Spring Valley presented Amahl and the Night Visitors on January 6, 7, & 8, 2005, to an attendance of over 400.

Amahl and the Night Visitors was written by the Italian composer Gian Carlo Menotti who as a young boy became lame. The doctors had no cure for him. He was taken to be blessed at the holy Sanctuary of Sacro Monte and thereafter, miraculously, the young Menotti was cured of lameness.

Only an hour in length the one act opera Amahl with its beautiful score and touching libretto (the opera is sung in English) is appealing to all ages and musical backgrounds. It was written specifically for young imaginations which can easily relate to a child with a head full of dreams. It remains an inspiring story of how faith, charity, unselfish love and good deeds can work miracles.

Synopsis: Amahl, a shepherd, tries to tell his mother about what he has seen outside; an enormous star with a long tale. His mother, used to his habitual lying, grows angry; she is even angrier when Amahl tells her that a knock at the door is three kings come to visit them. The kings enter and tell the two peasants that they have come to find a king, and they show the rich gifts they have brought him. While Amahl's mother is out gathering the neighbors, Amahl asks the kings questions about their lives. The mother returns, and the villagers present their gifts to the visitors. That night, Amahl's mother tries to steal some of the kings' gold to use to help her child; she is caught, and when the kings offer to let her keep the gold, explaining that the king they seek will need nothing but love to rule his kingdom, she returns it. Amahl offers his staff as an additional gift, and suddenly finds that he can walk. He leaves with the kings to pay homage to the child who has healed him.

Mother - Lynn Mock

Amahl - Jordan Graf

Kaspar - Richard Etheridge

Melchior - Dave Jones

Balthazar - Ellis Ozley

Page - Mark McElroy

Choreographer - Carla Jett

Rehearsal accompanist - John Tarver

Chorus - Chamber Singers, some singers from Chancel Choir and Youth Singers, and the dancers

Orchestra:

	John Tarver	piano
	Laura Logan	harp
	Bill Adam	trumpet
	Lori Joswiak	French Horn
	Jan Apthorp	flute
	Jayna Cline	clarinet
	Sun String Quartet	Barbara Stafford, Carol Wells, Mark Arthur, and Christine Snider
	Diana Zimring	violin
	Jane Aten	viola
	Aryn Mitchell	oboe
	Danny Smolenski	oboe
	Carolyn Cansler	bassoon
	Tim Morrow	percussion
	Mike Sheehan	percussion

Mother	Lynn Parr Mock holds a Bachelor of Music Education from Southwestern University at Georgetown, Texas, where she studied voice with Virginia Dupuy; and a Master of Music from The University of Texas at Austin, where she studied voice with Herbert Eckhoff. Lynn performed in the world premier of Dan Welcher's Canticle of the Sun; and The Opera Project's productions of Dominick Argento's The Masque of Angels and Stephen Paulus' The Three Hermits. Lynn was the soprano soloist for the SVUMC choir's Messiah presentation last year, and this November, she performed Haydn's Mass in Time of War (PAUKENMESSE) with the Southwestern University Chorale at Carnegie Hall. In addition to her professional singing career, Lynn is also a wife, a mother of two young daughters, and an active member of many Fine Arts organizations in Dallas and throughout Texas.
Amahl	Jordan is 13 years old and in the 7th grade at St. Joseph's Catholic School in Waxahachie, Texas. Jordan is in his third year as a member of the Children's Chorus of Greater Dallas (CCGD) Concert I choir. Jordan has performed in several musicals with the Waxahachie Community Theatre including: Fiddler on the Roof, The Music Man and Lil' Abner. As of late, Jordan has performed with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra in their productions of Bernstein's Mass and Mendelssohn's Elijah. Jordan was also the guest boy soloist for the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra production of Bernstein's Mass in Columbus, Ohio this past May. Recently, Jordan has had the opportunity to perform again as a soloist with the DSO in their production of Lord of the Rings and as a cast member in the Dallas Opera production Carmen.
Kaspar	Richard Etheridge fell in love with King Kasper's solo "This Is My Box" many years ago, but waited 10 years to first perform it. This will be Richard's third performance of Amahl with David Jones, and the second performance at SVUMC. Richard sings and solos regularly at Christ UMC in Plano, and is in his fifth year with the Dallas Symphony Chorus. Career highlights include a solo at the Meyerson of Aaron Copland's Lark and twice performing with the Dallas Symphony Chorus at Carnegie Hall. Richard's last performance at SVUMC was The Seven Last Words of Christ by Dubois.
Melchior	Dave Jones attended North Texas State University graduating with a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA). He is employed by Rockwall Collins, Richardson, Texas and is married to Lynne. They have one son, Ben (age 9) and live in Plano. Mr. Jones sang with the Dallas Symphony Chorus and is an active member of Christ UMC, Plano. He is also an invited guest soloist for area churches. Major solo works include: Messiah (Handel); Elijah (Mendelssohn); A German Requiem (Brahms); Mass in B Minor (Bach); Magnificat (Bach); The Seven Last Words of Christ (Dubois) Seven Last Words of Christ (H. Schütz); Cantata BWV 80 - Ein Festeburg ist Unser Gott; (Bach); Requiem Opus 9 (Duruflé); Requiem Opus 48 (Fauré); Pauken Mass (Haydn); Mass in G Major (Schubert); Belshazzar's Feast (William Walton); 5 Mystical Songs (Vaughan Williams); Dona Nobis Pacem (Vaughn Williams) A former member of SVUMC, Dave is glad to be back to perform Amahl and the Night Visitors (Menotti) for the fourth time.
Balthazar	Ellis Ozley is a Senior at Greenhill School, where he is an active member of Greenhill Singers, an auditioned choir. Over the past two years, he has participated in TPSMEA (Texas Private School Music Educators Association) All-State Choir, ranking 1st and 2nd, respectively. He works for Congressman Pete Sessions as an intern and campaign volunteer and looks forward to pursuing Political Science and voice in college next fall.
Page	Mark McElroy holds a Bachelor of Arts in Theatre from Southwest Texas State University. He has appeared in numerous musicals including Godspell, Oklahoma!, Fiddler on the Roof, The Wiz, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and The Music Man. He also directed the most recent Spring Valley Players production of The Sound of Music. He will be directing the Spring Valley Players 2005 summer musical.