Michael Ching's blog, pondering music, opera, and where and how it fits in, particularly in the regions. Lots of helpful links down the righthand side.
A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, opera a cappella now available at Albany Records
Tuesday, October 12, 2021
MIDSUMMER is coming back
MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM, opera a cappella, is my best work. It's only been done once since the great premiere in Memphis in 2011. Now thanks to a Courtney Kalbecker, a great producer, and Shodekeh, a visionary breath artist, it's going to make it to the stage again in 2022. The production at Towson University is going to include a newly commissioned small orchestration. Eight winds and brass will supplement the a cappella "voicestra" in order to give it the confidence and grounding of instrumental pitches. I'm very hopeful that this will make the opera much more frequently performed as the stuff happening onstage isn't usually of a high difficulty level.
Last week, Savannah Voice Festival presented a staged workshop of my new opera, A ROYAL FEAST. An idea suggested by Executive Director Maria Zouves, FEAST is a sequel to Rossini's LA CENERENTOLA. It is part of a partnership SVF has with the Esther F. Garrison Middle School for the Performing Arts, a wonderful public school in Savannah. Previous projects have included a production of Rachel Portman's THE LITTLE PRINCE and HANSEL AND GRETEL.
The opera was conceived with the help of a group of student writers and composers. With their background in American (Disney) interpretations of Cinderella, the writers wanted critters--lots of critters. They wanted the sisters to learn to get along. And they wanted more magic. These things are, to varying degrees, not in the Rossini.
FEAST was scheduled to be workshopped in the summer of 2020, but the festival was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During the fall of 2020 we managed via zoom to create two songs with a group of a half dozen students. These songs are now in the show. Before the emergence of the Delta variant of COVID, the Garrison Middle School students were supposed to perform in the workshop live, but the COVID resurgence did not make that possible this summer. Instead, we filmed them in their songs and even sang along with them once.
ROYAL FEAST uses the Rossini cast--Angelina, Ramiro, Dandini, Magnifico, Clorinda, and Tisbe along with a wide array of new critters, including mice, sea gulls, spiders, snakes, cats, birds, and other animals. The premise is, after the wedding at the end of Cenerentola, the family goes to a party thrown in their honor by the critters.
Inspired by the workshop, I'm filling in some parts of the plot and characters with plans for a full production in a coming season in Savannah.
Thank you to SVF, Garrison, the directors, cast, and the students!
On of the first major collections of 21st century American Art Songs has been released by North Star Music. The brainchild of Robert Peavler, the collection includes the work of 90 living composers. Of special note is Volume 1 (S/A/T/B) for singers 16-21. Almost all of the songs in the collection are unique--in other words, what's found in the tenor collection isn't simply transposed into the soprano collection.
While working on a class for singers at Savannah Voice Festival, I interviewed Robert on zoom. An excerpt is being used in the class; the entire interview is here.
Look at this list of composers!
Soprano, Vol. 1 Garth Baxter David Conte Emerson Eads Seamus Flynn Erik Franklin Scott Gendel Franklin Hansen Stephen Jackson Elyse Kahler Michael Kropf Lori Laitman Kari Cruver Medina Paul Salerni Lucy Shirley Dawn Sonntag Richard Pearson Thomas Hayley Turner Jay Vosk Logan Vranković Karen Wemhoener
Soprano, Vol. 2 Nicolas Benavides Clint Borzoni Delvyn Case Dorothy Chang Judith Cloud Emerson Eads Kurt Erickson Jodi Goble Meg Huskin Lee Kesselman Andrew List Michael McAndrew Liam Moore Jean-Paul Perrotte Joseph Rubinstein Paul Salerni Dawn Sonntag Lucy Shirley Sheila Silver Jay Vosk
Mezzo-Soprano, Vol. 1 Michael Ching Maria Thompson Corley Joseph Dubois Rachel Devore Fogarty Erik Franklin Kenneth Frazelle Scott Gendel Daniel Gilliam Jodi Goble Lori Laitman Leonard Mark Lewis Quinn Mason Thomas Pasatieri Dave Ragland Wayland Rogers Lucy Shirley Matthew Shreve David Evan Thomas Ian Wiese
Mezzo-Soprano, Vol. 2 Mark Abel Carol Barnett Garth Baxter Rebekah Driscoll Kurt Erickson Rachel DeVore Fogarty Max Johnson Jeremy Gill Leonard Mark Lewis Andrew List Evan Mack Quinn Mason Kari Cruver Medina John McIntyre Wayland Rodgers Paul Salerni Lucy Shirley David Evan Thomas Bruce Trinkley Gregory Zavracky
Tenor, Vol. 1 Daniel Armstrong Garth Baxter Judith Cloud David Conte Joseph Dubois Stephen Jackson Scott Joiner Ben Justis Robbie LaBanca Lori Laitman Logan Larson Quinn Mason Gary Powell Nash Dave Ragland Justin Henry Rubin David Evan Thomas Richard Pearson Thomas Bruce Trinkley Patrick Vu Gergory Zavracky
Tenor, Vol. 2 Adam Burnette Benjamin Carter Eric Choate Andrea Clearfield Joseph Dubois Elaine Fine Matt Frey Felix Jarrar Scott Joiner Ben Justis Logan Larson Quinn Mason Eric Moe Luke Mayernick Dave Ragland Justin Henry Rubin Joseph Stillwell David Evan Thomas Logan Vranković
Baritone, Vol. 1 Jason Bahr Maria Thompson Corley Reed Criddle Joseph D. Daniel Douglas Fisk Stefania de Kenessey Rachel Devore Fogarty Kenneth Frazelle Marques L.A. Garrett Daniel Gilliam Lori Laitman Liam Moore Dave Ragland Paul Salerni Del’Shawn Taylor M. Ryan Taylor Bruce Trinkley Patrick Vu Carle Wirshba Khyle B. Wooten
Baritone, Vol. 2 Jason Bahr Garth Baxter Jeremy Beck Chester Biscardi Clint Borzoni Andrea Clearfield David Conte Reed Criddle Joseph Dubois Scott Gendel Garrison Gerard Ben Justis Paula Kimper David Ludwig Evan Mack Liam Moore Sheila Silver M. Ryan Taylor Deanna Wehrspann Khyle B. Wooten
RSBE (Remove Shoes Before Entering) is about to get its fifth production this summer (2021) at Taos Opera Institute. Situated above town in the lovely ski valley in the Carson National Forest, this monthlong program provides intensive voice lessons and coachings, with four groups of singers switching between English, French, German, and Italian. There is a culminating showcase, which will feature RSBE and some opera scenes. This production is directed by the very capable Mark Craig.
The picture is of a song called "Reading Frederick Douglass for the first time" in which the performer recalls reading Douglass' 1852 speech.
It's always a pleasure to work on a piece after the premiere. You learn new interpretations from the cast. You make permanent changes and edits.
SPEED DATING TONIGHT! is what I call a "new numbers opera." Much of traditional opera is based on musical numbers: arias, duets, ensembles, finales. SpDT! is similarly structured but with some twists. First connecting material such as recitative is minimized. As for the songs and ensembles themselves, most of the material is not gendered and not limited to one vocal type. Even the order of the pieces is up to the producer. The cast needn't be based on a 50/50 gender balance. (It doesn't need to be binary either.) In the over 130 productions the smallest cast has been four and the largest around fifty. The goal is to have one hundred options, with the idea being that you use only the material you want for your cast. Currently there are 95 options--I count a true duet as two options, for example, but a piece with only a couple of response lines, counts as one option.
The opera starts and ends with a frame and premise that isn't varied. At a local pub, the bartender (B), server (M), Dating Coordinator (S or M), and busboy (mute or any voice) get ready for the event and greet the daters as they enter. We are introduced to two nervous characters ("I could just die") and Dater #22 (B). He's got a singing birthday card. The actual speed dating starts and the show ends when everyone has had their song, duet, or trio. There are a few subplots to hold the show together. The finale starts with the server commenting in a Brechtian manner about the event ("Daters are a lot like singers"). Dater #22, a failure so far, gives it one more try, and in a parody of the Pappageno/Pappagena duet, finally finds his true love, a fellow cell phone addict. The daters exit and the bartender and server decide to go have a coffee. Alone, the busboy, dances with their broom.
So, the traditional show requires:
Quinn, Bartender, baritone
Stephanie, Server, mezzo
Kaylee, the Dating Coordinator, soprano or mezzo
Busboy, mute or any voice type (can be cut entirely)
Your group of daters, number completely variable
Since the first production commissioned, produced, and directed by Dean Anthony at the Janiec Opera of the Brevard Music Center, SpDT! has been done over a hundred times. The episodic, inclusive structure of the opera proved very useful during the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020-2021. Brevard commissioned a ZOOM SPEED DATING TONIGHT! which is essentially the same show, but one that concentrates on the daters, de-emphasizing the bar milieu.
HOW TO STUDY FOR A PRODUCTION
DOWNLOAD THE PIANO VOCAL PERUSAL SCORE. On the right hand side of this blog, there is a link for a free download for a perusal score. I try to keep it up to date within a few months--remember new pieces are getting written all the time.
Then you should probably watch a video. Remember, the order of the pieces isn't ever the order in the piano vocal score, so don't try to follow along with the music.
WATCH A VIDEO... WHICH VIDEO?
If you have time for only one video, I'd recommend the University of Nebraska-Omaha. It was done literally the night they had to shut down for COVID. Live audiences were forbidden and the video was their performance. It is with piano accompaniment and music directed by the brilliant Hal France. It was produced and directed by Shelby VanNordstrand. There's a medium/large cast.
We haven't talked about this yet, but there is an optional orchestration to SpDT! which includes clarinet doubling flute (one or two players), piano (preferably your rehearsal pianist--can be the conductor), bass, and percussion--drum set/vibraphone. This great production at Kennesaw State University shows the band off really well.
As I mentioned earlier, SpDT! converted well to the social distancing demanded by COVID-19 quarantines. The first ZOOM SPEED DATING TONIGHT! from Brevard features the wonderful Caroline Worra in the role of "Host" instead of Dating Coordinator. There is a stage manager role (speaking), but the Bartender, Waitress, and Busboy are gone. The Zoom approach ends up sacrificing many of the duets, and ensembles, but the up-close nature of video really brings up the interaction between the singing dater and the listening dater. Another reason to check this version out is Dean Anthony's direction. He's directed the show a half dozen times and has some pairings he likes to do such as the cat lover (#8) and the Car Man (#19). You are free to do your own pairings, but some of his are classic.
Another great production during the COVID pandemic was at Arizona State University. Produced by Brian DeMaris; Directed by Janine Colletti; and Music Directed by Randi Ellen Rudolph, through the use of greenscreen and video, this keeps the original Bartender, Server, Busboy configuration. So it achieves both the up-close visuals and the original scenario. This allows for more use of the ensembles.
During the summer of 2020 L'arietta productions in Singapore had to postpone their SpDT! production. They commissioned a series of pieces that are incorporated now incorporated into the opera as options #76-#83. Here's a link to their beautifully produced series of videos. These were directed by Eleanor Tan and Aloysius Luke Fong was music director.
Every producer has the option of commissioning a date or two for their production. The University of South Dakota commissioned two for their ZOOM SPEED DATING TONIGHT! production. (Probably) the last socially distanced production of the pandemic, it has the notable benefit of the experience of producing three others before it. It is wittily directed by Tracelyn Gesteland. The MIDI accompaniment files from all of the zoom productions are available as rehearsal and even performance tracks for an additional fee.
If you are curious about how to do the opera with a very small cast, check out this video (at a bar) from Fargo Moorhead Opera. Another small cast professional company with a very good quality video is Shreveport Opera.
Once you've watched one or two of these videos, you will want to check out the opera's
SOUNDCLOUD PLAYLIST and YOUTUBE PLAYLIST. These have the pieces in numerical order, which makes it an easier reference than combing through too many videos. These playlists are continually updated and if something doesn't appear on Soundcloud, it is hopefully there on YouTube and viceversa.
The opera has a facebook page which is easily found and can update you about the latest shows and songs.
This is a LOT of information, so don't hesitate to get in touch directly.
Oh... a note about prices. In 2023-24, the license for SpDT! is $700/$850/$1000 depending on the size of your cast. The orchestration is $400/$500/$600. Rehearsal mp3s are available for the solos for $100. When you consider you don't have to buy any piano vocal scores, this is very reasonable.
This weekend Zoom Speed Dating Tonight! at University of South Dakota was released. It was wittily directed by Tracelyn Gesteland.
This is likely the last of the zoom versions. The first was Janiec Opera at Brevard Music Center. This was followed by versions at University of Tennessee and then NYU-Steinhardt. All of these were produced by Jo Sandler. There were other online versions, including one at Arizona State University.
There are several notable things about this production. First is Brian Rasmussen's presentation of "Checklist" followed by a newly commissioned song "Open to flaws" (#88) sung by their alter-ego drag persona, Carmen. It's at around 54:00 in the video. At 1:01 you can hear another new song, "I'm in the pep band," (#87) performed by Annika Holdusen. Another notable performance is a swing version of #4, "Dancer" performed by Ellie Whitehead. At 9:00 there's an especially fun version of #27, "Carrie," which really takes advantage of the video format. Performed by Denisse Balandran.
There are several pieces from L'arietta productions "All Dressed Up (No Place to Go)" integrated into the production. I've been pleased about the popularity of these pieces, written during the summer of 2020 and premiered a week at a time during lockdown (they called it Circuit Breaker in Singapore)
Here's a link to a short interview I did with Dr. Tracelyn Gesteland at University of South Dakota about their upcoming production of Zoom Speed Dating Tonight! It provides a good, fairly short introduction to the opera. This ZSpDT! may be the last one for awhile. This pandemic response started with the production at the Janiec Opera of the Brevard Music Center, and included productions at the University of Tennessee, and New York University. There have been other very good online productions this year, but only these four have conformed to the script/premise that Dean Anthony came up with for the Brevard version in the summer of 2020.
RSBE had its premiere at University of Alabama in February 2020, right before things closed down. The second production, scheduled for Amarillo Opera, had to be rescheduled due to COVID. It is now the third production, the second having been done recently at Kennesaw State University. They did their production completely online. In order to do so, they needed to change the premise of the opera. The original idea is that a group of students go to a mysterious building in a small town and the objects they see inside trigger memories. That was too much togetherness as a premise during COVID. So they switched to an online class where the professor asked each student to prepare a reflection, possibly prompted by an object.
And so here we are now seeing the end of the tunnel on the 2020-21 COVID-19 pandemic. The cast is vaccinated, but masks and social distancing is still very much the right thing to do. But the show is being done live, before a minimal audience. So we are going with the Kennesaw premise, but moving it to a live, in-person classroom. I guess this is a bit like directors who move the Mikado, from the 19th century to the late 20th, or Carmen from 19th century Spain to the era of the Spanish Civil War.
RSBE is scheduled for its next production in June and at this point, I'm not exactly sure if we will go back to the original premise or use this new one. We are adjusting to the times...
It's not quite an in person event. We are prerecording the singers and the orchestra; staging the cast; then video taping the show for webcast in mid April. Still, it will be good to be collaborating live with folks like Hilary Ginther, Joshua Kohl, and Jesus Murillo.
