World premieres of two one-act chamber operas by Martin Halpern October 1, 2009

World premieres of two one-act chamber operas by Martin Halpern will be performed at the Church of St. Gregory the Great, 144 West 90th Street, Manhattan, on Thursday, October 1, Friday, October 2, and Saturday, October 3 at 8 PM, and Sunday, October 4 at 3 PM.

Tickets, at $20 for adults and $10 for students, can be purchased online at www.theatermania.com or by calling Theater Mania at 212-352-3101.

The first opera, Purgatory, is freely based on the late play of the same name by W. B. Yeats; the second, The Death of Oedipus, is freely based on Sophocles’ last play, Oedipus at Colonus. Each opera dramatizes the final redemption of its main character -- the guilt-ridden Old Pedlar in Purgatory and the aged and blind Oedipus in The Death of Oedipus -- after years of wandering. Each is accompanied by one grown child – the Old Pedlar by his nameless bastard son, and Oedipus by his devoted daughter Antigone.

The cast features baritone Jim Trainor as both the Old Pedlar and Oedipus; tenor Bobby Underwood as both the Young Pedlar and the Theban Officer in The Death of Oedipus; soprano Yvonne Bill as Antigone; and tenor Aram Tchobanian and baritone Joshua South as the Citizens of Colonus in The Death of Oedipus. The pianist for both operas is Earl Buys.

Mr. Halpern is music director for the production. Staging is by Sonya Baehr. Costumes are by Hunter Kaczorowski and lighting by Ethan Kaplan.

St. Gregory the Great is between Amsterdam and Columbus Avenues, and is easily reached on the 1, 2, 3, B and C trains. There are also several parking facilities on the block.

Official Website: http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1129710734&ref=name#/event.php?eid=250296355537&ref=ts