Hansel and Gretel (opera) After several revisions, the musical sketches and the songs were turned into a full-scale opera. Humperdinck composed "Hansel and Gretel" in Frankfurt in 1891 and 1892. The opera was first performed in Hoftheater in Weimar on 23 December 1893, conducted by Richard Strauss. It has been associated with Christmas since its earliest performances and today it is still most often performed at Christmas time. "Hansel and Gretel" was first conducted in Weimar by Richard Strauss in 1893, followed by its Hamburg premiere on 25 September 1894, conducted by Gustav Mahler. Its first performance outside Germany was in Basel, Switzerland, on
Monica Yunus Schwerin, where she also appeared as a last minute replacement in the role of Amor in "Orfeo ed Euridice". Yunus also won the Willam Matheus Sullivan Foundation Singer Award in 2003. In the 2004–2005 season, Yunus returned to Palm Beach Opera for their production of "Hänsel und Gretel" as Gretel. She also made her debuts at Anchorage Opera and the Spoleto Festival (USA) as Zerlina in Mozart's "Don Giovanni". Yunus also made her debut with Granite State Opera as Gilda in Verdi's "Rigoletto" and returned to Nashville Opera to perform the role of Adele in "Die Fledermaus". Yunus won the