By Randi Bjornstad
Composer Ashley Hastings has written an opera for children.
Ashley Hastings is at it again. Since taking up writing operas several years ago, well into his 70s, he now has taken his art a step further, creating an opera especially for children.
This one, titled When Dragons Come to Play, will be performed on Nov. 16 and 17 at First Christian Church in downtown Eugene, by members of the Cascadia Chamber Opera.
Here’s the plot of Hastings’ new opera: A family that includes a boy named Lucas and a girl named Olivia has moved into a new house, and while exploring their new playroom, the children discover a mysterious door that pens into a fantastical world populated by dragons. Being curious and inquisitive, the children naturally make friends with the dragon kids, and in the process they learn how to fly like dragons and all about dragon legends. But when it’s time to say goodbye, Lucas gets stuck behind the magic door, and it’s up to Olivia to try to find a way to bring him home. That’s where the kids in the audience come in. They have to learn the magic song and try to help Olivia bring her brother back through the door from Dragonland.
When Dragons Come to Play
When: 11 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 16, and 3 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 17
Where: First Christian Church, 1166 Oak St., Eugene
Tickets: Free for kids 18 years and younger; $5 for college students with current ID; $15 for adults, available at the door or in advance online at cascadiaconcertopera.org
More about composer Ashley Hastings, excerpted from previous Eugene Scene stories:
“He grew up in a music-loving family, taking piano lessons and listening to the (New York) Metropolitan Opera broadcasts on Saturdays during childhood.
He didn’t pursue writing opera for a very long time, though, until he was well into his 70s. When it came time to select a career, Hastings instead chose to study language, eventually completing a doctorate in linguistics and spending the next several decades teaching teachers how to teach language.
Then, when he had retired from that, he moved to Eugene. Through attending performances by Eugene Opera, he reconnected with his love of the art, began volunteering with the opera organization, and eventually served on its board of directors.
(A few years later) Hastings began to wonder if he actually could compose music in general, and chamber opera — much shorter than traditional opera, with few voices and instruments — in particular.”
Since then, he has written several, including Free Men and The Dream, both which have been been performed in the Eugene-Springfield area.
