FWO Salon Podcast + Other Things + Stuff
It may appear from this blog as though I’ve done absolutely nothing for the past several months, but do not be fooled! In fact, I have been so overwhelmed with projects that I actually experienced some pretty scary prolonged burnout. But I believe I am finally bouncing back, thank goodness. (And tomorrow I’m getting my second vaccine shot—huzzah!)
I’m extremely itchy to disclose a lot more about what’s been occupying my time, because it’s all very exciting news. But alas, I must await more official announcements; I’d rather be able to direct you to further project details, ticket info, etc. I can’t believe I drafted a blog post in November about an opera in the works, and I haven’t been able to release it yet—argh! But I’m a gotdamn professional, and as such, I’ll just have to wait a bit longer. That said, here are various and sundry things I can share at this moment:
Most immediately, I had the pleasure of chatting with Fort Worth Opera’s intrepid Artistic Director, Joe Illick, and other like-minded composer/librettists on the subject of being sole creator of new works on FWO’s second-ever Salon podcast episode, and it is now available! Click on the video below to enjoy, like, subscribe, yadda yadda. (And see if you can catch my unintentional recurring reference to The Muppets Take Manhattan. I may be a gotdamn professional, but I guess that doesn’t mean I’m a mature adult. Ah well.)
Also, OPERA America has re-launched their #meetopera campaign to reflect the ways in which opera has managed to grow and flourish despite the pressures on the cultural world since the pandemic, etc. While there’s undoubtedly a lot that’s confusing and frustrating about the state of American opera, I was recently on a panel reviewing a lot of applications, and I have to say: if we can just get adequate resources into the right hands, its future will be incredibly poignant, funny, weird, moving, crucially varied, and bright. Admittedly, even more so than I’d suspected. So I’m happy to lend a hand in getting the word out. That overview video is below as well, and you can follow the #meetopera hashtag on all social media platforms to keep up with everything opera companies, writers, performances, designers, and all participants are up to on a minute-by-minute basis.
Meanwhile, The Dramatists Guild has invited me to serve on its Opera Committee, working alongside many titans of American theatre to advocate for fair and equitable working circumstances for writers of new opera. On this page is a video with an overview of the Committee’s goals for the rest of this year and beyond. I am very proud to roll up my sleeves with this distinguished cohort.
What else is coming? Here are some fuzzy teasers what’s currently going on behind the curtain, with fuller descriptions, links, etc. coming later as promised:
—The aforementioned short virtual opera co-written with Lisa DeSpain, which I did mention in the last post. The orchestrations are insanely good, and I can’t wait to hear it all come together;
—The aforementioned project with Danielle Durchslag, which is now a short film musical-in-progress called Good Shabbos;
—A feminist song cycle for an lovely, incredibly accomplished soprano, which is set to premiere in the fall;
—An absolutely bonkers group project to be released on a cool new digital platform;
—A new endeavor starring one of my very favorite singers in the whole universe. I did not see this one coming at all, and it is definitely wish fulfillment of the highest order!
…And, if you would rather not wait another four months to learn more (as I’m obviously not an avid blogger), you are always welcome to follow me on social media, of course. For now, though, back to work!