DETROIT — Give the gift of music this holiday season with The Michigan Opera Theatre Children’s Chorus as they present their second annual Winter Fantasy fundraiser, on Monday, Dec. 15, 2008 in the Marygrove College Sacred Heart Chapel.  The doors will open at 6 p.m. for a silent auction and raffle and the concert begins at 7 p.m. The Michigan Opera Theatre Children’s Chorus will perform a variety of music, ranging from holiday favorites, excerpts from the operas Carmen and The Magic Flute, and the Michigan premiere of Sukey and the Mermaid by Anne LeBaron.

Special guests performing Sukey and the Mermaid with the MOTCC will include the Scarab Club Ensemble String Quartet and tenor Anthony McGlaun as the narrator.  All proceeds from the performance will benefit the Michigan Opera Theatre Children’s Chorus program.

Tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for children 5-16 years of age.  Children 4 years old and under are free. Tickets can be purchased in advance by calling Megan Landry, Michigan Opera Theatre Children’s Chorus Administrator at 313.237.3261 or emailing mlandry@motopera.org.  A limited number of tickets can also be purchased at the door.

The mission of the Michigan Opera Theatre Children’s Chorus is to provide exceptional choral music and theatrical performance instruction in a professional environment to young people.  Offering a curriculum that embraces diverse cultures and traditions and a rich and extensive range of musical genres, the program seeks to instill personal and artistic excellence in its students.  Led by Michigan Opera Theatre Chorus Master Suzanne Mallare Acton and Children’s Chorus Assistant Director and Conductor Dianna Hochella, this permanent children’s choir is the first of its kind for Detroit-area children.  Accepting children ages 10-16 by audition, the choir performs as a separate ensemble and with international opera stars in Michigan Opera Theatre productions.