Amahl and the Night Visitors is one of the most celebrated American operas of the 20th century. Written by Gian Carlo Menotti in 1951, it was commissioned by NBC as the first American opera ever to be written specifically for television. The opera tells the story of the Three Wisemen on their journey to Bethlehem. Weary during their travels, they stop to rest at a small dwelling where a mother lives with her disabled 11-year-old son, Amahl. While the boy is captivated by the presence of the Three Wisemen, it is the Wisemen who are forever changed by the purity and humility of Amahl.