A short description of all my operas

A list of my operas, and a little bit about them. I'm working on making this list more interactive. Perusal scores are available for some of these on the right hand side of this blog. 

Speed Dating Tonight! (2013) is my most popular work with over 130 productions on the books from 2013-2024. It's an imaginary speed dating night at a bar. It is flexible--I call it a "New Numbers Opera," with each performer getting a little solo to talk about their character. Most of the dates are not gendered and available in a variety of ranges. SpDT! can be as short as 30 minutes or a full length evening depending on how many dates you want to include. Commissioned by Janiec Opera.

Buoso's Ghost (1996) is a sequel to Gianni Schicchi. It has the same cast and set, so it makes for a very practical, fun evening. Buoso is easier than Schicchi too, being in English. The orchestration matches the reduced version of Schicchi (2/1/2/1/2/2/1/0) Premiered at Opera Memphis and Pittsburgh Opera Center. Recently done at Florida Grand Opera. Buoso is published by EC Schirmer.

Notes on Viardot (2024) is a bio opera about the life of Pauline Viardot. It was commissioned and premiered in April 2024 at the University of South Dakota-Vermillion. The opera makes extensive use of quotation from what she sang as well as her own compositions. About 70-75 minutes long, in three acts, with one intermission. The first act will work separately as an introduction to her life. As I've been saying, this opera is so curricular, you could give a test about it. 

RSBE is a structured like Speed Dating Tonight! but is deeper and has a bit more ensemble singing. It was premiered and commissioned by University of Alabama. Like Speed Dating the casting is very flexible and usually not gendered. Don't get thrown off by the great video from the premiere. This opera can be done very simply such as in this version at Amarillo Opera.

Hazel Miner is a new project, a thirty minute work for Northern State University in Aberdeen, SD. The libretto is by Marla Fogderud and is about a terrible snowstorm in 1920. The opera will premiere in April 2025. The demo playlist is here and the perusal score is in the folder. It is much darker than the usual Michael Ching opera. 15-year-old Hazel saves her two younger siblings in a late winter snowstorm in North Dakota.

A Midsummer Night's Dream (2011) was premiered as a completely a cappella opera, but thanks to Towson University, it's available with a small orchestration which keeps everybody in tune. There's still "voicestra" in the pit. All the text is Shakespeare's and, frankly, it's easier to understand than the classic Britten. A great recording is available of the original version. Here's an article about Towson's preparation.

Thrivers is an opera for high school performers about teen depression. Written for the Palm Springs Opera Guild, the subject was suggested by the students themselves.

Dinner 4 3 is a wicked little three-some opera written for Fargo Moorhead Opera. Adult content, although nothing over the top. The original version on idagio is spectacular! Written with Deborah Brevoort.

Leo is a 10 minute opera about a man who is angry with is cat. It was commissioned by the old Texas Opera Theater in the '80s and toured by them, but is still very viable. 

Three Pigs Remix was written for the Opera Memphis touring/outreach quartet. S/A/T/B with piano. Irreverent and amusing. For elementary grades. Toured for two seasons by Fort Worth Opera cause they loved it so much. 

Alice and Anna is actually two one act operas, Alice Ryley and Anna Hunter. They are each about famous women in Savannah. Alice is dark and sad; Anna, light and witty. Commissioned by Savannah Voice Festival and premiered together in 2022.

Slaying the Dragon sounds like a joke set up--a rabbi and his wife make friends with the grand dragon of the KKK. A serious opera, written with Ellen Frankel, that I'd love to see up again. Here's a brief clip.

Birthday Clown is a short opera about a clown who is tired of performing for birthday parties. The guest of honor cheers him up considerably and a drone makes a flying appearance. Written for Savannah Voice Festival.

Corps of Discovery commemorates the Lewis and Clark expedition. There is a grand opera, a smaller version, and a mini version. Written with Hugh Moffatt. Commissioned by the University of Missouri. Here's a sample. 

Eight Woods and a Van is a bio-opera about the American painter Grant Wood and uses a series of his pictures as the inspiration. Commissioned by Cedar Rapids Opera Theater. Here's a sample.

Faith is a one act "science fiction romance" based on a story by James Patrick Kelly. It was actually performed at Worldcon. (You'll be impressed if you know what that is.)

Completing the Picture is a short S/A/T/B opera that celebrates the Chinese who helped complete the Transcontinental Railroad. Written for Utah Opera.

King of the Clouds is an S/A/T/B Piano opera about social issues for teen audiences. Commissioned in the 90s by Dayton Opera. Still very viable! Written with Hugh Moffatt.

Out of the Rain uses some of the same characters as King of the Clouds and was written a few years later. It is about the AIDS epidemic. Clouds and Rain can be done together. Commissioned by OperaDelaware. Also written with Hugh Moffatt. Audio link.

A Royal Feast, is a work in progress. It's a one act sequel to Rossini's La Cenerentola. Written with a team of middle school advisors from Savannah, the opera puts the magic and creatures back in to Cinderella.

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By length and type (some of these operas are listed in more than one category depending on how they are used)

Full length operas:

Corps of Discovery, Alice and Anna (see one acts), A Midsummer Night's Dream, Notes on Viardot, Speed Dating Tonight! Slaying the Dragon, King of the Clouds and Out of the Rain (see one acts), RSBE

One Act Operas

Faith, Eight Woods and a Van, Thrivers, King of the Clouds, Out of the Rain, Three Pigs Remix, Buoso's Ghost, Alice Ryley, Anna Hunter, Speed Dating Tonight!, A Royal Feast, RSBE, Hazel Miner

Flexibly structured operas "New numbers opera"

Speed Dating Tonight!, RSBE

In between

Birthday Clown

Minioperas

Leo, Dinner 4 3, Completing the Picture

School shows--all shows except A Royal Feast are S/A/T/B piano. Feast is larger. Thrivers is for teen performers

Three Pigs Remix, King of the Clouds, Out of the Rain, Completing the Picture, A Royal Feast, Thrivers

Finale to ALL DRESSED UP

 

Here's the finale to L'arietta Production's ALL DRESSED UP (No Place to Go). It was the only ensemble in the set of nine. You can see their entire series now. These pieces are now integrated into SPEED DATING TONIGHT! as options 76-82. When SpDT! gets to a hundred options, I'm going to stop. 

Everybody can (and should) write music and words

Although I love collaborating with professional writers, I also like to work with untrained folks. In Memphis I the opportunity to write songs with students, teachers, and even a group of adult offenders. This is an example from 2003, written with a group of elementary students from Orange Center Elementary

I miss my family

I miss my mother

I miss my home in Mississippi

I love my brothers

I love my sisters

I lost my home in Mississippi

Grandma's got her teeth in a jar

Uncle's looking up at the stars

Grandma's in the garden picking roses

My sister's folding up the clothes

Baby brother's saving souls

Everybody's having family dinner.

Here's an link to audio. You can feel the nostalgia, and the uprooted hurt in this.

Untrained writers take you to unexpected places. They say what they feel, and don't default to rhyme. The challenge is they don't always understand the need for tight forms, especially in songs. I need to keep a wild, untrained spot in my own writing, lest it become too predictable. 

For the writers, it's exciting and empowering. I remember the teachers I worked with at the Memphis Arts Council's summer institute. Whenever we saw each other we'd be able to sing the things we collaborated on. It was a special bond. 

I've been in Iowa a good while now and I'm starting to reach out to a group of non-professional creators to see what can be accomplished. 

Alice review

Here's a link to a review of ALICE RYLEY from last week. The good news is that Savannah VOICE Festival will remount it in August during their annual festival.

Who threw kleenex through my window?

We are in the final rehearsals for SLAYING THE DRAGON before we reach the theater. Here Ava (Jennifer Braun) and Giet Long (David Koh) are expressing their angst over tissue boxes and bananas thrown through their window. (In the show they are hate messages wrapping a brick.) Vera Goodman (Teresa Eickel) looks on.

Staged Workshop

There is nothing like a staged workshop in order to tell if something works. Standing with a score in hand makes everything seem like an oratorio, lecture, or sermon. In one week, the Center City Opera singers managed to put DRAGON on its feet. The workshop was staged by Leland Kimball, OperaDelaware's General Director. Lee will direct the piece in June. Jason Switzer, who will sing the leading baritone role, made a quick study. It was encouraging to have the show come to life (honestly, some of it had gotten a bit boring) and for some of it to be very emotional.  Time for gathering a few opinions for some small changes and then on to orchestration.     

On its feet at last

After a libretto reading and two music workshops, SLAYING THE DRAGON will at last be on its feet this weekend in Wilmington and PhIladelphia. Some of the scenes, frankly, were starting to go stale without staging. Others truly benefited from the extensive workshops. Although everything flows very well, there are always things to fix. The presentations are 8pm Saturday in Wilmington at OperaDelaware and 2pm Sunday at the Prince Music Theater's Black box.

Workshop progress

It's been an extremely productive few days in Philly. Because the singers at Crnter City Opera are so used to workshops and readings, they aren't afraid to make helpful suggestions.