SOMERSFIELD ACADEMY

Do your children love opera? Well, they will love this one!

The Somersfield Primary department is preparing to present ‘Harlequin’, a children’s opera based on an Italian folktale on Friday February 21 and Sunday February 23 at Somersfield Academy.

‘Harlequin’ is the story of a little boy in the little town of Bergamo, Italy, during the period of the Renaissance (14th to 16th Centuries). It is the day before ‘Carnival’ or ‘Fat Tuesday’, which marks the last day before Lent. Harlequin is coaxed by his friends to participate in the carnival, but Harlequin has no costume to wear, and being the son of a poor widow, sees no possibility of obtaining one. How Harlequin overcomes his fear of ridicule and learns the importance of self-confidence and friendship is beautifully portrayed in this hour-long performance.

This performance is co-directed by Judy and Sanford Jones, co-founders of Youth Opera International Inc; with Mrs Janice Pearman performing the soprano. Mrs Janice Pearman, a national of Trinidad and Tobago, began singing at a very young age. She studied at the University of the West Indies in St Augustine, Trinidad & Tobago. In 2002, she moved to Bermuda and sang with the Ensemble Singers for various local concerts and their concert in Barbados. In 2010, she was the soprano for the opera ‘Pearl’ presented by Somersfield Academy and written by Stanford Jones. She is currently the Primary Division Music Teacher at Somersfield Academy. Sanford Jones is the composer of 13 operas, three song books for children and music materials for Montessori classrooms. Mr Jones is an internationally recognised Montessori educator, founder of four schools on the east coast, founding president of the North American Montessori Teacher’s Association and a former executive director of the Association of Montessori Internationale/USA. He is currently Director of Training at the Coastal Empire Montessori Charter School, a public programme in Savannah, Georgia. Judy Jones, choreographer, is ballet trained and has studied with notable dance authorities as Robert Joffrey and Matt Mattox and at the New York City School of Ballet. She performed on Broadway for over ten years, appearing in a number of musicals, among them, ‘My Fair Lady’ and ‘A Funny Thing Happened on the way to the Forum’ and the film ‘The Producers’. She is a certified movement analyst, having received her training at the Laban/Bartenieff Institute for Movement studies in New York City.

The upcoming performances are the culmination of an intensive one week workshop during which the children have received instruction in singing, dancing and acting as well as experiencing firsthand the fine nuances of a classical art form. For further information contact Somersfield reception office or call 236-9797.