New Commission: Lyric Opera of Kansas City
And here is that other announcement I’d promised (spread with permission) in advance of a formal press release:
I have begun working on a new children’s opera (music and libretto) for Lyric Opera of Kansas City’s Opera Unlocked educational initiative. After a very joyful but exhausting few weeks tossing around about 25-30 different ideas and writing several treatments, they chose something I don’t think anyone saw coming!
Last summer, my old pal Bill Folman emailed me a children’s story he had written called Life is a Jar of Paint, just to see what I thought. It is spare and simple in its language, evocative and moving, imbued with Bill’s compassion and humor as a teacher and father. This is how he describes the story:
“A child questions the meaning of life after the death of his grandmother. The only answer that satisfies him comes from his artist aunt, whose explanation helps to give him a new perspective and purpose. This poignant rhyming tale teaches that life is not just about painting your own story, but about the way you color the lives of others.”
I wasn’t sure how the story could translate into an opera (and neither did Bill), but I was so fond of it that I shared it with LOKC anyway, and out of all the options, it ended up the favorite. They’ve asked me to reimagine it with Aunt Leeza as a composer rather than a painter, which presents both unique challenges and potential for beauty. Since it’s not about paint anymore, I’m still searching for a new title, but I’ll find it soon and add it here accordingly. Until then, I’m having great fun (which sounds weird to say since it starts out so sad and existential) tinkering away on the libretto.
Bill and I have been friends from our college days onward through many phases of our lives as multifaceted artists (playwright and actress, director and musical director, singer and composer, to name just a few) and as people finding our way on the planet. These include but are not limited to sharing an apartment in Somerville above a bar that played “Hotel California” at 2:00 a.m. for closing every night. (Below are some questionable gems from that era.) Given that he really has the goods on me, I’m all the more impressed that he trusted me with this beautiful story. Someone needs to publish his book post-haste! It’s been a joy to be in touch with him regularly during this process, and I look forward to reuniting with Bill in Kansas City when the opera tours to area schools this fall. More information will be available from the proper channels in the summer, so stay tuned!
Halloween 1999. He dressed as Twelve Angry Men; my costume was all of Sondheim’s musicals.
Bill drew this cartoon of me forever ago. Not worth explaining here!