In October of 2019, composer Lisa DeSpain and I won the Opera Kansas Zepick Modern Opera Competition with our proposal for Staggerwing. The timeline for a September 2020 premiere seemed tight back then, but as we now know, a global pandemic had other plans. We’ve been eagerly anticipating the day we could finally share it with the world, and now it’s officially in motion! You can join us in Wichita in person or elsewhere online on July 30th through August 1st.

Here is a synopsis:

Staggerwing, a new chamber opera by Lisa DeSpain and Rachel J. Peters, dramatizes the historic flight of Louise Thaden and her co-pilot, Blanche Noyes, as they compete in the grueling transcontinental 1936 Bendix Trophy Race; the first year the prestigious aviation competition allowed all-female teams to compete. The Bendix was fraught with danger as competitors pushed the boundaries of aeronautics. Intercut between the intense intimacy and confinement of the plane and expansive episodes of the women’s pasts and crucial events leading up to the race, we witness Louise and Blanche navigating the physical risks of their flight, work, personal tragedies and the sexism of a male-dominated field, emerging victorious. Lisa DeSpain’s score is inspired by the territory jazz bands of the 1930s with their unique blend of the blues, syncopated jazz, and the great Tin Pan Alley composers of the era.

You can find further details here and more publicity events to come in my Events Calendar in the days ahead. Can’t join us in person? The opening night performance will be streamed; you can buy your ticket here to watch from anywhere in the world. Thank you so much to everyone at Opera Kansas and the Kansas Aviation Museum for your tireless efforts to make sure our Staggerwing Model C-17 finally gets off the ground! We can’t wait to board our own (more technologically advanced and safer) flights to Wichita to see you all next month!