Academy Award-Winning Composer’s Children’s Opera Comes to Milwaukee

 French author Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s beloved and classic children’s book, The Little Prince, takes center stage in an operatic adaptation by Academy Award-winning composer Rachel Portman on Friday, Aug. 3, 2018 at 7 p.m. at Grace Lutheran Church. The performance is a part of First Fridays, Grace’s free-and-open-to-the-public concert series, offered on the first Friday of every month.

The Little Prince tells the story of a stranded pilot who meets a mysterious prince in the desert after his plane crashes. The prince gradually reveals his story to the pilot, including his adventures and encounters on other planets, and his wish to return home. Over the course of the tale, the prince passes on to the pilot all the lessons he has learned.

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, both an accomplished writer and pilot, is best known for his book The Little Prince. Saint-Exupéry himself experienced a crash in the Libyan Desert in 1935, which inspired both his 1939 memoir and is referenced in The Little Prince. The author of several French works, Saint-Exupéry died in 1944, possibly due to his plane being shot down off the coast of Marseille, France, during the last legs of World War II.

Rachel Portman, the first woman to win an Academy Award for Best Music Score for her work on the 1996 film Emma, has worked on countless films, including critically acclaimed titles such as Benny and Joon, The Cider House Rules, Chocolat, and The Manchurian Candidate. In addition to her film scores and her magical and imaginative retelling of Saint-Exupéry’s delightful book a, she’s also composed the music for the Little House on the Prairie musical.

The cast for this concert includes Tim Rebers as the Pilot and Ethan Reske as the Prince, a large cast of local singers ranging from college students to seasoned professionals, and Maggie Rebers accompanying on piano. Sung in English, the concert runs approximately 75 minutes. Light refreshments will follow the concert, and all ages – children especially – are encouraged to attend.