Flowing Gently, Sail out motor back, and 6483 available at Musicnotes

Although I've been an opera and vocal composer since my early twenties, there are plenty of other pieces of music in various instrumental genres. I'm exploring what to do with them. Ignore them. Put them up on IMSLP for free. These three, a new experiment, are up on Musicnotes, a sheet music site, for a couple of bucks to see if anyone might be interested. Here are the other two.

Catalogue (a work in progress)

A work-in-progress graph in Obsidian of my creative catalogue

So I'm in the beginning stages of trying to figure out a way that 99% of my material can be found by performers, producers, audiences, and researchers. This will probably end up being a website/wiki. I am going to try to do it through a program called Obsidian, which calls itself a "private and flexible writing app." (I've been using a program called Infoselect for years. It is solid and dependable--it works like a mountain of post-it notes. Very flexible and searchable. But can't do things like graphs and websites.) 

Composers and songwriters end up with a variety of publishing relationships during the course of their careers. Increasingly self licensing is a practical and profitable option too. But all of these different ways of getting music to the public can make tracking things down difficult. I have seen this with the estates of composers--once the composer is gone, the writer's family sometimes has a hard time tracking down where things are. And publishers lose track of things too. 

The graph illustrates that my work is mostly self published, with a several publisher relationships, the most important being with E C Schirmer Classical. I've also decided that there are works that I'd like to make available through IMSLP. These are things that are in genres--brass fanfares, string quartets--that I'm not known for, so there's no reason not to make them available for free. Eventually, I'll upload more works to IMSLP. What is less robust at this point is the archiving. I'm throwing out boxes of old manuscripts after scanning them, but haven't quite worked out where these electronic files (along with a few boxes of paper) will end up.

Eventually each of the nodes on the graph will be clickable for more information--collaborators, commissioner, performance history, and how to get hold of it.

Hazel Miner, opera in one act

 

In April of 2025, Northern State University in Aberdeen South Dakota will premiere my new one act opera, HAZEL MINER. The opera is based on a well known upper midwest story about a teen who saved her two younger siblings in a fierce early spring snowstorm in 1920. The treatment is by Marla Fogderud, who also co-wrote the libretto. 

Near Center, North Dakota. 1920. Despite unsettling weather, Hazel and her brother and sister go off to school. An early spring blizzard hits and school is let out. Although Hazel's father has come to bring them home, they are separated as the children's horse bolts, dragging the sleigh behind it. Stuck in a ditch, the children are forced to spend the night in the freezing weather. The frantic search party finally arrives, but Hazel has sacrificed herself, covering young Myrdith and Emmet with her body for warmth. The family and community grieve.

The piano vocal score to HAZEL MINER is available in my perusal score folder. A large production would require at least 16 singers (9 women/5 men/4 children/plus ensemble), and a small one 10 (6 women/2 men/2 children/no ensemble). There are lots of opportunities for smaller roles. The opera is for two keyboards, or just piano. It's about 35 minutes long. Until the premiere is recorded, here are audio demos.

The opera would be an ideal opportunity to collaborate with a local children's choir or school music program. Y'know, put a lot of kids on stage!

The opera has a sing-along round finale, something I'm rather proud of. Give it a listen.

VIARDOT at Music On Site

 

Both casts of NOTES ON VIARDOT

at Music on Site

Last production of the year--On December 20 and 21 Music On Site (MOSI) did the third production of NOTES ON VIARDOT. I came down to see the second performance. Until now, I've never been able to roll out a new show with three productions in its first year-the premiere at University of South Dakota, Vermillion, the second showing at Arizona State University, and now at MOSI.  This production featured the two keyboard version. 

Music On Site brought together 150 singers, directors, conductors, and coaches. It is cleverly timed to take place after school semesters are done and ends right before Christmas. A wide variety of performers participate, from undergrads, grads, young professionals, and experienced singers. It all takes place in less than two weeks!

This season's operas also included DON GIOVANNI, a scenes concert, and a tour of AMAHL AND THE NIGHT VISITORS. GIOVANNI and VIARDOT played on the same night in two different cities!

I'm not sure how long this will remain up, but there's a fb live link to the first performance.

MOSI was founded by Jen Stephenson Baker and Brad Baker. Although they don't work in Kansas anymore, they still come back in December to produce the festival. They still help design the productions and do much of the hands-on work. They are a gift to our field!  

Congratulations to USD

 

Congratulations to University of South Dakota, the department of music, and their opera program led by Dr. Tracelyn Gesteland. Their production of NOTES ON VIARDOT (2024) was recognized by the National Opera Association and won one of the divisions of their production competition. 

The third production of NOTES is coming up December 20 and 21, 2024 at Music On Site, Inc. MOSI has a clever niche in our opera ecosystem, producing after between the close of the fall semester and the Christmas/New Year holidays. 

An actual sheet music store!

We were in Utrecht yesterday and imagine our excitement to see an actual sheet music store. In the US, they are a vanishing breed, and apparently not so common here either. 

They had a nice collection of music, including study scores and some classical art song. The company, Broekmans & Van Pappel even have their own publishing company. 

I left with a couple of things, including some songs by a Dutch composer I didn't know, Jan Mul. I didn't know this--there aren't as many art songs written in Dutch as Dutch composers tended to set the music in more "standard" languages like German or French. 

 

New Two Key Version of NOTES ON VIARDOT

Michael, Polina, and Helen rehearsing at ASU

As Arizona State University has its run of NOTES ON VIARDOT this weekend, they will be premiering a new two keyboard version. The first keyboard is pure piano. The second keyboard is various orchestral sounds, operated by a program called Gig Performer. The musical theatre world has been doing this sort of thing for many years, mostly on the Mac operating system with Mainstage.

 

Second production of NOTES ON VIARDOT

I am very fortunate to have the second production of NOTES ON VIARDOT at Arizona State University, only six months after the premiere at University of South Dakota. It is being directed by Stephanie Sadownik and conducted by Michael Shannon. It is the premiere of a new two keyboard version, with keyboard #1 being pure piano and key #2 a variety of sounds, triggered by Gig Performer. The slot at ASU was designed to be a staged reading on book, but the cast has memorized their music and is fully staged--a very good sign! 

Thanks to ASU's Brian DeMaris for putting it on! 

 

A decade well spent in Savannah

 

Sherrill and his mother Thelma, Maria as Anna Hunter, Alice Ryley Cover

D-Do,D-Don't and Marie from Birthday Clown, Alice Ryley marketing, with Sherrill

Stairs at Davenport House, Jess Best as Alice, during COVID

This week, I ended a decade long period as composer-in-residence at Savannah Voice Festival. This has been in the works for a couple of years. I think c-in-r positions need to change to allow different perspectives, different musical styles. 

It was a fruitful association, including:

    * ALICE RYLEY, about Savannah in 1735

    * ANNA HUNTER, Savannah in the first half of the 20th century

    * BIRTHDAY CLOWN, about a performer finding their audience in an unexpected place.

    * A ROYAL FEAST, a sequel to Rossini's LA CENERENTOLA

In addition there were many arrangements, a few art songs, and a production of SPEED DATING TONIGHT! One fun thing was setting to music a letter that Thelma Milnes (Sherrill's mother) wrote to her future husband. 

I'm not entirely gone from Savannah. Next summer we will do a full production of A ROYAL FEAST, which was previously done in a COVID-restricted workshop premiere. 

Some favorite memories: 

Sherrill telling me not to write Mozart style play-offs so that the emotional high points of the arias were the last notes onstage. 

Learning that the squares in Savannah were rounded off in the 20th century... for cars. 

Making life long friends with my hosts, Neil and Patti Victor. 

Figuring out that the organizational model of SVF was the Greek Family: noisy, boisterous, emotional, on the surface chaotic but pulling things off in style. 

Sitting on the veranda looking at the marsh at the Andersons and the many casual get-togethers there. 

Tracking down Anna Hunter's paintings all over town and meeting a few people who had met her. 

Standing in Wright Square listening to the "tour guides" tell me all sorts of misinformation about Alice Ryley. 

Working with Maria Zouves 

Commuting on the ferry across the river

Playing melodica and singing arias on Broughton Street. 

Any meeting in the Foxy Loxy Courtyard. 

Watching John Tisbert rehearse with his Garrison School Choruses.

Watching from the piano while Andrew Bisantz conducted ALICE RYLEY

Bicycling through Forsyth Park.

The arrival of the drone in BIRTHDAY CLOWN

Thank you Savannah Voice Festival!

I close with Sherrill Milnes' favorite lines from my tenure, from ANNA HUNTER: 

                I did what I could while I was still around. 

                Now it's up to you to keep this town... 

                keep Savannah Savannah. 

RSBE, Speed Dating Tonight's deeper cousin. A show about empathy.

 Speed Dating Tonight! (2013) marches on with an average of 12+ performances per season. Hooray! In 2020, I worked with Paul Houghtaling at University of Alabama on a new opera, RSBE (Remove Shoes Before Entering). It is SpDT!'s deeper cousin. Many of the pieces in SpDT! skim the surface. RSBE is inspired by the idea of writing a show about empathy. It's darker and deeper. Still, some of the pieces are very light and sweet.

Beautiful Traveler, performed by Elise Miller

co-written with Hugh Moffatt

at Charlottesville Opera

Others are darker and deeper...

Reading Frederick Douglass for the first time

performed by David Morgans 

at Charlottesville Opera

In RSBE, each character tells us about something they've learned, something that happened to them that changed their lives. 

Like Speed Dating Tonight!, each performer gets their own moment to shine. There are even a few duets, like this comic one:

Console Consolation

performed by Max Alexander Cook and Carlos Ahrens

Charlottesville Opera

Here's a listing of the available pieces:

1. Friendship Bracelet. About rescuing a turtle at the beach.

2. Impostor. The feeling of impostor syndrome

3. Samaritan. Failing to give aid and resolving to do it next time.

4. I See Me. Searching for inclusivity and belonging

5. Alaskabout you. Bitterly remembering being abandoned by their father

6. N-Word/One Square at a Time (Duet). Telling a friend not to use the N-Word. Remembering a beautiful family quilt.

7. Imaginary Friend. Recalling and conjuring their imaginary friend.

8. Gramma’s Lesson (Where the Wonder Never Ceases) Remembering gramma, who took took away their phone and took them outside to see the magic in nature.

9. The First Time I Heard Mozart. Hearing Mozart for the first time.

10 You’re in my car (Duet). Getting into the wrong car on a busy day. Oh, and it's occupied.

11 Reading Frederick Douglass for the first time

12 Picture of You. Recalling departed love.

13A So Sad. Long term depression, knowing the trigger is 13B

13B Just Between Us. Recalling a childhood abuser.

14 Me That Used to be. Arriving at a woman's shelter

15 Console Consolation (Duet). Recalling great old video games.

16 Shedding. Could you have too much stuff?

17 Interconnected. Recalling a sermon about our common, inescapable bonds.

18 What I had to do. Reading a letter grandfather sent from overseas during war.

19 Hide With the TV. Wanting to nest with old B&W TV during stressful times.

20 Don’t let the music end. Recalling an old flame.

21 Another motherfucking snowstorm. Recalling what it says.

22 Beautiful traveler. Trying to take a picture of a butterfly.

If you've done Speed Dating Tonight! you know how flexible it is. RSBE is structured the same way, with all of the pieces being flexibly cast. It has a touch more ensemble singing, but it is all really easy. The premise is very slight (there's even an alternate premise) . Speed Dating Tonight! takes about ten minutes to set up the scene; RSBE dives in within about 90 seconds. The original premise is a group of students visiting a mysterious building, part old sanctuary, part old second hand store. The alternate premise is students in a classroom.

I'll leave you with one more. #20 Don't let the music end. Co-written with Reg Huston.

performed by Elise Miller, Kevin Spooner, and Emily Baltzer

lyrics by Reg Huston

Charlottesville Opera, 2024

A few more resources:

* RSBE Piano Vocal Perusal Score

* RSBE Premiere at University of Alabama

* RSBE at Amarillo Opera 

* Audio playlist of RSBE