Members of the Retirees Association traveled by chartered bus to the Benedum Center in Pittsburgh to see Hansel and Gretel.  Based on the classic fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm, Englebert Humperdinck’s, Hansel and Gretel is a fantastical story of a young brother and sister who must navigate an enchanted forest full of twists, turns, and one wicked witch.  This opera was sung in English.  

Included on the bus trip was a pre-opera talk by Byron Nelson, a retiree from the WVU English Department and the OLLI instructor for Opera as Drama.  

Retirees left Morgantown at 10:30 a.m. and arrived in Pittsburgh around 12 Noon. They had an option of several restaurants near the Benedum Center where they had lunch on their own. 

The Pittsburgh Opera offered the Retirees Association a substantial educational discount on tickets.  Plus there was a pre-opera talk that began at 1:00 p.m. at the Benedum.  Byron Nelson also offered a short critical recap on the way home.