Triangle • opera vignette (2017)

for soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, flute/piccolo, clarinet/bass clarinet, percussion, piano, 2 violins, viola, and cello Based on a play by Jane Martin Commissioned by Boston Opera Collaborative FP: Nov. 2017, Cambridge MA Presented in partnership with Boston New Music Initiative
Tian Hui Ng, conductor; Brendon Shapiro, music director; Greg Smucker, stage director
Cast: Celeste Godin; Sirgourney Tanner; Fran Rogers Duration: 15 minutes
Watch Highlights on Vimeo Watch Complete Performance on Vimeo Program Note: Love triangles are never easy, but Joyce isn’t concerned. She knows exactly how to handle the situation. When she learns the “other woman” is a goddess, she begins to unravel. How can she compete with that? Preview Perusal Score

No More in Darkness • voice, violin/viola, and piano (2017)

Meditations on the life of Alexandra David-Neel Poetry by Corinne Elysse Adams for Ensemble Scorrevole: Amber Evans, soprano; Dudley Raine IV, viola; Brian Daurelle, piano
FP: Jul. 2017, Cortona Sessions for New Music, Tuscany, Italy Duration: 10 minutes Listen to excerpts on SoundCloud Version A: voice, viola, and piano Version B: voice, violin, and piano *** All versions include ossia passages for soprano or mezzo. Soprano Range: B-flat 3 – C6 Mezzo Range: G-flat 3 – A5 Program Note: Alexandra David-Neel (1868–1969) was a conservatory-trained soprano in her youth. She sang La Traviata, Lakmé, Carmen, and Thaïs. But the life of a socialite wasn't enough for her. She longed for something more. She searched for it—in India, China, and Tibet—and wrote books recording her adventures. She is best known for her daring journey to Lhasa over the Trans-Himalayas in midwinter 1924. She disguised herself as a beggar and her adopted son, Lama Yongden, accompanied her. David-Neel became the first European woman to reach Tibet’s forbidden capital. She remains the most accurate source on Buddhist practices of a nearly-vanished world.

Love's Astronomy • voice and piano (2018)

Poetry by Jeffery Beam

FP: Jan 2020, Lafayette CA

Ann Moss, sop.; Steven Bailey, pno.

Recorded by Michelle Murray Fiertek, sop.; Michael Korman, pno.

Album available through Albany Records

Duration: 3.5 minutes

View the Score

Listen on Spotify

She's Fabulous • opera vignette (2016)

for soprano, mezzo-soprano, and piano Based on a play by Jack Neary
Commissioned by Boston Opera Collaborative
Longy School of Music of Bard College FP: Nov. 2016, Cambridge MA Duration: 12 minutes Audio on SoundCloud Program Note: During intermission, two divas exchange critiques of the performance. Both had auditioned for the opera, but their dear friend (and greatest rival) landed the lead role. After a moment of polite hesitation, they unleash their uncensored opinions. Preview Perusal Score

More Beautiful Than Night • tenor and piano (2016)

Poetry by Frank O'Hara Commissioned by tenor, Roy Hage
Duration: 20 minutes
Audio on SoundCloud I. Liebeslied is a flirtatious romp that O'Hara described as one of his "few attempts to ever write a popular song." II. Lebnaan is translated into conversational Lebanese (rather than Modern Standard Arabic, typically used for poetry and literature) to reflect O'Hara's conversational style. There aren’t enough gay love songs in Arabic—Lebnaan is my contribution. III. Song: Is It Dirty? is an "homage to Gotham’s grit." IV. To You holds a special place in my heart. It is candlelight and shadows. Fragile and intimate. Cosmic and expansive. It is dedicated to my husband, Aaron.

Les Bouteilles de la Table Ronde • solo mezzo-soprano (2015)

an epic surrealist drinking song for women

Another Weeping Woman • soprano and piano (2012)

​​​​​​Poetry by Wallace Stevens FP: Apr. 2012, Philadelphia, PA Jessica Lennick, sop.; Tim Ribchester, pno. Duration: 13 minutes Audio on YouTube

Time in Eternity • soprano and guitar (2011)

Poetry by Christina Rossetti FP: Nov. 2011, Philadelphia, PA Margot Rood, sop.; Thomas Schuttenhelm, gtr.
Duration: 13 minutes Excerpts on YouTube

War Wedding • tenor/baritone and piano (2011)

Commissioned by Justin Vickers, tenor Poetry by Alun Lewis
FP: Philly Fringe Festival, Sept. 2011, Philadelphia, PA
Duration: 25 minutes Excerpts on Vimeo

The Curious Habit of Madre Usimbalda • opera vignette (2010)

for soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, baritone, and women’s chorus, with flute/piccolo/alto flute, clarinet/bass clarinet, piano, percussion, violin/viola, and cello Commissioned by the American Composers Forum, Philadelphia Chapter Libretto by Karen Saillant
FP: International Opera Theater, Nov. 2010, Philadelphia, PA
Duration: 25 minutes

Theocritus: A Villanelle • soprano and Max/MSP live electronics (2009)

Poetry by Oscar Wilde
FP: May 2009, Cambridge, MA Duration: 8 minutes *this work is not available for purchase or rental*

Dream Sequences I and II from Maya Awake (2008)

Libretto by Jason Lahman Dream Sequence II
for coloratura soprano and mezzo-soprano, with flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, trumpet, trombone, piano, violins, viola, cello, and double bass
FP: Dec. 2007, Cambridge, MA
Duration: 11 minutes Dream Sequence II
for two sopranos and mezzo-soprano, with flute, clarinet, horn, harp, piano, percussion, violin, viola and cello
FP: Aug. 2008, Brevard, NC
Duration: 10 minutes

The Lamb • soprano and cello | The Tyger • mezzo-soprano and piano (2008)

Poetry by William Blake FP: Jul. 2008, Brevard NC
Duration: 9 minutes

Ballad of Birmingham • soprano and piano (2007)

Poetry by Dudley Randall FP: Mar. 2008, Cambridge MA Duration: 6 minutes

Unclasped • soprano and orchestra (2013)

Libretto by Jason Lahman and Tony Solitro [2(II=picc.)2(II=corA)2(I=Ebcl,II=bcl)2+2sax/2220/timp.2perc.pno.sop/strings] Duration: 25 minutes Excerpts on Vimeo

Automata • baritone, soprano, violin, cello, and fixed media (2012)

Commissioned by Network for New Music & Annenberg Center for Performing Arts Poetry by Randall C. Couch and Lily Kass (based on E.T.A. Hoffmann) FP: Oct. 2012, Philadelphia, PA

Brian M. Chu, bar.; Sarah J. Davis, sop.; Hirono Oka, vln.; Michal Schmidt, vcl.; Tony Solitro, cond.

A Case of Anxiety • opera vignette (2018)

for soprano, tenor, bass-baritone, dancer, small satb chorus, clarinet/bass clarinet, percussion, piano, violin, viola, and cello Libretto by Mark Harvey Levine Watch an excerpt on Vimeo Commissioned by Boston Opera Collaborative FP: Cambridge MA, Oct. 26–28 2018 Cast: Celeste Godin; Ethan DePuy; Andrew Miller Daniel Ryan, conductor; Katie Barr, music director; Greg Smucker, stage director Duration: 15 minutes Program Note: Robert here—and I'm prepared for danger! Yes, I've planned for every likely scenario that could possibly kill me ... come to think of it, I've also planned for many unlikely hazards, too (can never be too careful—y'know what I'm sayin?) ... but how many times will I die before I finally decide to live? (Deep, CLEANSING breaths, Robert!) I might have a nervous breakdown just thinking about it.

Same-Heart Knot • tenor and guitar/piano (2018)

Commissioned by Justin Vickers, ten. Ancient texts by Chinese poets, translated by Arthur Waley. Version A: tenor and guitar Version B: tenor and piano Duration: 13 minutes FP: TBA, with Justin Vickers, ten. and Thomas Schuttenhelm, gtr.

Burial • opera vignette (2019)

Libretto by Paisley Rekdal for soprano, mezzo, tenor, baritone, clarinet/bass clarinet, violin, cello, and piano Commissioned by Utah Opera in commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Transcontinental Railroad. Read more about the commissioning project.
FP: May 20–22, 2019 Omer Ben Seadia, director & dramaturg Carol Anderson, music director & conductor
Cast: Grace Kahl, Melanie Ashkar, Addison Marlor, Louis Ong

A Stone Falling • soprano and piano (2020)

Poetry by Jeffery Beam [5’]

Video Release: November 20, 2020

First Glimpse 2020 – The American Opera Project

Justine Aronson, sop.; Kelly Horsted, pno.

Program Note: On his quest for the inexpressible, invisible ground of Being, poet Jeffery Beam often follows the guidance of animate things. But what if he were to ask something inanimate—a stone, for example—about the mysteries of existence? What could a stone know of intimacy, imagination, dreams, bravery, contradictions, self-realization, and celebration of Being? What wisdom might a stone reveal about our purpose on earth?

Apostrophe • baritone and piano (2019)

Poetry by Jeffery Beam [4.5’]

First Performance: Dec. 2019, Brooklyn NY

Mario Diaz-Moresco, bar.; Matthew Stephens, pno.

The Flaming Light • bass-baritone and piano (2020)

Libretto by Jonathan Douglass [5’]

Video Release: November 20, 2020

First Glimpse 2020 – The American Opera Project

Brandon Coleman, bass-bar.; Lisa Edwards, pno.

Program Note: The African sorcerer Zolomon was once sweet, but that was many centuries ago. People on the isle of Meleneia hated sweet things, so they banished him to the cliffside beyond the forest. Now he lives in exile, whispering and watching. His eyes shine like ice as his mouth sends rivers of hexes down on the villagers who rejected him. Renouncing sweet things, his fury twists into an unbreakable web that chokes life from the land.

In this aria, Zolomon recalls the day he was burned by a mysterious star that fell from the sky and destroyed his forest. He was drawn, afraid and mesmerized, toward the flaming light. When Zolomon laid eyes on it, he experienced love for the first time in his life.

X-mas • tenor and piano (2020)

Libretto by Amanda Hollander [5’]

First Performance: Feb. 2020, Brooklyn NY

Timothy Stoddard, ten.; Mila Henry, pno.

Revolution Begins in the Bedroom • mezzo and piano (2020)

“Revolution Begins in the Bedroom” [4.5’]

Victoria’s opening aria of Mrs. Satan and the Nasty Woman, an opera-in-progress by librettist Alice Eve Cohen and composer Tony Solitro, adapted from Cohen's play.

Produced and recorded by The American Opera Project as part of their video tour, Working Women: Songs of Suffering and Suffrage, commemorating the women's suffrage centennial in the U.S. The video by filmmaker Lesley Steele features mezzo-soprano Eve Gigliotti with music director and pianist Mila Henry.

AOP OnDemand | Video Rentals and Purchases

November 4, 1872. It’s the day before the election. The Town Hall, NYC. Victoria Woodhull, the first woman to run for president, delivers an impassioned speech on free love and equal rights to a standing-room crowd of her supporters. She hears a hostile mob outside chanting “Lock her up!” Refusing to be silenced, Victoria is arrested and jailed for indecency.

Almost erased from the history books, Woodhull was a suffrage fighter, radical activist, stockbroker, clairvoyant, and free love advocate. Once hailed by Susan B. Anthony as “the new leader of our fight for Suffrage,” Woodhull fell out of favor with suffrage leaders when she had the audacity to run for president. She was jailed right before the 1872 election.

Opera Premise:

November 7, 2016. It’s the eve of another historic election. Hillary Clinton is having a hard time sleeping. Her mind is racing. Insomnia rules. She wakes up in Ludlow Street Jail circa 1872, sharing a cell with Victoria Woodhull.

Will Hillary be radicalized by Victoria’s foresight and revolutionary politics? Based on Alice Eve Cohen’s play Mrs. Satan and the Nasty Woman, the opera examines two women's roles in the long path to a woman President.

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The Purple Frog • soprano and piano (2020)

Libretto by John de los Santos [7’]

Video: First Glimpse 2020 – The American Opera Project

Jasmine Muhammad, sop.; Mila Henry, pno.

Note: Miss Alden leads her first-graders through a lesson on identifying types of nouns. When the class-clown expresses his frustration, she realizes why he's been so disruptive. She ditches her lesson plan and takes an impromptu detour that enchants and inspires her students.

Heroes and Beasts • cello and chamber orchestra (2014)

[11(=corA)1(=bcl)1/2000/timp+2perc/strings] FP: Aug. 2014, Manhattan, NY
Branson Yeast, vcl.; David Leibowitz, cond.; Litha Symphony Orchestra
Duration: 13 minutes
Excerpt on SoundCloud

Unclasped • soprano and orchestra (2013)

Libretto by Jason Lahman and Tony Solitro [2(II=picc.)2(II=corA)2(I=Ebcl,II=bcl)2+2sax/2220/timp.2perc.pno.sop/strings] Duration: 25 minutes Excerpts on Vimeo

Hybris • orchestra (2009)

[2(II=picc)222/4231/timp.2perc.hp.pno(=cel)/strings] Duration: 10 minutes Excerpt on SoundCloud

Araby • tenor and orchestra (2007)

Libretto adapted by composer from James Joyce [1111/1110/2perc-pno/strings] Duration: 10 minutes

Breaking Point • mixed octet (2017)

for oboe, two clarinets, two saxophones (soprano/alto), violin, cello, and piano Alexis Mitchell, ob; David Angelo & Garrett White, cls; Om Srivastava & Geoffrey Deibel, saxs; Flora Campbell-Tiech, vln; Matti Brister, vcl; Matthew Umphreys, pno; Karl Hirzer, cond. Premiere: Jul. 2017, Cortona Sessions for New Music, Tuscany, Italy

living—despite | living—against • mixed quintet (2018)

for bass clarinet, bassoon, viola, cello, and percussion Commissioned by Julian Tello Jr., viola

Shadow Confrontations • string quintet (2015)

for two violins, viola, cello, and double bass Commissioned by Joseph Conyers, double bass
Duration: 15 minutes Audio on SoundCloud

Automata • baritone, soprano, violin, cello, and fixed media (2012)

Commissioned by Network for New Music & Annenberg Center for Performing Arts Poetry by Randall C. Couch and Lily Kass (based on E.T.A. Hoffmann) FP: Oct. 2012, Philadelphia, PA

Brian M. Chu, bar.; Sarah J. Davis, sop.; Hirono Oka, vln.; Michal Schmidt, vcl.; Tony Solitro, cond.

Spectra of Morning • solo magnetic resonating piano (2011)

FP: Apr. 2011, Philadelphia, PA Duration: 9 minutes Video on YouTube The magnetic resonator piano (MRP)—developed by Andrew McPherson—is a hybrid acoustic-electronic instrument augmenting the grand piano. By using electromagnets to induce the strings to vibration, the MRP allows the performer to continuously shape the sound of every note.

Atropine • percussion and electronic sound (2011)

Commissioned by Melanie Voytovich FP: Apr. 2011, Slee Hall, University of Buffalo Duration: 4.5 minutes

Passages • alto flute, violin, and cello (2010)

Commissioned and premiered by Network for New Music FP: Nov. 2010, Philadelphia, PA Edward Schultz, a.fl.; Marc Rovetti, vln.; John Koen, vcl.
Duration: 6 minutes *this work is not available for purchase or rental*

Neda • three double basses (2010)

FP: May 2010, Philadelphia, PA

Michael Rittling, Adam Cobb, & Allison Cook

Hindsight • flute, clarinet, cello, and piano (2009)

FP: Nov. 2009, Philadelphia PA

Masha Popova, fl.; Kelly Coyle, cl.; Natalie Helm, vcl.; Lio Kuokman, pno.

Interplay • baritone saxophone, bassoon, and trombone (2009)

Commissioned by Dennis Shafer, sax. FP: March 25, 2009, Cambridge, MA Dennis Shafer, sax.; Carols Arias, bsn.; Gil Cruz, tbn.
Duration: 9 minutes

There Is a Realm • string quartet (2008)

two violins, viola, and cello FP: Nov. 2008, Cambridge MA Olga Kradenova & Olga Patramanskaya, vlns.; Jacqueline Kilzer, vla.; Rob Bradshaw, vcl.
Duration: 11 minutes
Excerpt on SoundCloud

Lament for Lebanon • flute, clarinet, two violins, viola, and cello (2007)

Winner of the Longitude New Music Ensemble’s Commissioning Project FP: Feb. 2008, Cambridge MA

Ashley Addington, fl.; Yhasmin Valenzuela, cl.; Olga Kradenova & Sarah Jacques, vlns.; Kirsten Swanson, vla.; Anna Cho Walker, vcl.

Hymns & Carols of Christmas • for cello and piano (2018)

Commissioned by Sorella Duo: Natalie & Rebecca Helm I. O Holy Night II. O Little Town of Bethlehem III. Angels We Have Heard on High Purchase the album on CD Baby or iTunes. Preview arrangements on Spotify.

sharp horizons—gentle plains • clarinet, violin, and piano (2019)

Duration: 7 minutes Watch Video on YouTube Listen to Audio on SoundCloud

Canción Exaltada | to Julia de Burgos • pierrot + (2019)

for flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, & percussion Commissioned by the Massachusetts International Festival of the Arts
FP: Holyoke MA, Jun. 2019
Ng Tian Hui & the Victory Players

Love's Astronomy II • clarinet and harp (2019)

Premiere: NMF Kamermuziekfestival bij Natuurmonumenten Kluis op de Schaesberg, Valkenburg Netherlands | Apr. 7 2019 Duo Sueño Espectral: AnnaMarie Ignarro & Bob Heuvelmans Duration: 3.5 minutes

No More in Darkness • voice, violin/viola, and piano (2017)

Meditations on the life of Alexandra David-Neel Poetry by Corinne Elysse Adams for Ensemble Scorrevole: Amber Evans, soprano; Dudley Raine IV, viola; Brian Daurelle, piano
FP: Jul. 2017, Cortona Sessions for New Music, Tuscany, Italy Duration: 10 minutes Listen to excerpts on SoundCloud Version A: voice, viola, and piano Version B: voice, violin, and piano *** All versions include ossia passages for soprano or mezzo. Soprano Range: B-flat 3 – C6 Mezzo Range: G-flat 3 – A5 Program Note: Alexandra David-Neel (1868–1969) was a conservatory-trained soprano in her youth. She sang La Traviata, Lakmé, Carmen, and Thaïs. But the life of a socialite wasn't enough for her. She longed for something more. She searched for it—in India, China, and Tibet—and wrote books recording her adventures. She is best known for her daring journey to Lhasa over the Trans-Himalayas in midwinter 1924. She disguised herself as a beggar and her adopted son, Lama Yongden, accompanied her. David-Neel became the first European woman to reach Tibet’s forbidden capital. She remains the most accurate source on Buddhist practices of a nearly-vanished world.