The Scarlet Letter at Wichita State University April 8-9, 2022

Wichita State University Opera Theater, under the direction of Alan Held, along with The Wichita State University Orchestra, conducted by Dr. Mark Laycock, will present the Kansas premiere of The Scarlet Letter, my opera with David Mason on April 8-9, 2022. The opera is based on the classic tale by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

The opera was commissioned in 2007 by The University of Central Arkansas, who premiered it in 2008. After extensive revisions, Opera Colorado presented the professional premiere in 2016, and the subsequent Naxos release received critical acclaim. It was named one of the top 5 CDs of 2018 by Fanfare Magazine, a Critic's Choice by Opera News, and Gramophone wrote: The first thing that leaps into one's ears is the sheer beauty of the music. Laitman has devoted much of her career to the art song, and her ability to meld words with lyrical, often soaring lines is on abundant display in her opera. 

For more information about the Wichita production, please click here.

For more information about the opera itself, please email lori@artsongs.com.