Children’s opera to premier at Franco Center on March 12

LEWISTON — The North American premiere of “La Maison du Vieux Léon,” a children’s opera, will be at 12:30 p.m., Thursday, March 12, . at the Franco Center in Lewiston. The performance features the 80 pre-school through grade 6 students of l’Ecole Française du Maine (The French School of Maine) in Freeport, along with teaching faculty, and help from the school community.

This project was made possible by the support of The French Ministry of Education and la Mission Laïque Française. The opera is a component of the 2015 “Francophonie” celebrations of French language and culture, which are organized annually by the consulates of France and Canada.

The performance in the Franco Center’s magnificent Performance Hall will kick-off the Center’s annual La Semaine de la Francophonie (Francophone Week). The performance is free and open to the community.

The children are going camping and the school bus breaks down. A night is spent under the stars, and the discovery of a map leads to the house of an old man … but who is he? This is the star of the mystery in the French opera, written by Julien Joubert and directed here by Joelle Morris.

La Rencontre, the monthly luncheon and program at the Franco Center will be held one week later on March 19. For more information, contact or visit the Box Office at 46 Cedar St.,  or at www.francocenter.org. Call (207) 689-2000. Box office hours are Monday thru Friday, from noon to 4 p.m.