A child’s eyes reflect wonder and faith sometimes blurred by adult perception. Likewise, some holiday classics deserve a new angle. Resonance Works Pittsburgh under Maria Sensi Sellner has performed annually since 2014 and now moves the beloved one-act opera into more relevant territory. This Amahl and the Night Visitors introduces a widowed mother and her disabled son who are surviving on the streets after fate has treated them unkindly.

The curiosity of young Amahl tests his mother’s patience and faith in Gian Carlo Menotti’s “children’s opera” about the journey of the Magi. Created for a 1951 NBC television broadcast, Amahl was first staged by the composer whose own childhood traditions in Italy inspired his work.

Emmanuel Tsao as Amahl and Olga Perez Flora as Mother

Young Amahl’s imagination forecasts the arrival of three wise men as a star with a long tail burns brightly on a cold night. The boy’s mother prepares their sleeping spots around park benches adorned with the graffiti symbols of the homeless. She chides her son for telling tall tales. However, three visitors appear en route to the Christ Child. Captivated their mission and the star that lights their path, Amahl does a brave thing that results in a healing miracle.

True to the vital themes of the season and the Judeo-Christian tenets of generosity and caring for the children of our troubled world, Amahl is timeless. It’s thrilling to see a classic reimagined to bring new layers of meaning. This Amahl considers some of today’s most complex questions about the nature of family, faith, and truth by supposing Amahl and his mother could be any one of us trapped by fate and circumstances.

Stage Director Haley Stamats makes her RWP directing debut with Amahl. In her program note, Stamats shares she envisions Amahl’s mother as both widowed and unexpectedly unemployed, drawing a realistic picture of shattered families who are thrust into economic distress and even homelessness. Her clean direction and thoughtful choices keep the singers and storyline out front. She makes good use of the space by featuring the chorus effectively on two levels. Given the acoustical challenges of the Hazlett, Stamats and Sellner manage the new venue well, despite some opening night technical glitches.

Lighting by M. K. Barber is efficient for the proscenium setting. Costumes by Liz Rishel convey the practicality of dressing for life outdoors for Amahl and his Mother. The Kings are handsomely decked out with distinguishing details, hats and color palettes.

(L to R) Christopher Scott, Robert Frankenberry, and Jonathan Stuckey as the dapper Three Kings

The two leading artists make their RWP debuts in this new production.

Olga Perez Flora is a charming Mother, warmly interacting with her Amahl when not chiding his vivid imagination. Flora establishes a protective connection with Amahl in her sweetly fresh performance of this familiar mezzo role.

(L to R) Flora and Tsao

As Amahl, Emmanuel Tsao conveys the wonder and anticipation of a child whose hope reignites his mother’s faith. The Memphis sixth-grader is an admirable actor and boy soprano in a moving performance.

A trio of talented artists return to RWP with nuanced performances as the three kings: Christopher Scott (King Melchior), Robert Frankenberry (King Kaspar), and Jonathan Stuckey (King Balthazar). Each of these stellar singers draws a mysterious and charming character whose gifts are filled with hope and mysticism. Gino Parillo provides support as The Page.

An innovative and entertaining first act featuring five pieces by women composers.

The keystone of the first act is Lindsey Goodman’s solo performance in Cecile Chaminade’s Flute Concertino (1902), a work the artist says she references in teaching but that she has longed to perform. As always, Goodman brings her passionate artistry to an important piece of the flute repertoire, this one newly arranged for additional instrumentation by Robert Frankenberry. This melodic work delights in the style Chaminade’s more famous French male contemporaries. It’s a work that deserves more listeners and particularly to this multi-layered version led by Goodman.

Lindsey Goodman

A Pittsburgh treasure, composer Nancy Galbraith delivers another contemporary choral classic with traditional roots with O Magnum Mysterium (2007). RWP features her new orchestration to update a favorite heard in Robert Page’s chorale concerts at Carnegie Mellon University. The 16-voice choir and flute soloist Lindsey Goodman are featured on this fresh take that represents Sellner’s knack for engaging and meaningful programming choices.

While the chorus performs in Amahl. they open the program with Pulitzer Prize winner Jennifer Higdon’s Sing, Sing (1999), a lively a capella carol. Harpist Marrisa Knaub Avon exquisitely accompanies them on Higdon’s setting of Christine Rosetti’s Love Come Down (1999) with Olga Perez Flora performing the bright solo line.

Jessie Montgomery’s Starburst (2012) employs the artistry of the nine string players, building from reflective beauty of bowing to energetic pizzicato urgency during an engaging three-minute celebration.

Resonance Works presents Amahl and the Night Visitors and Sellner’s festive menu of dynamic works for voices and orchestra players only once again in a 90-minute event on Sunday at 3 pm in the New Hazlett Theatre on the Northside. Note that the Steelers are not in town on Sunday when street parking is free, while indoor parking is only $7 in the adjacent block. Details on tickets are online or call (412) 501-3330.