(Credit: Bearded Lentil)

Opera Orlando will once again partner with WUCF TV to air a second performance of “The Secret River.” The event will take place on January 30, 2022 at 4:30 p.m. EST.

“The Secret River” was the company’s first commissioned opera which premiered in December 2021. Composer Stella Sung and librettist Mark Campbell’s opera is based on the award-winning author’s children’s book of the same title Pulitzer Prize winner Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings.

This one-act chamber opera stars soprano Kyaunnee Richardson in the lead role of Calpurnia. The cast also includes soprano NaGuanda Nobles playing Calpurnia’s mother and baritone Geoffrey Peter playing the father. Mezzo-soprano Kimberly Milton sings the role of Mother Albirtha, and soprano Emily Pulley sings the role of author, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings.

The story follows young Calpurnia, who longs to find the secret river and catch fish to help her starving family and town. In the Orlando Sentinel review of the series, Matt Palm states, “Kyaunnee Richardson…does a wonderful job of capturing childlike curiosity and determination without overdoing it” and calls the series “a bubbling production of warmth and heart.”

The opera can be viewed on TV or online at the WUCF website.