National Opera Association

Posted on Sunday, October 26, 2008

My opera A Bird in Your Ear has just been selected as one of three finalists of the National Opera Association's Chamber Opera Competition. Extracts the opera will be performed at NOA workshops in Arlington, Virginia in January, and one of the three finalists will go on to a full production the following year.

A Bird in Your Ear is a 60 minute opera with a fantastic libretto by Alasdair Middleton (whose work includes Jonathon Dove's Pinnochio, soon to have a new production at Minnesota Opera). It was commissioned at Dawn Upshaw's behest by Bard College, NY, for the inaugural production by Upshaw's students on the Graduate Vocal Arts Course at Bard. The forces used are manageable for a small opera company or university establishment (Bard draughted in a few extra instrumentalists, but the vast majority of the orchestra were undergrads, and the choir was non-music majors, so would be manageable by any amateur choir). The 8 solo parts (5 sop, mez, ten, bar) are more challenging but have a range of vocal styles and each singer is given a moment to shine in performance.

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