Christmas in Middletown gets off to a festive and entertaining start with first-time participation of the Sorg Opera House on South Main.
The annual South Main Historical District Candlelight Tour, set for this Sunday, December 2nd, will include the newly revived Sorg Opera House on its charming seasonal tour of local residences and properties. The Opera House will be open to all for the event between 3:00 and 8:00 PM at no charge.
Of special note is the appearance of the Middletown High School Chamber Orchestra on the stage of the Sorg itself, performing music of the season under the tutelage of Corey Hall, Middletown High School Music Director. The Opera House's remarkable audial qualities will be on full display as students bring the season to life on stringed instruments using no electronic amplification. The Sorg's acoustic design, despite its 120 year age, is remarkable to this day for carrying sound throughout the house.
Ms Hall says the school's most talented classical music students will perform in quartet and quintet settings of seasonal and classical chamber favorites. Music sets will be 30 minutes long, during which visitors and Tour participants can take a seat in the great hall and get into the mood of the season. Performance sets are scheduled to start on the half hour beginning at 3:30 PM and will continue for a half hour each; subsequent sets are scheduled for 4:30, 5:30, and 6:30 and will conclude between 7:30 and 8:00 PM.
Special decorations, lighting and a Christmas tree will all be part of the Sorg holiday experience. The theater is decorated for the holidays and will feature many items on loan from the BeauVerre Riordan studios. The theater has received the loving attention of weekends worth of volunteer labor in recent weeks including cleaning and bleaching the first floor seats, cleaning of the stage, hanging of theater curtains, and seasonal and temporary lighting to show more of the proscenium area.
"We couldn't be happier. While we're a long way off from a full re-opening of this beautiful structure, we're delighted to be able to share it at this festive time of year." says Ken Bowman, vice president of SORG. "There are many people in Middletown who have never seen the inside of the Opera House and it's our little Christmas present to the community to open the doors as a way of thanking Middletown for its support."
"We're happy to be included in this fine tradition sponsored by South Main Historical District. It's the start of a new era of community participation for the Sorg," said Denise Brodsky, treasurer of SORG. "With our new non-profit status in the works and the help of the Middletown Community Foundation, we think we're on track for building a bright future together here on South Main."
SORG will be serving light refreshments for visitors and hopes to meet many more neighbors as a new Holiday tradition of seasonal music on stage at the Sorg gets underway.
Those wishing to support SORG's work can make tax deductible donations through the Middletown Community Foundation, designated for the SORG project.
Christmas in Middletown gets off to a festive and entertaining start with first-time participation of the Sorg Opera House on South Main.
The annual South Main Historical District Candlelight Tour, set for this Sunday, December 2nd, will include the newly revived Sorg Opera House on its charming seasonal tour of local residences and properties. The Opera House will be open to all for the event between 3:00 and 8:00 PM at no charge.
Of special note is the appearance of the Middletown High School Chamber Orchestra on the stage of the Sorg itself, performing music of the season under the tutelage of Corey Hall, Middleton High School Music Director. The Opera House's remarkable audial qualities will be on full display as students bring the season to life on stringed instruments using no electronic amplification. The Sorg's acoustic design, despite its 120 year age, is remarkable to this day for carrying sound throughout the house.
Ms Hall, says the school's most talented classical music students will perform in quartet and quintet settings of seasonal and classical chamber favorites. Music sets will be 30 minutes long, during which visitors and Tour participants can take a seat in the great hall and get into the mood of the season. Performance sets are scheduled to start on the half hour beginning at 3:30 PM and will continue for a half hour each; subsequent sets are set for 4:30, 5:30, 6:30 and will conclude between 7:30 and 8:00 PM.
Special decorations, lighting and a Christmas tree will all be part of the Sorg holiday experience. The theater is decorated for the holidays and will feature many items on loan from the BeauVerre Riordan studios. The theater has received the loving attention of weekends worth of volunteer labor in recent weeks including cleaning and bleaching the 1st floor seats, cleaning of the stage, hanging of theater curtains, and seasonal and temporary lighting to show more of the proscenium area.
"We couldn't be happier. While we're a long way off from a full re-opening of this beautiful structure, we're delighted to be able to share it at this festive time of year." says Ken Bowman, vice president of SORG. "There are many people in Middletown who have never seen the inside of the Opera House and it's our little Christmas present to the community to open the doors as a way of thanking Middletown for its support."
"We're happy to be included in this fine tradition sponsored by South Main Historical District. It's the start of a new era of community participation for the Sorg," said Denise Brodsky, treasurer of SORG. "With our new non-profit status in the works and the help of the Middletown Community Foundation, we think we're on track for building a bright future together here on South Main."
SORG will be serving light refreshments for visitors and hopes to meet many more neighbors as a new Holiday tradition of seasonal music on stage at the Sorg gets underway.
Those wishing to support SORG's work can make tax deductible donations through the Middletown Community Foundation, designated for the SORG project.
