Join HGO and Ars Lyrica for a Trip Through Time

In collaboration with Ars Lyrica, HGO’s Storybook Opera program presents Emma Kent Wine’s Maria’s Magical Musical Adventure at Levy Park on Saturday, November 16 at 11 a.m. Free. For information, call 713-225-0457 or email Storybook@HGO.org.  

When Emma Kent Wine was a little girl, she would listen to classical music and imagine that the composers were right there, sitting beside her. Perhaps it’s no surprise that she herself grew up to become a composer, attending the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University and graduating in 2017. In fact, among her numerous commissions is HGO’s 2018 piece, After Harvey. 

In 2022, Wine added writer to her resume with a children’s book that brings her early imaginings to life: Maria’s Magical Music Adventure, commissioned by Ars Lyrica, the Houston ensemble that specializes in Baroque-era music played on period instruments, and underwritten by Connie Kwan-Wong and CKW LUXE Magazine. Featuring colorful illustrations by Ekaterina Ilchenko, the story follows the title character and the time-traveling musical magician Matthew as they journey all the way back to 18th century Venice to meet their musical hero, composer Antonio Vivaldi.  

Now, in collaboration with Ars Lyrica, the book will become the newest offering from HGO’s popular Storybook Opera program, which brings opera artists to schools, libraries, and community spaces across Houston to share children’s books with young children through song. The first performance of the story is this weekend at Levy Park! We hope you can join us for this fun, free activity for families.  

Read on to hear more from Emma Kent Wine: 

What is Maria’s Magical Music Adventure about?  

Emma Kent Wine: Maria’s Magical Music Adventure is about a little girl named Maria, who loves music. She first hears about Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons when her class is learning about the seasons. Then she’s singing The Four Seasons because she loves to sing. And she’s like, la, la, la, then out pops a musical magician named Matthew, who says, “I also love Vivaldi. I can’t resist. When anyone sings Vivaldi, I have to go to them.” They go back in time to meet Antonio Vivaldi and learn more about classical music. The lesson that Vivaldi imparts to Maria is that by doing what you love, you are bringing beauty into the world.  

You’re a composer, first and foremost. How did you go about writing your first book? 

EKW: I was a big reader as a kid and was really inspired by the books that I read, so I had always thought about writing one myself. When I was younger, I would imagine that the composer was sitting next to me while I was listening to music. There’s such a great connection that happens when you feel passionate about what you’re hearing. So, I thought, why not make that real? Why not have someone go back in time and talk to Antonio Vivaldi, and then listen to his music in the present day and really feel connected to him? I was also inspired by the music itself, because The Four Seasons is so iconic. It’s so beautiful, and it has a great blend of excitement and beautiful calm, so it seemed like a really good place to start.  

How would you describe both Maria and Matthew’s characters?  

EKW: Matthew is this flamboyant, ephemeral presence. He wants to inspire people and is interested in cultivating the next generation of music lovers through his own incredible, magical gift of time travel. Maria, she’s street smart. She knows what’s up. So, when Matthew appears, she’s like, “Where did you come from?” But then, when Matthew’s like, “Don’t worry, I’m a magician. Do you want to time-travel with me?” she is just full of awe and wonder and is one hundred percent in for new experiences, which I think is important for kids. Jumping headfirst into new things might be a little scary, but it can also be really fun. That’s something that I took from my childhood into my adulthood. Whenever anything scares me, I think, ooh, I should probably do more of that. 

How did it feel to know that you’re getting a musical theater adaptation of your story?  

EKW: When I was writing it, I was thinking, this could be adapted into a play, you know? But I didn’t expect it to go anywhere beyond what it was. Then it became a stage play, and now a Storybook Opera. It's been so cool to see Maria’s story grow past what I thought it could be. 

How do you think it lends itself to the Storybook Opera format? 

EKW: Musically, opera is such a cross-collaborative art form where you get acting, you get singing and instrumentals. You have costume design and makeup and sets and lighting. There are just so many artistic things from different disciplines that go into making a great opera. That kind of connection, I think, is going to be cool to explore. I know that all of the artists at HGO are so capable and so great with kids, so I think it’s going to be really cool to see something that I wrote change in unexpected ways. I’m really excited about it. 

What do you want audiences to take away from this experience? 

EKW: I want people to have fun and engage with music in a new way. Interacting with music, or with art, really, and going from what you know to making the leap into something that they don’t know as much about, is really important. Hopefully it inspires them to keep experiencing art.