Opera Parallèle is set to present the children’s opera “Xochitl and the Flowers” as part of its “Hands-on-Opera” program. The performances are set for May 18 and 19 at the Community Music Center Mission Brance in San Francisco. Admission is free.

The opera, which is composed by the company’s composer-in-residence Chris Pratorius Gómez, is based on a children’ book by Jorge Argueta and set to a libretto by Roma Olvera.

The work tells the story of a family’s determination to start a new life in a new country while still preserving their cultural roots. It is a 40-minute work that will be sung in both English and Spanish. It was premiered in 2016 at the Alvarado Elementary School and is the third commissioned work by Gómez at Opera Parallèle.

The production will be directed by Beth Wilmurt with Martha Rodriguez-Salazar as the conductor.

“These productions are extensions of our vision to engage our youth in the making of opera, rather than being observers of the art form. It is an active way to immerse our young generation into the operatic culture,”  noted Opera Parallèle Artistic Director Nicole Paiement.