Opera Innovation | No. 1 Playlist + Liner Notes

Surprise! Welcome to the Opera Innovation | No. 1 playlist + liner notes.

Since we’re still about opera and the classically trained voice, we thought we’d highlight artists who’ve been on the blog or our social media channels since we launched in late Spring 2020. Some people here are friends I’ve known for a while, others I’ve only met online, and some who are sadly no longer with us but live on through their one-of-a-kind work. We also include some classics already featured on our Instagram and the blog. Ultimately, the purpose of these liner notes is to provide background on why each piece is represented, and if applicable, linking to current Opera Innovation content and artists represented.

CLICK IMAGE TO HEAR THE OPERA INNOVATION | NO. 1 PLAYLIST

There will succeeding playlists, too, so the fun is just beginning. Once you’ve listened, you’ll find that this is definitely not your typical opera playlist. Enjoy!

• “Ave Maria” by Marnie Breckenridge

  We met and befriended Marnie Breckenridge when we became supporters of Opera Parallele’s world premiere opera Today it Rains. In the ensuing two years, Marnie’s been productivity plus, notably with San Francisco Symphony’s SoundBox and Toronto’s Tapestry Opera, where she world premiered Jacqueline with cellist Matt Haimovitz, winning a 2020 DORA Award for Best Individual Performance. And then the pandemic hit. However, we were delighted that Marnie went ahead with plans to record new music, her Happy Golden Days EP and two (2) singles released just in time for the holidays (and on repeat at our house).

  • We love how Marnie paired her powerful voice with Grammy Award-winning Bluegrass Guitarist Tim Stafford for this Ave Maria. Stay tuned for more releases in 2021.

• “The Reporters” from Thumbprint by Kamala Sankaram

  We’ve not yet met Ms. Sankaram, although she’s a part of our recent American Lyric Theatre expert Diversity Q&A panel series on Facebook, as well as that company’s ongoing CLDP Opera Writers Symposium. But I first encountered her when she began working with Opera Innovation contributor Mark Campbell on West Edge Opera’s new opera incubator Aperture. We wanted to get a sense of her work as a composer, and we thought this opening piece from her and Susan Yankowitz’s 2014 “opera / theatre work” Thumbprint was a good introduction - Thumbprint is inspired by the experiences of Mukhtar Mai, the first female victim of gang rape to bring her male attackers to justice in Pakistan.

  • The ability to capture an audience’s attention at the beginning of an opera - think Salome - and then exponentially build excitement are the reasons The Reporters resonated for us. Boom!

• “Thanks for Coming” from The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs by Mason Bates, Mark Campbell, Edward Parks

  While I was still vibrating after seeing the world premiere of this opera in Santa Fe in 2017, long before Mason Bates and Mark Campbell won the 2019 Best Opera Recording Grammy for it, I found Mr. Campbell so that I could tell him that it should play Broadway - a crossover, operatic hybrid backed my Mr. Bates’ electronic beats and sounds. He agreed without any hesitation. In so many ways, this piece defines what operatic innovation looks and sounds like and I’ll never forget the thrill of experiencing its launch and Edward Parks’ 1000 % believable Steve Jobs. It’s also an opportunity to shout out great friends Kristen Choi, Adelaide Boebecker and Jessica E. Jones, who are also cited on this Grammy-winning recording.

  • There are many new operas, but (R)evolution will continue to be part of “the rep” since its represents everything new, possible, daring, responsive and innovative that can happen in opera. A case study to be modeled!

• “Lightning Strikes” by Klaus Nomi

  Our appreciation and deep respect for Klaus Nomi is somewhat recent. Having heard this former Deutsche Oper usher, countertenor and underground artist’s name referenced in passing at various times over the years, I didn’t investigate further until late last year, discovering what a landmark artist he was, sadly dying of AIDS at just 39 years old and the apex of his performance career.

  • Everyone needs to hear Nomi’s countertenor applied to his delightful cover of Lou Christie's 1960’s hit Lightning Strikes. A “secret” project forthcoming!

• “I Wish I Loved Someone” by Mr. Max with Joanna Ceja

  Mr. Max is an LA-based surf punk rock band with a growing Southern California fanbase, but we came to know about them and band founder Max Cohen through friend, classically-trained vocalist and actress Joanna Ceja, who sings back up on several Mr. Max singles. Platonic collaborators, both have managed to continuing working in music during the pandemic; we remain in support of their new projects, together and separate. And yes, that’s Joanna in gorilla head drag, but more on her operatic roots found here. Max is featured in this Voyage LA Magazine profile from January 2021.

  • We admire this melding of musical and vocal styles, which originated out of a chance Uber meeting. These are cool, kind entrepreneurial creatives who make their respective art forms great.

• “Lakmé and Mallika” by Emily M Cheung

  At the end of 2020, as the holidays, election and pandemic horror were all upon us, we were heartened by a returning holiday-season Volvo commercial from 2018. In it, soprano Emily M Cheung performs a version of “Der Holle Rach,” a piece advertisers seem to love regardless of it being a homicidal aria called as "The Vengence of Hell" from Mozart's The Magic Flute. We shared it on Instagram and Facebook, where it went a bit viral, undoubtedly spreading the Opera Innovation word (our sincere thanks). When putting this playlist together, we were glad to find this single from Ms. Cheung, which includes a version of “Lakmé,” one of my favorite arias-as-advertising for British Airways, the airline’s go-to sound branding for decades.

  • We love the arrangement of “Lakmé-Mallika” - contemporary music that just so happens to showcase a classically-trained voice. Emily’s found her sound and style, is this the future of contemporary music, full stop?

• “Le Voyageur, Op. 18 No. 2” by Gabriel Fauré, Brian Asawa, Sir Neville Marriner

  There will never be another Brian Asawa. We happened to meet Mr. Asawa when he was quite literally the moment, kicking in doors for countertenors in the early 1990s. We were also fortunate enough to work with him during the last few years of his life on social media, content and brand strategy briefs. But it was more than the work. Brian was our OG opera innovator who not only freely shared the opera singer experience, but also the art of singing. We are forever grateful for these things, his friendship, his artistry and beautiful gift to opera and music history.

  • More to come on this remarkable man and how he changed opera.

• “Biblical Songs, Op.99: II Lord Thou Art My Refuge” by Antonín Dvorák, Elyse Anne Kakacek & Ryan Johnson

  Sometimes things just happen. We’d just launched Opera Innovation and it was either through the algorithm or stories, but we came across Frisson Films and founders Elyse A. Kakacek and Ryan Rivard, which led to their writing one of the first OI blogs (we’re forever grateful). Fast forward to August and the release of Elyse’s Formless album featuring the Biblical songs of Dvorák. We listen at least once a week to this beautiful album by Elyse and Pianist Ryan Johnson.

  • Formless should be listened to as an album, so start with this first movement. It remains our centering, work music staple, brimming with hope, joy and peace- things we all need more of these days.

• “Preach Sister, Preach: No. 1, Simone de Beauvoir; No. 2, Mae West; No. 3 Gilda Radner” by Evan Mack, Megan Marino, John Arida

  We first had the pleasure of meeting and befriending mezzo Megan Marino at Santa Fe Opera in 2015. Megan’s progress thought the business of opera has been a bit of a bellwether for us - an extremely talented artist with a no-nonsense approach to her work, tempered by equal parts compassion and empathy. Just last weekend, she dropped The Travelled Road, a new album with Composer Evan Mack, Pianist John Arida and Cellist Jameson Platte. We had no prior notice about this new music, but it arrived right on time for this playlist!

  • We love this album and actually wanted more when the three song cycles and stand-alone pieces had ended. It should be listened to as a whole album. This thought found on composer Evan Mack’s Twitter account: “If you’ve been feeling numb to the world, Evan Mack’s music, combined with the powerful words of others, may be the antidote.” - Kristina Driskill

• “Are You Good?” by Aurelia’s Voice

  “Classically rooted and refreshingly creative,” per David MacKay, Auralia’s Voice is the songwriting moniker for Flint MI-based classical singer Tiffany Thorpe. We “met” last week when she followed Opera Innovation on Twitter, so we decided to investigate the new EP she was promoting - a good decision. We followed her back, asking if I could share Are You Good? since this was our first meeting. Fortunately, she agreed. From her Spotify account, words again from Mr. MacKay: “Aurelia’s Voice floats in dreamy tones on a sea of complex emotions. Her music is evocative--drawing the listener to the sensations of pain, regret, frustration, and ultimately hope. Hope in oneself for the future. Hope in who we all can become when we realize the strength that dwells within.”

  • A cohesive 5-song EP powered by classical voice. Are You Good? speaks to our now beautifully. Go!

• “Thinking Out Loud” by Damon K. Clark

  Damon K. Clark began following us on Instagram and has been greatly supportive of what we’re doing there and on the blog (our sincerest thanks). Damon has been a professional vocalist for over 20 years, performing and touring globally. He began his career as an opera singer and later ventured into folk, rock, neo-soul, and jazz. He also has a vocal studio in Dallas, where he’s based, which has pivoted online due to the pandemic. It was wonderful to find his cover version of Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud,” which has become our preferred version!

  • Come for Damon’s classically-trained voice, stay for his storytelling and beautifully arranged musical pieces. We understand there may be some opera coming, please look for it on future playlists.

• Carmen, WD 31 | Act 1: “L’amour est un oiseau rebelle” (Habanera) by Georges Bizet, Elīna Garanča, Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale Della RAI, Karel Mark Chichon, Coro Filarmonico del Regio di Torino

  No, we don’t know Ms. Garanča, but we added this piece because:

  • Briana K. Hunter apparently just killed it as Carmen at Opera Orlando, singing in front of audiences for the first time in a year - BRAVA!

  • We will always love how luxury brand CDLP featured it in their men’s underwear commercial, filmed at The Grand Hotel Tremezzo, Lake Como.

  • The aforementioned Megan Marino will make her role debut as Carmen in The Atlanta Opera’s “The Threepenny Carmen” later this month. Brava, Megan!

• La Wally | “Ebben? No andrò Iontana” by Alfredo Catalani, Wilhelmenia Fernandez, Vladimir Cosma and the London Philharmonic Orchestra

  We featured a clip from “DIVA,” one of our favorite films, on Instagram last year because it marked the first time opera moved us as, a 12 year old kid watching this French film on PBS.

• Norma | “Casta Diva” by Vincenzo Bellini, Maria Callas, Orchestre du théâtre national de l’opéra, Georges Sébastien, Choeur du théâtre national de l’opéra

  We thought this 1958 recording of La Divina was appropriate to denote Jean Paul Gaultier’s use of “Casta Diva” in his recent Le Mâle fragrance “Welcome On Board” campaign, which we featured via Instagram Reels. Although our only live experience of this iconic piece is with the wonderful Sonya Radvanovsky, there doesn’t seem to be a publicly available recording of her singing it (but if anyone knows where to stream one, please let us know).

  STAY TUNED FOR NO.2 THIS SUMMER!

American Lyric Theater Champions Diversity and Representation with Signature Opera Writers Program

From February 27 through April 24, American Lyric Theater conducts a free, eight-week, virtual symposium on writing for the opera stage. The CLDP Opera Writers Symposium will provide artists with practical tools for both first-time and experienced creatives with an interest in creating new opera.

By Rebecca Davis

(New York, NY) - Leading voices of American Lyric Theater (ALT) and the Composer Librettist Development Program (CLDP) -- including ALT’s Founder Lawrence Edelson; Associate Artistic Director Kelly Kuo; composers Anthony Davis, Justine Chen and Jorge Sosa; librettists Stephanie Fleischmann and Lila Palmer; and dramaturg Cori Ellison – discuss ALT’s Opera Writers Diversity and Representation Initiative (OWDARI). They share the importance of diversity in the creation of new works of opera, their own journeys with the art form and how the American Lyric Theater addresses proactively recruiting musicians and writers of all racial and artistic backgrounds to take part in their flagship biennial Composer Librettist Development Program (CLDP).  

Dramaturg Cori Ellison says, “the best art has always held up a mirror to society, challenging and inspiring us to evolve by facing our frailties or laughing at our foibles, there's so much we can learn from the mirrors held up by the new and diverse voices we're welcoming into our art form.”   

Each artist and leader answered a series of questions on the topic of diversity in opera and what the CLDP does to foster it. Their answers enlighten and inspire.  

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Why is it important for opera to be open to new perspectives from both composers and librettists? 

ALT’s Founder LAWRENCE EDELSON: Opera is an extraordinarily impactful way to tell stories - bringing together music and theater through a physical realization on stage or, increasingly, through digital channels of distribution. Ultimately, who tells what stories matters. New perspectives that are representative of contemporary American society are vital to keep opera relevant. It’s important to remember that opera’s origins were as a populist art form. The opera house was the first musical institution to open its doors to the general public. The first opera house was opened in Venice in 1637, presenting commercial opera and run for profit. Public tastes and preferences have shaped opera throughout history, though admittedly, opera has also consciously excluded the perspectives of significant portions of the population - often with racist motivations. If those writing opera in the 21st century don’t reflect the totality of contemporary American society, opera won’t be meaningful - either as art or entertainment. 

Dramaturg CORI ELLISON: The best art has always held up a mirror to society, challenging and inspiring us to evolve by facing our frailties or laughing at our foibles.  Diversity is not a new thing in American society, but the complete and eager embrace of it certainly is, and there's so much we can learn from the mirrors held up by the new and diverse voices we're welcoming into our art form.   

“Malcolm X used the expression "that old pale thing" to describe the legacy of racism that has plagued our country since its inception. Opera can no longer afford to be merely "that old pale thing" that only represents White male composers and librettists and the implicit credo of white supremacy. This is a fundamental question of the survival of the art form.” - Composer Anthony Davis 

Librettist LILA PALMER: Opera is one of many music drama traditions, that speaks to human life through song. We turn to stories with music to learn who we are and see ourselves, to educate, build, enforce and when necessary, break down the myths and driving assumptions of our culture. We do that through the creation of empathy and the possibilities of imagination. Opera has traditionally been created by a limited group of people, and consequently the stories and myths and power dynamics it perpetuates align with both the traumas and concerns of that group. But there are wider audiences to reach, to entertain and to speak to, and we need a wider group of storytellers to do that. 

Composer JORGE SOSA: Storytelling is continuously evolving and is in perpetual transformation, so it is essential that we open up avenues for composers and librettists to share and engage with dramatic ideas that can propel the genre forward in order to assert the art form's relevance. 

“Opening one’s mind to the ideas that composers and librettists of diverse backgrounds bring to the table can open doors that one did not know existed; doors that lead to a better version of ourselves.   And sometimes perspectives not chained to the expectations and traditions of the past are exactly what is needed to open paths to evolution.” - ALT Associate Artistic Director Kelly Kuo

Librettist STEPHANIE FLEISCHMANN: Telling stories is a powerful means for not just making sense of our world but for enacting change. The stories we have to tell are infinite. They encompass everybody’s stories. And they must be told by everybody if we are to represent this complex messy world we live in—if we are to attempt to articulate some sort of truth that expresses who we are as humans. Telling stories via music—a form that has the potential to mine an emotional terrain that reaches beyond language to a place that is, simply, and overwhelmingly human—promises to transgress boundaries, cross bridges, reach beyond the walls that we as a civilization still seem far too intent on constructing between us (whoever we may be) and those who hail from cultures different from our own. And yet American opera has been slow to embrace a vibrant, rich, magnificently diverse, multicultural world. Opera as a form will only thrive if and when it is a medium that upholds a diverse breadth of stories housed within a diverse breadth of forms, a diverse breadth of approaches to telling stories, made by a diverse breadth of makers, within institutions led by a diverse group of leaders, performed by singers who represent the diversity and multiplicity of our communities, directed and designed by artists whose lived experience and cultural legacy is not solely western and white. 

ALT Associate Artistic Director Kelly Kuo

ALT’s Associate Artistic Director KELLY KUO: We only survive and grow as a species through collaboration and the best collaboration occurs only when each party can look at things from a variety of perspectives.  In this respect, opera is no different than any other human endeavor.  Opening one’s mind to the ideas that composers and librettists of diverse backgrounds bring to the table can open doors that one did not know existed; doors that perhaps lead to a better version of ourselves.   And sometimes perspectives not chained to the expectations and traditions of the past are exactly what is needed to open paths to evolution. 

Composer JUSTINE CHEN: Composers and librettists both hold the keys to different forms of expression in opera.  Words have a certain power, and music has a different kind of power.  One can also inspire and unlock the other.  When there are two creators working towards a similar goal, each artist knows how to achieve that goal with one art, when two work together, the combination can magnify and heighten the effect.  When two people from different backgrounds collaborate, a new perspective emerges - similar to the combination of two lines of sight giving the perception of depth. There is a danger of stagnation without new perspectives, so recycling old perspectives is not a way to move forward. 

Composer Anthony Davis

Composer ANTHONY DAVIS: Malcolm X used the expression "that old pale thing" to describe the legacy of racism that has plagued our country since its inception.  In order to be a viable art form for the future, opera can no longer afford to be merely "that old pale thing" that only represents White male composers and librettists and the implicit credo of white supremacy. This is a fundamental question of the survival of the art form.  Can Opera be part of something so much bigger and more representative? 

On Monday, March 22nd, this six-part Q&A with ALT’s expert panel continues via Opera Innovation on Facebook.

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American Lyric Theater is currently in the midst of its first ever virtual Opera Writers Symposium, a series of workshops and mini-seminars for composers and writers taking place February 27 – April 24. With the symposium, ALT seeks to introduce musicians and writers from diverse racial and artistic backgrounds to opera and explore how they might use the tools of the art form to tell their stories. ALT also hopes to encourage applications to the Composer Librettist Development Program (CLDP), the country’s only full-time paid mentorship for emerging opera composers, librettists and dramaturgs.  

Symposium classes include:  

• The Architecture of Opera: Outlining for Composers and Librettists led by composer/librettist Mark Adamo 

• Dramatizing History and Opera as Activism led by dramaturg  Cori Ellison  

• Opera, Technology and Innovation led by composers  Kamala Sankaram  and  Jorge Sosa 

• From Erased to Self-Empowered: Celebrating BIPOC Opera Composers and Librettists led by ALT’s Associate Artistic Director Kelly Kuo  

• How to Have a Healthy Marriage: Collaboration Best Practices led by ALT’s Founder Lawrence Edelson and dramaturg Cori Ellison 

Guest speakers during the symposium include composers Anthony Davis, Missy Mazzoli, Daniel Bernard Roumain, Huang Ruo and Errollyn Wallen; and librettists Mark Campbell, Thulani Davis (also a poet and playwright), David Henry Hwang, Andrea Davis Pinkney (also a children’s book author), and Royce Vavrek.   

The symposium provides practical tools for both first-time and experienced artists with an interest in developing new works for the operatic stage and serve as an introduction to ALT’s Composer Librettist Development Program (CLDP), a two-year, tuition-free professional training program for writers interested in creating new operas that includes extensive mentorship and direct financial support. No previous experience in writing opera is necessary.  

The CLDP Opera Writers Symposium is completely free, but  advance registration is required for each seminar, please.  Complete program details here. Lead funding for the symposium comes from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts.  

The Opera Writers Symposium is part of ALT’s Opera Writers Diversity and Representation Initiative (OWDARI). In consultation with an Advisory Committee comprised of BIPOC artists and related experts in the field, ALT is examining every part of the company’s operations with the goal of addressing structural inequality and racism and increasing participation by BIPOC artists in the company’s flagship mentorship program.  

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Rebecca Davis Public Relations
Rebecca Davis
347.432.8832
rebecca@rebeccadavispr.com

Opera Innovator: Grammy-Winning Librettist Mark Campbell Keeps Creating in the New Now

Librettist Mark Campbell, photographed on Fire Island, New York.

(Santa Fe, NM) - When news of Mark Campbell’s librettist prize with OPERA America hit the internet, I sent him a congratulatory Facebook DM. What ensued was a weeks-long conversation that resulted in the wonderful Q&A below. In addition to The Campbell Opera Librettist Prize (COLP), Mark is a man who’s remained just as prolific as he was pre-pandemic, making his ongoing flight into artistic headwinds seem absolutely doable, an inspiration to all of us during these difficult times. With the arrival of new collaborations, operas and another well-deserved 2021 Grammy nomination, this time with composer Paul Moravec for their Sanctuary Road oratorio, we thought a Q&A format would be best, no pun intended. We’re also honored to break some exclusive opera news: Mark’s currently writing a new theatrical song cycle with young, gay composer Matthew Ricketts, inspired by Derek Jarman's book, Modern Nature. Per Mark: “You probably know Jarman as a filmmaker, but he wrote this memoir in 1989-1990 after he’d purchased a fisherman's cottage in a desolate location on the English Channel, soon after he was diagnosed with AIDS.” All this and more revealed below via Mark’s trademark warmth, feeling and humor. JM

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OI: How did you and Matthew Ricketts come together to begin creating this song cycle based on Derek Jarman's memoir? Given the context of Jarman's writings, an AIDS pandemic that's never gone away and the magnitude of our current public health disaster, this is a timely if not extremely real brief. You mentioned that this project would be an opportunity to write "more poetic text." Could you expand on that?

MC: When my husband and I moved into our modest home on Fire Island earlier this spring,  I began imagining my little garden here. Around that time, I read a beautifully written article in The New Yorker by Rebecca Mead about filmmaker and gay activist Derek Jarman and the remarkable garden he created at Prospect Cottage, a scrappy fisherman's shack in Dungeness that he had purchased soon after his AIDS diagnosis. Jarman captured his experiences in 1989 and 1990 at this cottage in his very moving memoir, Modern Nature, and as I read the book, I felt inspired to write a song cycle about it. It sings.

Matthew and I had been "courting" each other as composer and librettist for a little over a year, I proposed the idea and he loved it. (By the way, Matthew who received a Guggenheim Foundation Award last year, is a composer to watch!)

Composer Matthew Ricketts. Photo credit: Michael Kuhn

I had originally thought of the work as a short (4 or 5 songs) song cycle, but the more I write the text, the more I see it as a complete theatrical evening, a contemplative structure similar to the libretto Kimberly Reed and I created for As One. I generally shy away from overt poetry when creating text for operas or oratorios—it tends to call attention to itself and distracts from the music. But with this piece—tentatively titled Unruly Sun—poetry seems right. Of course, I feel many strong personal connections to the story—moving away from a city to escape a pandemic, mortality and the garden, the need for a legacy, a gay man who lost many people to AIDS…the list goes on and on…and the more I enumerate these connections, the more I wince at the obviousness of them.

OI: Let's change directions a bit and talk about West Edge Opera's Aperture program. We love the real-time BTS aspect, tracking almost two dozen original works from the ground up. You're working with composer Kamala Sankaram, breathing life into My Own Country, a longtime dream project that chronicles an immigrant doctor's experiences in Johnson City, Tennessee while caring for people with AIDS during the early years of the crisis. I will sign myself up tout de suite, but what can you share with us about the process thus far? 

MC: As you know, opera companies around the country are trying to find ways to remain connected with their communities during the pandemic. Mark Streshinsky, General Director of West Edge Opera, and his smart and mighty team, came up with the ingenious idea of spending more significant time exploring the process of composers and librettists when they create new operas. They audaciously chose 22 projects to feature and I'm flattered that my name appears on a roster with so many composers and librettists I respect and admire. 

Composer Kamala Sankaram.

My Own Country, which I'm creating with the brilliant (and deservedly overworked) composer Kamala Sankaram is a piece I've been dreaming about creating for 25 years. It's based on Dr. Abraham Verghese's 1994 memoir (another memoir!) of the same name and chronicles his experiences as a doctor and an immigrant in Johnson City, Tennessee as AIDS begins to enter the community. Two years ago, New York Theatre Workshop gave Kamala and I a residency to begin work on the opera and I created an outline and she and I wrote a few songs. If WEO awards us a full commission, we would be able to complete this work.  

OI: Several weeks ago, we started talking about your latest world premiere film project with composer Joe Illick and Fort Worth Opera, based in the now familiar universe of zoom. We've seen the extra Broadway World piece, so we'll have extra popcorn on hand as we watch your A-list cast navigate the "virtual comedy" of an online book club discussing The Handmaid's Tale. This sounds delicious and oh so you. 

MC: Oh, I love working with Joe. We wrote two children's operas which are entering the repertoire very quickly. He asked me for an "adult" libretto and I came up with a story about a mean little book club that meets on Zoom for the first time at the end of April, 2020. It's a pretty bleak view about our country during this crisis and the threat of totalitarianism (expressed in the mute button), but I hope you won't notice that with the work of our director Cara Consilvio, our conductor Andy Whitfield and our crazily stellar cast (Brenda Harris, Bill Burden, Donnie Ray Albert, Joyce Castle and Gabrielle Gilliam).  

Composer Paul Moravec and Mark Campbell worked for three years to adapt Stephen King's The Shining. Photo credit: Euan Kerr | MPR News (2016)

OI: In 2019, we were thrilled when you and Mason Bates won Grammys for The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs. It was also excellent to see you at Santa Fe Opera last summer to congratulate you in person. Interestingly, I watched the 2021 Grammy nominations via Twitter and didn't realize that you and Paul Moravec are nominated for Sanctuary Road, performed by Oratorio Society of New York (librettists not mentioned in Grammy noms, had no idea). Getting the full memo via Facebook (big congrats to you), I realized that it's impossible to keep up with opera's most prolific creative. In addition to a new, third oratorio with Mr. Moravec focused on voting rights, you mentioned a secret opera and The Secret River at Opera Orlando?

MC: Yeah, it's pretty ridiculous that the Grammys fail to credit the librettist for operas or choral works. (The Pulitzer does the same dumb thing, by the way.) Whining aside, I am very pleased with this nod from the Recording Academy for Sanctuary Road, a work I am very proud of. Paul is a master of musical drama and a fantastic collaborator and, yes, we are about to begin work on our third oratorio to complete a trilogy of operas about freedom. (Our second, A Nation of Others, set in Ellis Island in 1921, was to premiere at Carnegie Hall in May, again with the Oratorio Society of New York.)  By the way, we are turning Sanctuary Road into an opera with stage director Dennis Whitehead Darling, who will also be directing The Secret River (music by Stella Sung) at Opera Orlando. The "secret" opera still hasn't been announced but I will say that it is for Des Moines Metro Opera and is a many-acred thing. Other works waiting to premiere are A Sweet Silence in Cremona (composer: Roberto Scarcella Perino); Supermax (composer: Stewart Wallace, co-librettist, Michael Korie); Edward Tulane (composer: Paola Prestini); again and again. and again (composer: Conrad Cummings) and This Lingering Life (composer: Anne LeBaron, co-librettist Chiori Miyagawa).

OI: The Campbell Opera Librettist Prize (COLP) was announced in late July 2020, in association with OPERA America. The competition opens up December 15th, with the winning librettist selected by a panel of independent experts in May 2021. We did the "opera librettist award" Google and 95% of the entries on that first page were for this award! So, in addition to brilliant branding, what was the inspiration for this nearly only one of its kind recognition for opera librettists? 

MC: I've been very fortunate in that a number of my works (Silent Night, The Shining, The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, Sanctuary Road, Elizabeth Cree, As One—and more) generate decent income in royalties and will continue to do so after I'm gone. As I was preparing my will about a year ago, I thought about what I might be able to contribute to the future of American opera. It's no secret that I've been and continue to be an advocate for librettists through the Dramatists Guild's Librettist Initiative, which I co-chair with librettist Michael Korie. It was probably through my work there, that I identified that there are no awards specifically for opera librettists. So I decided to create one. And fund it. Our industry has some truly brilliant librettists working in it now; I view the COLP as a way for opera to build on that by continuing to attract the best theatre writers. 

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Learn more and apply for OPERA America’s Mark Campbell Opera Librettist Prize.

Tickets now available for the 14-24JAN digital streaming of Bernadette's Cozy Book Nook.

Press Contact: Barbara Hogenson | (212) 874-8084 | BHogenson@aol.com 

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