Pellicciotti Opera Prize 2018 Finalists

I am proud to announce that librettist Leah Lax and I are one of the four finalist teams for the 2018 Domenic J. Pellicciotti Opera Composition Prize. Leah Lax is adapting her moving memoir "Uncovered: How I Left Hasidic Life and Finally Came Home."

Other finalists include composer Patrick Soluri and librettist Deborah Brevoort; composer and librettist Tom Cipullo; and composer Anthony Davis and librettist Joan Ross Sorkin. For more information about the prize, please click here.

To purchase Leah's memoir, please click here.

Unsung - A Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Centennial Commission

Unsung, for orchestra, was commissioned in late 2015 by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra with Marin Alsop, Music Director — as one of ten Centennial Celebration Commissions. The commissions celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.

Further information about the commission will be forthcoming.

The premiere dates are September 29, 2016, 8 pm at Strathmore Hall in N.Bethesda, MD

September 30, 2016 at 8 pm at the Meyerhoff Concert Hall in Baltimore, MD and

October 1, 2016 at 8 pm, also at the Meyerhoff.

To purchase tickets, please click here.

Expanded Orchestration for The Scarlet Letter

I have added additional winds and one horn to the orchestration for The Scarlet Letter, allowing for a larger and darker range of sound.

The new orchestration is as follows:

2 Flutes/Piccolo

2 Oboes/English Horn

2 Clarinets in B flat/Bass Clarinet

2 Bassoons

2 Horns in F

Trumpet in C

Trombone

Timpani: 5 (20, 23, 26, 29, 32)

Percussion: Bass Drum, Chimes (high and low Eb), Cymbals — medium suspended (brushes, mallets, sticks), Finger Cymbals, Gong, Snare Drum, Tambourine and Triangle

Harp

Piano/Celesta

Voices (solo and chorus)

Violins 1 & 2 (8,8) Viola (6) Violoncello (4) Double Bass (2)

The characters and choruses remain the same, except I am customizing Hester's lines for coloratura Laura Claycomb.

LEADING ROLES

Hester Prynne, a seamstress: soprano

Arthur Dimmesdale, a young minister: tenor

Roger Chillingworth, a doctor: baritone

MINOR ROLES

Mistress Hibbons, a witch: mezzo-soprano

John Wilson, an elder minister: tenor

Governor Bellingham: baritone

Pearl, Hester's young daughter: non-speaking actor

CHORUS (SATB) Minimum 8

The Chorus Includes:

A Sailor (Baritone)

A Farmer (Tenor)

A Shipmaster (Baritone)

3 Goodwives (2 Sopranos, 1 Mezzo-soprano)

The Beadle (Baritone)

As needed, assorted Indians and townsfolk

These secondary roles can be cast from the chorus.

The Scarlet Letter to feature soprano Laura Claycomb as Hester Prynne

The Scarlet Letter will feature soprano Laura Claycomb as Hester Prynne in her Opera Colorado debut. Claycomb is stepping in for soprano Elizabeth Futral, who had to withdraw from the production due to personal health reasons. To read the official press release, please click here.

To learn more about Laura Claycomb, please click here.

My first "Letter" Song commissioned by Lyric Fest of Philadelphia

Lyric Fest commissioned my first "Letter" song for its newest commission project, "Sincerely Yours — Letters Set to Music".

I spent several months trying to find the perfect letter to serve as the basis for my song, finally settling upon one written by Mike Gioia, who is the son of my frequent collaborator, Dana Gioia. Mike had written this missive several years ago, as part of his application to Stanford University. Mike's sense of humor, language and evocative descriptions made this letter perfect for song.

I composed "Dear Future Roommate" in July 2015. Baritone Keith Phares and pianist Laura Ward will premiere the work on these two concerts:

April 2, 2016 at Haverford College at 8 pm

April 3, 2016 at The Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia at 3 pm

Other commissioned composers include composers Benjamin C.S. Boyle, John Conahan, Thomas Lloyd, Abbie Betinis, Daron Hagen, and Logan Skelton. Other performers include soprano Kelly Ann Bixby, tenor Andrew Fuchs and mezzo-soprano Katy Pracht.

For more information, please click here and here.

Hope to see you there!