She Never Lost a Passenger
Last February Opera Kansas, despite the miserable fiscal scene in that state, took this opera into 12 schools. Artistic director Paul Brodene Smith reported “about 300 kids sang with us on stage and we had an overall attendance number for all the performances of 3393.” This year there is strong demand that they revive their production. “In fact the program was so successful one of the principals suggested that we should offer it each year and return to participating schools on a three year rotation.” In addition, they are raising funds to produce a theatrical performance with the new ensemble orchestration. It’s so great to hear news like this from a state like that. Hats off big-time to Opera Kansas!
New Recording
MSR Classics is producing an album of my violin-centric pieces with Hermestänze as the title work. Jacob Ashworth (commissioner), violin, and Lee Dionne, piano, will be playing it, and it will be accompanied by A Garden’s Time Piece, with Jessica Petrus, soprano, and Solo Sonata, with Jacob playing both violin and viola. Release is targeted for second half of 2016.
The News from Poems
This 2-hour ensemble opera now has its own works page. Please visit this new page to hear arias and excerpts and read program notes.
Since Center for Contemporary Opera’s staged reading of the first portion of the opera in November 2013, I have finished composing and am preparing a concert reading of the whole score in an arrangement for 4 players in early April at the American Opera Center. I have terrific principal singers lined up: Keith Phares, baritone, as William Carlos Williams; Katherine Pracht, mezzo, as Flossie Williams; and Joshua Jeremiah, baritone, as Ezra Pound. The director is Louisa Proske, co-director of Heartbeat Opera, (fresh from a major hit at the Berkshire Theater Festival) and members of Cantata Profana will be playing the arrangement for clarinet, violin, double bass and piano. Jacob Ashworth, artistic director of Cantata Profana and co-music director of Heartbeat Opera, will conduct.
This 2-hour ensemble opera now has its own works page.
Please visit this new page to hear arias and excerpts and read program notes.