Specially commissioned by the Savannah Voice Festival and debuting to an anticipatory hometown crowd during Halloween weekend, “Alice Ryley,” a hot new Savannah-centric opera, delivers a woeful tale peppered with passion, history and murder.

The show – slated to premiere at 4 and 7 p.m. Friday, October 30 2015 at Savannah’s historic Morris Center – masterfully draws the audience into the tragic story of Alice, an indentured servant in the 1700s who, along with her lover, is accused of killing her master. Setting an ominous and foreboding tone, the opera intertwines beautiful moments with haunting melodies to take form as a musical journey through the history of Savannah while telling the story of one of its most famous ghosts.

It was penned by renowned American composer, Michael Ching, and was inspired by the book; “Historic Haunts of Savannah,” by Savannah based Michael Harris and Linda Sickler.  “I’m flattered to have been tasked with bringing the story of Alice Ryley to the stage. The opera encompasses the unique energy of Savannah and of course Wright Square, the original location of the gallows in the city’s very early days. Alice, the first woman to be sentenced to death in Savannah, was executed shortly after giving birth and is said to haunt the square while calling for her baby,” Ching said.

“Alice Ryley” utilizes the talents of several well-known and celebrated voice artists, including a cameo appearance by opera legend Sherrill Milnes during his 80^th birthday year and 50^th anniversary of his debut at the Metropolitan Opera.  The talented Jessica Best, Ashley Dannewitz, Ann Louise Glasser, James Wright and Cody Austin perform this new American opera which is directed by Maria Zouves. The October 30 premiere will be held at The Charles H. Morris Center at Trustees Garden, 10 E. Broad St. in Savannah and tickets will be available later this summer.

Maria Zouves, Executive Director of The Savannah VOICE Festival said “We are now in our third year of the Festival and from the beginning we felt a part of this wonderful city.  It became clear that the time is right for a uniquely Savannah centric opera and with the potent combination of the authors’ and composer’s skills and Savannah’s history that the new opera, “Alice Ryley”, could become the musical equivalent of the literary phenomenon Midnight in the Garden of Good & Evil”.

For more information on the Savannah VOICE Festival, please visit www.savannahvoicefestival.org. For more information on “Historic Haunts of Savannah,” the book that serves as the basis and inspiration for “Alice Ryley, visit www.facebook.com/historichauntsofsavannah.