a band of travelers gathers in an orange grove near the palace of an Andalusian nobleman on a day of celebration, knowing that it is customary for the nobleman’s daughter, Isola, to offer blessings to passersby. This charming opera was written for women’s voices and will be performed by some of Sacramento’s finest female singers.

Both of these beautiful short operas will be presented concert-style in English with their original chamber ensemble orchestrations.

The Gitanos, music by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, words by Edward Oxenford

The Cabildo, music by Amy Beach, words by Nan Bagly Stephens and presented with permission by the MacDowell Colony