Shenandoah Conservatory welcomes acclaimed opera director Candace Evans as guest director for its upcoming production of “Hänsel und Gretel” (Hansel and Gretel) by Engelbert Humperdinck. Performances take place Friday, April 24, and Sunday, April 26, in Ohrstrom-Bryant Theatre on Shenandoah University’s main campus.

“My greatest wish is that the audience can be released into a world of creativity and wonder, moved by the music and stories that investigate our world,” said Evans. “The combination of imagination, spectacle, color, costume, light and movement, should give the music and text wings.”

Evans brings a wealth of professional experience to the production, having directed operas and music-theatre works across the United States for companies, conservatories and universities. Known for her imaginative storytelling, clear musical sensitivity and student-centered approach, Evans worked closely with Shenandoah Conservatory opera students throughout the rehearsal process, guiding them through character development, dramatic interpretation and collaborative performance practice.

“With Candace’s record of excellence in opera direction and mentoring young singers, I knew she was the right person to bring to campus,” said Professor of Voice Byron Jones ’04, D.M.A. “She created and directed our virtual opera, ‘The Puccini Project,’ in Spring 2021, so it is a particular joy to have her in person!”

Often described as a fairy-tale opera with symphonic richness, “Hänsel und Gretel” blends lush orchestration with memorable melodies and timeless storytelling. Under Evans’ direction, the production emphasizes both the work’s magical atmosphere and its emotional depth, offering students the opportunity to engage deeply with a cornerstone of the operatic repertoire while refining their stagecraft and ensemble skills.

Performances of “Hänsel und Gretel” begin at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, April 24, and 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 26. Tickets are available for purchase online 24/7 at conservatoryperforms.org. Tickets are available for purchase in person at the Shenandoah Conservatory Box Office located in the Ohrstrom-Bryant Theatre lobby and over the phone at (540) 665-4569 during regular box office hours (Tuesday through Friday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.).

About Candace Evans

Candace Evans has been internationally recognized as a stage director and choreographer with “a flawless sense of timing” (Opera News), whose work is “genuine gripping drama” (Opera Now). Honored by the National Music Critics Association of Argentina, her “La Viuda Alegre” at the legendary Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires was named one of the top three operas of an entire Argentinian season. Similarly, her productions of “Carmen,” “Eugene Onegin” and “The Merry Widow” were all named as top ten classical events for Madison Opera and Dallas Opera. Following these honors, she was asked to direct “Don Pasquale” for the opening season of the Winspear Opera House in Dallas. Ms. Evans’ production of “Akhnaten” for San Diego Opera and Indiana University was named by the Philip Glass organization as a definitive performance.

Other past engagements include work with the opera companies of Santa Fe, Arizona, Palm Beach, San Diego, Fort Worth, North Carolina, San Jose, Birmingham, Knoxville, Livermore and Indianapolis, as well as the Florentine Opera and Opera Southwest. Frequently in Italy, her production of “Le Nozze di Figaro” toured with the Montefeltro Festival. 

Already fascinated by directing as a child, Evans loved staging fairy tales with tiny paper theatre models. At age 12, when she was asked to direct and choreograph an hour of music and dance for a PTA show, she knew she had found her career.

“My love of creating stories, realized through music, movement and text has never dimmed,” said Evans. “There is complete alchemy for the soul in opera.”

Ms. Evans continued to study classical voice, ballet and theatre, culminating in a Master of Fine Arts degree. She taught for the theatre and music departments at Southern Methodist University, lectures nationally on mask training for singers and serves as an acting coach for numerous companies and professionals, who seek her out for her understanding of role interpretation and physicalization of emotion.

Her own performance career spanned the wide diversity of dancing with the Wisconsin Ballet Company, singing with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, international tours in Shakespearean roles, national voice-over and television credits and creating staged concert events. This combination of talent and interest illustrate why her directorial style is one of such integration of musical intent, dramatic text and the physical life of performers.