Walnut Hill School for the Arts will present the world premiere of a new English adaptation of Jacques Offenbach’s one-act comic operetta “Fortunio’s Song” (La chanson de Fortunio) on April 10–12, 2026 at the Keiter Center for the Performing Arts.

The new adaptation has been written and staged by Walnut Hill Head of Voice Teresa Winner Blume, with conducting by David Feltner, Music Director of the Chamber Orchestra of Boston, and musical direction by Elaine Smith-Purcell. Production design is by Mike Micucci, with costumes by Danielle Domingue-Sumi. Artwork for the production was created by Walnut Hill ECHO students.

“Discovering this relatively unknown piece was such a thrill because it really suits our exact group of voice majors,” said Blume, per an official press release. “I feel so fortunate for the opportunity to create a brand new adaptation, to make the work much more accessible to our students as well as modern audiences.”

The cast, which features Walnut Hill students, stars Ruth Anne Sowa as Victor, Sean Haynie as Marcel, Leonora Steward as Lisette, Chenxi Cao as Betty, Mancy Li as Pierre, Sharon Wei as Sullivan, Fiona Miao as Will, and Margo Fan as Sylvester, with Nate Dyer appearing as special guest in the title role of Fortunio.

The student orchestra, also comprised fully of Walnut Hill students, includes Mobius Xiong (flute), William Simpson (bassoon), Clara Hwang and Sophia Lo (violins), Allison Chen (viola), Yining Xiu (cello), and Elaine Smith-Purcell at the piano.

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