FSOO Creator Spotlight: Rain Nox

Introducing the 5th Annual Fresh Squeezed Ounce of Opera showcase winner Rain Nox, creator of the micro-opera The Stranger, in its World Premiere. You may remember Rain’s short opera Problems (2017) from the 2nd Annual FSOO.

FSOO 2020 admission and info here.

Performing and producing new works by living composers and librettists offers artists the opportunity for real-time communication. After spending time with the scores and their characters, cast members Cristina Flores, Andy Fleming, Dana Lewis, and Jake Jacobsen had these questions for the creator:

Delilah seems to be torn between wanting Melanie to be happy and thinking her new beau is a douchebag. Is this because she and Frampton think Melanie has an unhealthy pattern of prioritizing mediocre guys she dates, or because Frampton is possessive of Melanie and Delilah is easily manipulated because of her people pleasing nature? Is it more that Guy is mediocre or that the pets have a jealousy complex? I feel like they are going to try and terrorize anyone who might threaten to take away Melanie’s attention.

Rain Nox (RN): I’d like to leave the interpretation up to the audience and performers, but I will say Delilah is the more naïve of the two, so when faced with the negative outcomes Frampton suggests that makes her rethink her position. I have an awesome cat named Chance, and although he’s not quite a Frampton, he can be possessive, but I like to think he wants me to be happy. Even though he never wants me to work on music…

Melanie is written as such a three dimensional character. We get to know her so well within a short period of time. What is your process for creating and developing such vivid and rich characters?

Rain Nox

RN: I’m glad you feel that way! I always just knew who Melanie was from the very beginning of the project. I knew she was confident, caring, intelligent, and comfortable with her sexuality, but also struggling with societal expectations of not “having it all” because she doesn’t have a spouse and kids. I tried to use multiple methods of revealing her to the audience (having the animals talk about her, having her talk about herself, and allowing the audience to observe her interactions with the animals and Guy).

The act of taking an idea and following through to create a finished product is no easy task, especially with such a brilliant finished product like this micro opera! How do you stay committed and motivated to take action and write until you complete an entire piece like The Stranger

RN: Since I actually came up with the idea about a year and a half ago but didn’t write it until just before the submittal due date I’m probably not the best person to talk about this. I would say I am very deadline motivated. But there is a certain amount of in the background preparation that happens between when I come up with an idea and when I actually put pen to paper that is indispensable so I try to not be too hard on myself and accept that it is part of my process. Also, an opportunity for a performance by such a great group as One Ounce Opera is highly motivating!

The Stranger is written in movements, 6 in total. They seamlessly weave from one into the other to tell the story, yet each is its own moment. Why did you choose to write this micro opera in movements and how did composing and writing this way inform your creative process?

RN: This probably comes from my musical theatre influence, where there tends to be discrete songs with dialogue in between, only in opera the would be dialogue is part of the songs. For The Stranger, I thought a lot about how much stage time each character should have- for instance Guy has the least amount because he’s just “some guy”. I also thought about making the voice combinations (solo, duet, trio, quartet) varied to make it more interesting for the audience.

Watch this preview with the cast of The Stranger!


FSOO Creator Spotlight: Timothy Peterson and Sara Fetherolf

Introducing the 5th Annual Fresh Squeezed Ounce of Opera showcase winners Timothy Peterson and Sara Fetherolf, creators of the micro-opera The Seance, in its Texas Premiere.

Admission and info here.

Performing and producing new works by living composers and librettists offers artists the opportunity for real-time communication. After spending time with the scores and their characters, cast members Carol Brown, Jaimie Lowe, Carmen Johnson, Brian Minnick, and Julius Young had these questions for the creators:

What inspired the libretto? The text is pretty heavy.

Timothy Peterson, composer (TP): When New Opera Works invited Sara and me to compose this scene in 2018 for their showcase of premieres by students at the University of Southern California, we were given the parameter that it take place in one time and place. Sara had the idea of setting the scene as a seance both to satisfy this practical need and allow us to explore themes that interested us, such as our need to name and define things in order to understand and accept them, even when our vocabularies fail us. My first collaboration with Sara was a song cycle inspired by the Greek myth of Philomela, so we also have a shared interest in surreal and fantastic storylines!

Sara Fetherolf

Sara Fetherolf, librettist (SF): I was thinking a lot about the threat of anthropogenic climate change, and how the earth’s landscapes, animals, and peoples have been drastically affected by industrialization and colonization. Science can be both a blessing and a curse when it comes to climate change—scientists have identified the ways human activity is killing the planet, and they are working to mitigate the damage. Real scientists, I think, are full of humility and curiosity. Even so, a lot of the technologies that got us into this mess were a result of a toxic combination of imperialism and scientific hubris. I was interested in exploring these themes in the context of a séance, and to specifically riff on Mr. More’s “man of science” attitude, which I see as connected to his assumption that the dead—many of whom have never gotten to speak before—would behave as he wanted them to. I guess those are some pretty heavy themes!

We definitely feel the characters have a lot of back-story. How long ago the siblings’ mother die? After our first read through the opera, we thought that would be an influence in the plot, although maybe it isn’t. Is there something Mr. More is hoping the Medium — or the Dead — will say?

SF: I thought a lot about this—not because it directly affects the plot, but because I wanted believable and developed characters, even in this short scene. In my head, the backstory was that the More parents died when Katherine (Mrs. Foster) was very young, so she doesn’t remember them much. The Mores are old money, and she was raised by nannies and boarding schools. She’s grown up to be a practical, no-nonsense woman who is not particularly close to her brother. Mr. More, however, was a teenager when his parents died, and the grief of losing them—especially his mother—has made him crave explanations about death and the afterlife. Unfortunately, he thinks he can buy the answer instead of accepting the mystery. I think he wants a séance where he gets all the reassurances he needs from his dead loved ones.

But this is just one possible backstory! Ultimately, I wanted to leave it open enough that the audience and the performers could fill in the characters’ histories and motives for themselves.

Timothy Peterson

Where did the inspiration for the personality of The Dead come from? It seems to be more than just the ghost of an Egyptian woman.

TP: When we think of our relationship to the dead, we often think of our lost loved ones. In the historical seances that inspired our scene, spiritualists were most interested in communicating with the spirits of those whom they knew personally. Sara and I were interested in exploring what it might mean if we viewed death as something that concerns more than humans in the present, especially our loved ones. What if we considered the deaths of strangers from the distant past and honored death as a phenomenon that affects the natural world as well, especially due to harmful human activity? In our scene, the Voice of the Dead represents this more expansive embodiment of death.

SF: Yes to all of that. Death is so much bigger than how we often think about it. It’s a natural process that allows for regeneration and new life, and it’s also an injustice that has been inflicted on people and living things that stand in the way of “human progress.” I imagined the Voice of the Dead as a composite of all the many plants, animals, and people who have died and are desperate to say something about it. They have finally been invited to speak to someone who has never bothered to consider their stories, and so they take the opportunity.

Timothy, we’re curious whose music influences your composition style the most. What composers inspire you?

TP: I’ve always loved the music of 20th-century French composers. Some of the music that I composed for the Voice of the Dead’s character was inspired by Milhaud’s L’Orestie d’Eschyle, especially his setting of Athena’s supernatural voice in harmony distributed among multiple voice parts. Living composers whose vocal music inspires me include Christopher Cerrone, Elliot Cole, Caroline Shaw, and Ellen Reid.

Watch a preview with the cast of Seance below!


5th Annual Call for Short Operas!

NOTE: The 2019-2020 competition is now closed.

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ONE OUNCE OPERA’S 5th ANNUAL CALL FOR SHORT OPERA SUBMISSIONS!

Composers and librettists: We’d like to formally invite you to submit work to our 5th Annual Fresh Squeezed Ounce of Opera Competition. Winning pieces will be produced and performed by One Ounce Opera in Austin, Texas, as part of the first – and only – short opera showcase in the state.

THE 2019-20 COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED.

This will be the 5th annual Fresh Squeezed Ounce of Opera (FSOO) – the premier short opera showcase of Texas. The popular, award-nominated event celebrates new works and contemporary voices.

In addition to having works produced, fully staged, and performed in Austin by a cast of professional singers, One Ounce Opera spotlights each composer/librettist in an informal interview that includes questions from the cast. Each work is highlighted in our newsletter and on social media, and each winner receives a professionally-edited live video and audio recording. At each performance, attending composers/librettists will be acknowledged and awarded a certificate (and some swag).

JOIN THE FACEBOOK EVENT HERE.

See composer spotlights and videos from 2018’s 3rd annual FSOO.

Creator spotlights for 4th Annual FSOO are here. (4th Annual media coming soon!)

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FAQ:

Where can I see the official rules for the FSOO competition? Guidelines appear on the entry form. The application link is live between June 1st- August 1st, 2019. Please review the rules in detail before submitting any work. Works that do not fit within the guidelines will not be considered.*

When are the performances? FSOO will be two weekends in late February/early March 2020. Exact dates will be posted soon.

Where do you stage the shows? One Ounce Opera transforms a raw, flexible artists’ warehouse in East Austin into an unexpected space for opera performance. The vibe is laid back, accessible, and inclusive.

How do I submit my files? On the entry form, you will supply a link to an online folder. We must be able to download the score, libretto, and an mp3 of the work. For accuracy, please convert all text/score files to PDF and all MIDI files to mp3 before sending. Example of what/where to upload and link to: Dropbox folder, Google Drive, YouTube, SoundCloud, other storage methods that can be accessed via link. The required materials are listed on the form. Please note: direct email of materials will not be accepted.

Will you perform my work with orchestra? FSOO performances are with piano only. We will perform from your piano/vocal score, so make sure it’s performance-ready before submitting.

Am I allowed to submit more than one work? YES! As long as each submitted work follows the guidelines of the competition, we welcome multiple entries. Guidelines can be found on the form.

I submitted more than one opera. Could they BOTH be chosen? YES! However, it is highly likely only one would be chosen.

You guys have chosen my work before. Could I enter again this year?  YES. Past winners are welcome to submit new work.

How will I know if my work was chosen? Winning works will be announced via Facebook and a post on this site, and the winners will be notified shortly thereafter. Copies of all parts and any revisions will be due at that time. 

How do I keep up with any new developments in the competition? For the latest details, we strongly suggest following One Ounce Opera on Facebook, and adding yourself to the Facebook event page. We will add you to our FSOO newsletter, as well.

Once again, when exactly is the deadline?  The hard-and-fast deadline for entry into FSOO was 11:59pm on August 1st, 2019. Only complete applications — with all required materials received as requested by the deadline — will be considered.

I have a question not answered here. How do I get in touch? Click here to send us a message about the competition!

*Note: the competition in 2019-20 is for short operas only. Art songs and song cycles are not being reviewed this fiscal year.


FSOO Creator Spotlight - Thomas Whitman and Nathalie Anderson

Introducing the 4th Annual Fresh Squeezed Ounce of Opera showcase winners Thomas Whitman and Nathalie Anderson, creators of the micro-opera Sukey in the Dark, in its Texas Premiere.

Admission and info here. 

Performing and producing new works by living composers and librettists offers artists the opportunity for real-time communication -- something Mozart and Verdi can't offer! After spending time with the scores and their characters, Sukey in the Dark cast members Julia Watkins-Davis (Sukey), Cristina Flores (Chloe), Patricia Combs (Zoe), and Robert LeBas (Eros) had these questions for the creators:

The myth of Cupid and Psyche has resonated with artists for centuries; what compelled you to bring them into the 21st century?

What drew us to this story in the era of internet seductions, clandestine bigamy, and s&m posturing was the idea that a woman might never see her lover’s face -- might agree never to see him truly -- and not realize the peculiarity of the situation until she sees herself through others’ eyes. This reminded us of situations we’ve observed, where a dysfunctional co-dependency develops incrementally, so that a couple suddenly realizes a relationship has become malignant and abusive without understanding how they could have let it happen. But we’re also aware that outsiders don’t always see the complications within unconventional relationships, and we wanted to portray this relationship not as abusive -- though Psyche’s sisters believe it is -- but as under negotiation, where Cupid is trying to protect his secret love from his family’s disapproval, and the intellectual Psyche is uneasy about losing herself -- her mind, really -- in physical intensity. We’re interested in considering how it might be possible for strong-willed men and women -- of different backgrounds, different ages, different reputations, different degrees of “deity” -- to interact as equals. In this piece, we figured that dilemma through the meshing of Psyche’s self-doubt -- “I sleep in the dark until I’m dark myself” -- and Eros’s deflective despair -- “We can’t be together; I don’t want to talk about it.”

Did the various repeating musical themes grow organically during the composition process, or did you have them in mind from the beginning?

I began composition only after I had the text of the libretto. All of the musical material evolved in response to Nathalie’s words. -TW

In the actual myth, the sisters were quite a bit more selfish/mean/"evil.". What made you change their underlying character type? And they had no names in the original myth. How did you come up with Chloe and Zoe?

Much modern opera is not interested in humor. We are. Nathalie has always loved the name Zoe, the name of a friend’s daughter, because it means “life.” She wanted something to suggest a kinship between the sisters, but also a difference, and so she came up with these rhyming names.

Some people feel that the myth of Psyche and Cupid is symbolic of the problematic issues in expectations for romantic relationships today. How do you think the characters in this story play a role in that (if any) and what do you suspect will be the outcome for Sukey and Eros?

It’s a truism of contemporary thought that romance is pernicious. It sets up expectations of perfection without effort. One thing that Eros and Sukey learn is that they have to work at it; have to listen, have to compromise. Of course, the opposite side of the mutually supportive but unconventional relationship is the manipulative power dynamic that has led to the #MeToo movement. We hope our opera encourages equality in relationships, and we hope Sukey and Eros will in fact give brith to Harmony.

 

Nathalie Anderson

Nathalie Anderson is an award-winning poet, accomplished librettist, and Professor of English Literature at Swarthmore College.  Her books of poetry include Following Fred Astaire, Crawlers, Quiver, Stain, and the chapbook Held and Firmly Bound.  She has authored libretti for five operas – The Black Swan; Sukey in the Dark; an operatic version of Arthur Conan Doyle’s A Scandal in Bohemia; Cassandra; and a children’s opera, The Royal Singer – all in collaboration with the composer Thomas Whitman.  Anderson received a Pew Fellowship in the Arts in 1993, and has taught at Swarthmore for 36 years, where she serves now as Alexander Griswold Cummins Professor in the Department of English Literature, and directs the Program in Creative Writing.

 

Thomas Whitman

Thomas Whitman (b. 1960) began his musical studies with cellist Harry Wimmer. He studied composition with George Crumb, Gerald Levinson, Max Lifchitz, and Richard Wernick, among others.  A Luce Scholar in 1986-87, he studied in Bali, Indonesia, with the late I Madé Gerindem.  Other prizes and honors include an ASCAP Foundation Grant; artist residencies at the MacDowell Colony and Yaddo; and commissions from many ensembles, including Orchestra 2001, Network for New Music, North/South Consonance, Mélomanie, and Dolce Suono Ensemble.  Whitman’s compositions include chamber music, dance and film scores, and five operas.  On the faculty of Swarthmore College since 1990, he is the founder and co-director of Gamelan Semara Santi, the Philadelphia area’s only Indonesian percussion orchestra. He has also taught Indonesian performing arts for many years as a volunteer in urban public schools. Selected recordings are available on Avie, North/South, and Albany Records. Sheet music is available through Cassiopeia Publishing.

 

Don't miss the 4th Annual Fresh Squeezed Ounce of Opera, March 22-24 and 29-31, 2019. Admission and info here. 


FSOO Composer Spotlight: Anthony R. Green and "Alex In Transition: Alex and Amy"

postcard-fsoo4showsf%2fbOne Ounce Opera is thrilled to introduce Austin to Anthony R. Green, composer/librettist of “Alex In Transition II: Alex and Amy,” a winner of the 2018 Fresh Squeezed Ounce of Opera. His cast — Veronica Williams, mezzo-soprano (Alex) and Charissa Memrick, soprano (Amy) — portray two friends and the complexities of a relationship following a recent transition in this topical and poignant work. The singers had these questions for Anthony:

1. Is there a personal experience that made you want to write this piece?

Before I composed Alex in Transition, I had a skewed image of people – human beings with feelings and flesh and blood – who did not fit into the gender and sexuality binary. This image came mostly from entertainers like Flip Wilson (and his character Geraldine), Martin Lawrence (and his character Shanaynay), the Men On … characters on the TV show In Living Color, and moments on the TV shows The Fresh Prince of Bel Air and All in the Family. As I grew up and very slowly came into my own queer sexuality, I held on to my negative, ignorant opinion about transgender people, and also noticed how many other of my queer friends did not understand the transgender world. Recognizing this ignorance was personally challenging, and I knew I must immediately rectify it. Therefore, I started doing research, reading books, magazines, articles, websites, and blogs, watching movies, TV shows, documentaries, and consuming as much as I could to help me understand the transgender world. It was at this moment, that I felt the strong need to artistically respond to my inquiry.

2. Would you say that your aria at the end of the 2nd scene of Alex in Transition II is inspired by jazz with possible influence from George Crumb?

The aria at the end of Transition II utilizes a sonnet I wrote in high school, and an art song that I composed in my undergrad. I had personally experienced unrequited love … perhaps too often in high school (!) … and decided to release my angst, sadness, and disappointment in a poem. When I revisited my poetry during my undergrad to use for text setting, this particular sonnet spoke to me. Throughout middle school all the way till the end of my masters program, I accompanied a gospel choir in my hometown of Providence, RI. Always satisfied by the intense emotive release of gospel, I decided to draw upon Gospel idioms for this text setting. As the aria progresses in intensity, I could not help but turn towards more violent gestures and atonal, chromatic sonorities. While I may have been subconsciously influenced by George Crumb (having played Celestial Mechanics around the same time I composed this aria), I did not directly turn to Crumb’s music while composing this work. Rather, the sound world of Crumb and Gospel came through me during the compositional process.

3. Why does Alex change to heightened language in her last aria after speaking in conversational language for the majority of the piece? (Ex: Unrequited love)

The purpose of the switch in language in the aria is two-fold. Throughout the opera, Alex has moments when she is not speaking to the audience or to a character per se, but she is speaking to herself and having a personal interaction with her emotions. This particular aria comes after her femininity is questioned by the woman who is closest to her – a questioning that she never would have expected from her best friend and desired lover. After the argument, she retreats into herself, engaging in a complex inner dialogue that acknowledges her continued love for Amy (I’ll stay with her, for that is who I am) as well as her frustrations (My demons darkest stir within my breast). The switch in language, therefore, distinguishes normal dialogue from inner dialogue, but also captures the complexity of her emotional processes.

4. In your opinion, do you think Amy does have feelings for Alex, but can’t bring herself to say it?

Amy’s relationship with Alex is super complex. Later in the opera, we learn that Amy’s first encounter with Alex was when Alex was still presenting as a man, and obnoxiously flirting with Amy during a college mixer. It was not the most ideal first impression, but through personal and social interactions, they become curious about each other – almost anthropologically – and eventually become best friends. Amy’s persona, however, is demiromantic and graysexual. She does not think so much about relationships, especially with those with whom she is very close. She is focused on her career in science, and does not want to be distracted by the issues that accompany relationships. Furthermore, she honestly cannot remove her past interactions with Alex from her psyche enough to engage in a romantic relationship. But most importantly, Amy knows what type of woman Alex likes, and Amy cannot see herself fulfilling any of these characteristics. In sum, no – Amy does not have any romantic feelings for Alex, but does not want to lose Alex as a friend.

Watch an One Ounce Opera live performance of Alex In Transition: Alex and Amy on YouTube!

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bemisheadshotThe creative output of Anthony R. Green (composer, performer, social justice) includes musical and visual creations, interpretations of original works or works in the repertoire, collaborations, educational outreach, and more. Behind all of his artistic endeavors are the ideals of equality and freedom, which manifest themselves in diverse ways in a composition, a performance, a collaboration, or social justice work. As a composer, his work has been presented in over 20 countries by such notable soloists and ensembles as Gabriela Díaz, Wendy Richman, Ashleigh Gordon, Dame Evelyn Glennie, ALEA III, Sound Energy, The Fidelio Trio, Ensemble Mise-en, Ossia New Music Ensemble, and Alarm Will Sound, to name a few. As a performer (piano, improvisation [voice, koto], conductor), he has appeared at venues across the US, Cyprus, France, the Netherlands, the UK, and South Korea, interpreting solo, chamber, and large ensemble works. For performances, he has worked with numerous student and emerging composers, as well as established composers such as David Liptak, Steve Reich, and George Crumb. Green’s most important social justice work has been with Castle of our Skins (COOS), which is a concert and education series organization dedicated to celebrating Black artistry through music. www.anthonyrgreen.com

Charissa Memrick
Charissa Memrick

Charissa Memrick is a dynamic crossover soprano that has played roles from Ida in Die Fledermaus to The Governess in Turn of the Screw. Ms. Memrick completed her master’s degree at Texas State University in Vocal Performance and Pedagogy and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Vocal Performance at Wichita State University in 2017 and 2015, respectively. Charissa’s vocal ability is solidified in over a decade of musical theatre, classical, pop and theatre training. Her stage presence is grounded in her passion for expressing the human condition and bringing complex characters to life. Contemporary crossover musical theatre inspired pieces especially show her theatrical prowess. In the future Charissa hopes to flourish in as many performing opportunities as possible in the Austin, Texas area. Ms. Memrick also teaches private voice lessons. She has taught multiple genres including pop, rock, jazz, classical and musical theatre.

Veronica Williams
Veronica Williams

Veronica Williams, an up-and-coming mezzo-soprano, is known for her “thrilling instrument” and “overwhelming authority” on stage. Most recently she captivated audiences during the San Antonio Symphony’s Dream Week celebration at the Tobin Center for Performing Arts. She received her Master of Music Degree from Boston’s New England Conservatory of Music, and her Bachelor’s Degree from the University of Texas at Austin. Previous roles include Concepción in Ravel’s L’heure Espagnole, the Old Prioress in Poulenc’s Dialogues of the Carmelites, Hansel in Humperdinck’s Hansel and Gretel, and the title roles of Cesti’s Orontea and Eisler’s Die Mutter. Now based in Austin, Ms. Williams is a proud member of both One Ounce Opera, and the Texas Concert Opera Collective, and has had the privilege of performing with the Austin Opera chorus for its past three seasons. Upcoming roles include the title role of Handel’s Rinaldo, and The Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors. When Veronica is not performing, she enjoys teaching and guiding talent in her growing voice studio.


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Inaugural FSOO Cast Lists, Program Notes, and THANK YOUs

Another THANK YOU for the support of Inaugural Fresh Squeezed Ounce of Opera! Below, we've included the cast lists and notes from the FSOO program, with each of the composer/librettist team's spotlight interviews linked to their names.

OOO poster by designthatfliesWe look forward to the 2nd Annual Fresh Squeezed Ounce of Opera next spring! Be on the lookout for dates AND the 2nd annual "call for composers!"

In the meantime, OOO is putting together some pop-up programs and a festival appearance in June, as well as beginning the preparation for Fresh Squeezed Ounce of ART SONG coming this fall. Sign up for our newsletter and you won't miss anything!

We want to hear from YOU! Your feedback is important to us -- take a moment to fill out this quick form and you could win an autographed poster from this, the very first FSOO!

photo by Roy Moore/Control Images
photo by Roy Moore/Control Images

Thyrsis & Amaranth^

Music and libretto by Steven Serpa, based on a fable by Jean de la Fontaine (https://soundcloud.com/steven-serpa)

Thyrsis – Julie Silva
Amaranth – Maureen Papovich

Stage Director – Jake Jacobsen, Musical Director – Nikki Birdsong

photo by Roy Moore/Control Images
photo by Roy Moore/Control Images

Now Boarding^Libretto by Wendy S. Knapp Bowman
Music by Tori Ovel (http://www.toriovel.com/)

Worried – Cristina Flores
Flight Attendant – Rosa Harris
Business – Jake Jacobson
Sad – Patricia Combs

Stage Director – Michael Holderer, Music Director – Charmaine Flake

 

photo by Roy Moore/Control Images
photo by Roy Moore/Control Images

Part of the Act^Libretto by John Grimmett (www.johngrimmett.com) Music by Liam Wade (www.liamwade.com)

Ginger Taylor – Maureen Papovich
Mabel McGinley – Julie Fiore
Seamus McGinley – Patrick Wright

Stage Director – Julie Fiore, Music Director – Charmaine Flake

 

Intermission

photo by Roy Moore/Control Images
photo by Roy Moore/Control Images

The Miller’s Tale*Adapted story and music by Jesse McMilin, based on Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales

Nicholas – Andy Fleming
Girl/Widow – Cristina Flores
John – Michael Holderer
Alison – Julie Silva
Absalon – Jake Jacobsen
Chorus – Rosa Harris, Nathan Patrick, and Cristina Flores

Stage Director – Michael Holderer, Music Director – Nikki Birdsong

photo by Roy Moore/Control Images
photo by Roy Moore/Control Images

Love After the Collapse of Civilization*Libretto and music by Jeff Luna (https://soundcloud.com/jeff-luna)

Narrator – Patrick Wright
Nathan – Andy Fleming
Grandmother – Patricia Combs
Grandfather – Nathan Patrick
Clara – Rosa Harris

Stage Director – Jake Jacobsen, Music Director – Charmaine Flake

*world premiere ^regional premiere

Produced by One Ounce Opera, and supported in part by the Cultural Arts Division of the City of Austin Economic Development Department. One Ounce Opera is a sponsored project of the Austin Creative Alliance.

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One Ounce Opera

Executive Director - Julie Fiore
Production Team - Angela Irving, Maureen Papovich, Julie Silva
Stage Manager - Monica Kurtz
Door/Assistant Stage Manager – Brittany Trinite
Lights/Projections Op – Angela Irving
Program – Patricia Combs
Videography - Stephen Reynolds
Photography - Roy Moore/Control Images

 

One more thank you to our sponsors and our amazing donors.

Sixth Street Bourbon, Nathan Kurten, Andy Fleming, Michael Leidel, Martha Coleman, Robin and Paul Cohen, Katherine Altobello, Lorne L Harris, Saul Jerome San Juan, Andrew Scheberle, Carolyn Stone, June Julian, Justin Stewart, Alexandra Goodrich, Elizabeth Warren, Mateja Lane, accounts, Ethan Sherman, Phil Davidson, Jerry Long, Renee Brissette, Jan Wright, Marianne Lynch, Jamieson Taylor, Lauren White Arthur, Angela Irving, Lynn Carlson, Angela Williamson, Anne Booth, Stevie Schein, W. A. Brenner, Tony Beach, Courtney Taft, Liam Wade, Lisa Lee, Bryan Simmons, Sam Melnick, pianoamf, Susan Floyd, Ammon Taylor, Rob Casillas, Stacy Langsdale, Roanna Flowers, David Carlton Adams, William Hyland, Kara Fuhlbrugge, Wendy Schober-Ditmore, Chris McMillan, Albert Ford, Bernadette Grohol, Lori Paradoski, Laura Broy, Rain Nox, Allen Schober, Erika Wuerzner, Linda Dee Hughes, Win Bent, Matt Marr, Daniel Castillo, Julie Silva, Eric Imhof, Casey Papovich, Katherine Lewis, Elizabeth B Brown, and Bernard Bennett.

A BIG shout-out to Jeanne Claire van Ryzin, W.A. Brenner, and Natalie Zeldin for the press recognition and attention! Click on their names to read the articles.

Special thanks to Live Oak Brewing, Orpheus Academy of Music, Motorblade Postering Service, Design That Flies, Roy Moore/Control Images, Stephen R. Reynolds, and the Museum of Human Achievement!


Meet Tori Ovel, Winning Composer of FSOO 2016

This is the fourth in our series of composer spotlights previewing the Inaugural Fresh Squeezed Ounce of Opera, April 15 and 16, 2016. Meet Tori Ovel, composer of the one act opera Now Boarding, which depicts a scene familiar to most. Interview by Julie Fiore.

1. You describe Now Boarding as a “slice of time.” Did a particular personal flight or travel experience inspire this piece?

Now Boarding has a slightly harried upbringing, something I’m sure many creative people have dealt with. Its inspiration struck me at 3 am one morning, and I have a decently vivid memory of me speaking at my tablet, using speech to text typing to record this groggy idea. Between my junior and senior years at the University of Northern Iowa, I attended three composition festivals.  It meant that 21 year old me, having rarely traveled without family, even more rarely on planes (maybe… three or five plane adventures prior?), was about to have some serious one on one time in some big ole airports. In one adventure, I took a mega bus (for only FIVE DOLLARS!) from Iowa City to Chicago, departing at 3am. At 5am, I was wandering the streets of the windy city to find the subway/train/whatever they call it there, to get to the airport. Eight bucks isn’t bad to get from Iowa City to ORD in Chicago. On the route home, I misjudged the NYC public transportation and got to JFK fifteen minutes before my flight was scheduled to board—WOO what a rush!

I spent a bit of time in airports. No particular flight inspired me, but when I decided I wanted to write a little opera, I figured it couldn’t have a dramatic arc—I was looking to write something that reflected everyone’s experience, or at least something that seemed like it could have actually happened. I did a bit of theater in high school, and when I thought about a 10 minute dramatic plot, I was brought back to the ridiculously bizarre high school improv scenes. Most people like to people watch, or at least have experienced people watching, so I figured it was a good place to start. This 3am idea came to me in the spring of 2015, but when I took the idea to a visiting opera composer at my undergrad, he told me it would never work. He said operas work best when the characters are moved to action—not like in Now Boarding where most of the characters are singing without instigation from a specific event. I was crushed, tabled the project, and went on with other composition.

In the fall of 2015, I brought the idea to my master’s composition professor, Dr. Michael Schelle. He loved the idea. He basically said to hell with the other guy, reminded me that many people have old fashioned opinions, but that isn’t the only kind of people in the world.  Thus, Now Boarding began to live again.

2. In Now Boarding, we meet three distinct passengers. When you were writing for each specifically, where did their musical ideas/characterizations come from? If you had to pick, which was the most fun to write?

Tori Ovel
Tori Ovel

You know, writing for these characterizations just sort of happened. I knew what kind of personalities I wanted to portray, and what kinds of emotions I wanted, and I just kind of went with it. With Sad’s character (they are nameless because when you people watch, people don’t generally wear name tags--- how would you know their names?) I knew I wanted people to relate in a very visceral way. I wanted people to be reminded of their own personal losses and be able to completely empathize with his character, so I wrote this beautiful melody that showed off my Butler singer’s (Jeremiah Sanders) amazingly rich range. He knocks my socks off when he sings it—goose bumps every time. I refer to the Business character as the sleazy business man. You know the guy—always on the phone, treats his waitresses like scum, thinks he’s entitled to the world. I thought a straight eighth’s jazz feel would be coolly unpleasant for him. He’s trying to manipulate people, so he seems genuine, but there is something off about him. He sucks. With Worried, I wanted a frantic, hypochondriac kind of terrorized young adult. I didn’t mean for her part to be so atonal… but I think it works well for her part. She’s dramatic. She will highly likely survive this plane trip—CHILL OUT WOMAN! She’s all over the place in every way.

Although I am partial to Sad’s heart wrenching piece, I have to say that Worried is the one that gets stuck in my head the most. I love the drama in the wide intervals and rhythmic variation.

3. As a saxophonist with a jazz background, how do you feel it influences  your writing for the voice? Do you hear that palette shine through in Now Boarding more than your other pieces?

Jazz music has definitely influenced my writing by giving me immediate and express freedom to the extended tertian harmonies used in the genre. It meant that I spend little time with simple major and minor chords, and jumped directly toward dissonances—remember kinds, “you’re only half step away from a resolution!” (All Jazz faculty at UNI).  I also wrote a lot of singer-songwriter stuff in high school (and a little now and then), so I’m pretty familiar with the basics of the voice. My best friend in the world, kick-butt Soprano MaKayla McDonald, was the unfortunate subject of my first vocal compositions, so I learned a lot about writing for voice by picking her brain and hearing her rant or rave about studio classes.

Palette-wise I’ve spent the last few years trying to figure out my sound-world. Now Boarding is some of the most unique writing I’ve done—definitely the most well planned shifting of character feel. Being able to write with a specific character in mind was unique because it meant I didn’t necessarily have to find what I was writing aesthetically pleasing. If it fit the role, it worked! I love everything on the page at this point, but having that freedom was amazing for the writing process. Opera is this whole new ballpark that I’m very excited to look into further!

4. We love that you are also a proponent of collaboration and re-imagining classical music performance, through your recent project NuMuzArt. Where do you believe the future of opera is headed?

You know, so many people have this strange idea about what classical music is. My dearest aunt said to me, over Thanksgiving break, something to the effect of, “but like… no one really likes classical music.” Giving the figures are at about 3% of the general population really enjoying the genre, I was inclined to agree. “I get why you would say that,” I said, “but people love film scores, and those are like 80% (number I made up) classical music. We present it poorly. It’s a stuffy experience.” We need to bring people back to this awesome music. We need to quit hammering the dead guys’ music (I love the dead guys, but let’s get some more livers around!). We need to quit forcing people to sit still in deceptively uncomfortable seats with poorly angled flooring so that feet can never sit still. We need to quit walking out on stage and beginning the performance without talking about our passions behind the music before each piece. We need to play into where the general population is going while expanding the creative aspects. So people like to sit on their phones? Give them an interactive (SILENT) application to go along with the music. Do something! I value the seriousness of the concert hall. I’m not necessarily happy that most of the current population can’t sit still for a whole production of Mahler’s anything. But, the seriousness of classical music is not going to bring us the other 97%, and, seeing as how I cannot go teach the entire audience, myself included even, to sit still and pay attention to 40+ minutes of music at once, I might as well meet them half way! Short operas… in ENGLISH?! This is great! I recently heard about tv-style opera. That’s amazing. All of the flash of TV show production capabilities with dynamite music! Netflix Opera Originals—let’s make it happen! Let’s find some common ground between disrupting the performance and falling asleep. Let’s keep our Art, but let other people see it as such.

 Tori Ovel is currently pursuing a Masters at Butler University. Find out more about Tori by visiting her website!


Call for Composers of Short Opera

CALL FOR SHORT OPERA SUBMISSIONS!

Composers: One Ounce Opera will present a new series of concerts titled “Fresh Squeezed Ounce.” This will be the inaugural event in what we hope will become a long standing series.

We’d like to formally invite you to submit short operas for inclusion in our program.

Please send a sample score of any dramatic work(s) you would like OOO to consider, that would qualify as “opera.” If you also have midi files or a rough cut recording (any audio, in other words), that would be helpful!

Winners will receive a cash award and be included on a compilation recording of this year’s event. Please contact Julie Fiore, Executive Director of OOO if you have any questions.

Guidelines:

1) These works should be meant for the stage, not the concert hall.

2) These works should be between 10-20 minutes in length and include minimal spoken dialogue.

3) Free-range re: topics. Preference will be given to more current issues or stories, but classic re-tellings are also super cool. Funny, quirky, serious, poignant, low-brow, high-brow — it’s all good.

4) English is preferred as well.

5) Piano accompaniment or piano reduction is required. For performance, other instrumentations or orchestrations will be considered – we’ll do our best.

6) The piece should be able to function as a standalone work and have no more than six main characters. If you have included a chorus, that is acceptable. Soliloquies are fine.

7) Works that are looking for a premiere and newer works (written within the past 5 years) are given preference.

Submission deadline is January 20, 2016. Composers will be notified shortly thereafter. Copies of all parts will be due at that time.

Performance dates are April 15 and 16, 2016 at an alternative space in Austin, TX. Composers will receive a cash award and be included on a compilation recording of this year’s winning works. IF YOU SUBMITTED WORK FOR FRESH SQUEEZED OUNCE OF ART SONG this past October, you are welcome to also submit for this open call! PS: FSO-Art Song will premiere in Fall 2016 and include works already submitted for consideration. There will be no new call for Fall 2016.

See and share the Facebook event here.


Three Years, New Dreams, Fresh Site

On August 23, 2012, The One Ounce Opera Company was christened during a well-attended launch party at Red 7. Perhaps you were there, or perhaps you are just now discovering OOO. Either way, you are the reason we do what we do, and the reason we are able to do what we do.

Thank you. 

It's hard to believe almost three years have past. Three years of dreamy collaborations, rewarding work, and personal exploration. Three years humbled by accolades, awards, and attention. Three years of growth. Of friendship. Of music.

Now, the next chapter begins.

With the launch of our re-designed site and our newly-minted status as a sponsored project of the Austin Creative Alliance, the next year will certainly be our biggest and best yet.

Fresh Squeezed Ounce of Opera and Art Song. A Jackass Opera Auction. The Divas and the Emcees. The return of OOO's Highfalutin Holiday. A progressive bicycle opera mystery. An interactive young people's opera. These ambitious projects -- and many more -- will be featured in the coming months.
These projects are designed for you, our curious and eclectic community. They are developed to continue to explore how classical music and culture fit into our ever-changing landscape.

Let's make way for the new around us. Let's re-imagine opera together.

Thank you for making the journey worthwhile,
Julie and the OOO Team

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