We wanted to share with you a list of works that are suitable for social distancing on stage.
Please contact us if you have any questions or specific programming requirements.
Monodramas
Jack Beeson
Practice in the Art of Elocution, soprano, piano, 30′.
What is opera, and how do you do it? Adapted by the composer from the writings of Françoise Delsarte and Frances P Hoyle-Pogle, and from the poems of Rupert Brooke, Longfellow and an anonymous parodist, and JW Riley.
Susan Kander
dwb (driving while black), Black female soprano or mezzo, cello and percussion, 40′ (one act).
A Black mother ponders as her teenage son learns to drive while Black in today’s volatile society. Libretto by Roberta Gumbel.
Douglas Knehans
Backwards from Winter, soprano, electric cello, electronics, video, 60′ (one act).
Backwards from Winter explores a single woman’s reflection on a love relationship as seen through various elemental filters of seasons, color, nature, emotion and memory and told through live voice, live electronic/computer music and multiple video streams. Libretto by Juanita Rockwell.
Luna Pearl Woolf
Jacqueline, soprano and cello, 90′ (two acts).
Jacqueline is a powerful opera for virtuosic cellist and soprano, exploring the talent and tragedy of Jacqueline du Pré and her relationship with her cello. The opera animates the struggle of du Pré’s changing identity as the one thing that most defined her is cut away by Multiple Sclerosis. Brought to life by two contemporary virtuosi, celebrated American soprano Marnie Breckenridge plays Jacqueline, and former du Pré protégé and world-renowned cellist Matt Haimovitz plays her constant companion, her cello. Libretto by Royce Vavrek.
Chamber Opera Without Chorus
Jack Beeson
Dr. Heidegger and the Fountain of Youth, soprano, mezzo soprano, tenor, baritone, bass baritone, female speaker; chamber orchestra, 42′ (one act).
Is it just a simple quest for water to quench thirst, or instead, a search for the mythical fountain of youth in music and metaphor? Sheldon Harnick after a short story by Nathaniel Hawthorne.
Hello Out There, soprano, baritone, tenor (minor role), 2 speakers, mime; 1(=picc).1.1.1-1.1.0.0-timp.perc(=harm)-1.1.1.1.1 (min.), 40′ (one act).
A tragic story. A jail. A young man and a young woman. Another woman and her husband. Who’s right and who’s wrong, and would there be a way out? Adapted by the composer from the play by William Saroyan
Sorry, Wrong Number, soprano, lyric soprano, mezzo-soprano, alto, baritone, lyric baritone, bass; plus 2 minor roles; chamber ensemble of 9 musicians, 40′ (one act).
Think twice before you pick up the phone….Adapted by the composer from the play by Lucille Fletcher.
Jeremy Howard Beck
The Long Walk, 2 sopranos, mezzo-soprano, 3 trebles, high tenor, lyric tenor, baritone, bass-baritone; chamber orchestra, 150′ (two acts).
The Long Walk is a deeply personal exploration of a soldier’s return from Iraq, where he served as an officer in an Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit. Upon returning from the war, Brian Castner battles what he calls “the Crazy” as he struggles to reintegrate into his family life. Libretto by Stephanie Fleischmann.
Kui Dong
Hutong, soprano, mezzo-soprano, 2 tenors, speaking role; violin, piano, percussion, duration TBD.
A comic opera in fifteen parts about the whimsical nature of urban coincidence and the white space between vignettes. Libretto by Monica Datta and Paul Schick, Story by Monica Datta.
Michael Gilbertson
Breaking, soprano, mezzo-soprano, bass, tenor; flute, clarinet, horn, percussion, piano, string quartet, 20′ (one act).
Breaking explores the dark side of the 24-hour news cycle, and the dangerous line between journalism and entertainment. A young reporter, Johanna, finally gets her moment in the spotlight during a live hostage situation, but quickly discovers how harmful a constant stream of information can be. Libretto by Caroline McGraw.
Osnat Netzer
The Wondrous Woman Within, Soloist: Coloratura Soprano, Mezzo-soprano, 2 Baritones; Male Speaking Role; Chamber Orchestration: fl(pic.afl.rec), cl(bcl), asx(ssx.barsx), tbn, perc, pf(syn), vn, va, vc, db, 100′ (two acts).
Mauritzia is adored by Chutner, who tirelessly attends her and woos her despite her indifference. The only man she welcomes into her bed is her lover Jorge. When she and her companion Poomptz swap homes for a month with Madagaskar and her companion Hotchks, Madagaskar’s own nuisance suitor, Loxner, comes along. Loxner and Chutner become rivals for what little attention Madagaskar is willing to provide. Adopting disguises, the two suitors do everything in their power to win Madagaskar’s heart, with no success. When Mauritzia and Madagaskar return to their own homes at the end of the month, Chutner disguises himself as Jorge, confusing Mauritzia and giving him a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity…. Adapted by the composer from the play of the same name by Hanoch Levin.
Frank J. Oteri
MACHUNAS, dramatic soprano, male singer (non-professional), 8-women vocal ensemble chamber ensemble of 13 musicians (with doublings), 150′ (four acts).
A reminiscence in four colors of the life and work of George Maciunas, founder of the Fluxus Movement. Co-writer: Lucio Pozzi.
Mathew Rosenblum
RedDust, soprano, mezzo-soprano, baritone, four dancers, video artist, surround-sound audio, and chamber orchestra. 90′ (one act).
RedDust is focused through the perspective of the central character, a Chinese author, Shi-yin. Shi-yin is caught in a crisis of conscience and is unable to write. He had an affair with a young girl that ended in her suicide. He tries repeatedly to exorcise his feelings of guilt and confusion, and to rediscover his creative impulse, by writing the story of a stone that comes to life as a young boy. The boy-stone is taken on a journey of discovery by the Taoist Fairy of Disenchantment. The boy is led by the Fairy through life-defining experiences, confronts the inaccessibility of the future, the gulf between words and meaning, and the illusion of love, learning a lesson of detachment that helps author Shi-yin confront his own demons and set pen to page once more.
Luna Pearl Woolf
Better Gods, soprano, mezzo soprano, baritone, 2 basses, 3 non-singing actors; 14 musicians, (Hawaiian percussion instruments for rent), 60′ (one act).
Queen Lili’uokalani, Hawaii’s last monarch, must choose between her country’s independence and the safety of her people. Libretto by Caitlin Vincent.
Chamber Opera With Chorus
Jack Beeson
Lizzie Borden, dramatic coloratura soprano, lyric soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, lyric baritone, bass baritone; small children’s chorus; chamber orchestra of 18 musicians, 90′ (one act).
Chamber Version available in seven scenes. Realized by Charles Tolliver (orchestration), in collaboration with John Conklin (dramaturgy). Driven to familial violence, this visceral tale of the famed axe-murderous Lizzie Borden feels all too topical for today’s volatile society. Libretto by Kenward Elmslie after a scenario by Richard Plant.
Gerald Cohen
Steal a Pencil for Me, soprano, 2 mezzo-sopranos, tenor, 2 baritones, 2 bass-baritones, bass; chorus of 8; chamber ensemble of 14 musicians, 120′ (two acts).
Inspired by real-life events, the opera tells the story of Holocaust survivors Jaap Polak and Ina Soep; how the lovers supported each other during the incredible hardship at a concentration camp in Nazi-occupied Netherlands. Libretto by Deborah Brevoort.
Susan Kander
The News from Poems, mezzo soprano, lyric baritone, bass baritone, tenor; chorus: 8 SATB (optional 2 treble boys, 1 girl); clarinet (triples bs. cl, alto sax), cello, piano; 120′ (two acts)..
Genius, Ambition: what happens to those in the wake of such magnetic, cyclonic energy? William Carlos Williams, his wife Flossie, and Ezra Pound. Libretto by Susan Kander, using writing of Williams, Flossie Williams and Pound.