For more information, contact James Jolly, director of marketing and communications, at 843.383.8018

Hartsville, S.C. — The Hartsville-Coker Concerts Association presents the heart-warming Christmas story “Amahl and the Night Visitors,” performed by the USC Opera with the USC Symphony, on Tuesday, November 27 at 7:30 p.m. in the Center Theater in downtown Hartsville.

Admission is $20 for adults, $7 for children under 18 and students, and free with Coker ID. Tickets are available in advance at the Greater Hartsville Chamber of Commerce or at the door. For more information, call 843.383.8018.

“Amahl and the Night Visitors” tells the story of the Three Kings who are journeying to Bethlehem and given shelter by a crippled shepherd boy and his mother. During the night, the kings discover the mother attempting to steal some of their gifts. When Amahl finds out who the gifts are for, he asks the kings to take his most precious possession, his crutch, for the Christ child. A miracle ensues and young Amahl joins the Three Kings for the rest of their journey.

Composed by Gian Carlo Menotti in 1951, “Amahl and the Night Visitors” was the first opera commissioned for American television. It aired on NBC on Christmas Eve 1951 and has become a family favorite.

The Hartsville-Coker Concert Association (HCCA) presentation of “Amahl and the Night Visitors” is funded in part by Black Creek Arts Council, which receives funding from the Sonoco Foundation, the South Carolina Arts Commission, the Joan and Susan Bennett Memorial Arts Fund of the Coastal Community Foundation of SC, and the National Endowment of the Arts.

The HCCA is a partnership of the Coker College Performing Arts Series and the Hartsville Community Concerts Association. HCCA presents an expanded program of performing arts events at both the Center Theater in downtown Hartsville and the Elizabeth Boatwright Coker Performing Arts Center on Coker College’s campus. Membership of the HCCA includes season tickets discounts. For more information on concerts and memberships, call 843-332-7820 or visit www.hartsvillecokerconcerts.org.

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November 14 , 2007