In December, Music at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church will present the world premiere performances of Francis Lynch’s new Christmas opera, “Joseph’s Gift,” a retelling of the story of Christ’s nativity from the viewpoint of the forgotten man, Joseph.
“Francis Lynch has created a beautiful work in ‘Joseph’s Gift’ that will make you laugh one minute and cry the next,” said James Janssen, Music Director of the production. “Its tender moments of devotion and affection followed by celebratory choruses of shepherds and angels will have you bursting with Christmas joy.”
“I decided to write something about Joseph, because I wanted to bring him out of the shadows of the Nativity and focus on the humanity of this quiet but important figure,” said Mr. Lynch, the producer of “Joseph’s Gift,” who also composed the music and co-wrote the libretto. “I chose the medium of opera, because I wanted to infuse the story with music and to use the emotional power of singing voices to express the mystery and the joy of the story.”
Performances will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 9 and 10 and at 3 p.m. on
Dec. 11 in St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, 2120 Lincoln St. Tickets are available at jospehsgiftopera.org, info@josephsgift opera.org, or by calling 847-869-9447.