New Voices Opera is a student-run opera company producing two world-premiere one-act chamber operas. Our two premieres are "Forest of Dreams" by Nic Chuaqui and "Swann's Love" by Maxwell Ramage.
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The Double Bill on May 5th, 2016 at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater, a world premiere of two operas with director David Koté and musical direction by Carlo Vincetti Frizzo, is unique in its ability to bridge the gap between education and the professional world. Two operas will be work-shopped throughout the year providing the composers with a highly crafted product ready for the stage either as a chamber opera, or in an expanded version in the future. Fostering passion in these new works is essential to maintaining the art form for future generations and is a keystone in NVO’s mission.
Forest of Dreams
Music and Libretto by Nic Chuaqui
The mysterious tragedy of the proclaimed “Lost Colony” of Roanoke is a history ripped from the pages of our childhood textbooks. However, composer Nic Chuaqui’s retelling in his opera “Forest of Dreams” weaves a new epilogue for this elusive colony. The libretto follows colonizer John White and the psychological affect of his journeys past, including the loss of his wife, Roanoke, and the ghosts which haunt him. Nic Chuaqui’s inventive and twisting libretto is accompanied by a music of captivation. Capturing the mind of White with glimpses of the early American colonies, it is a perfect capstone to NVO’s season.
“It is the type of legend that provokes our imagination, and thrill of not knowing the truth, but having clues to tease us, entices us,” says Chuaqui of his creative process, “However, as I have gotten older, I have become more interested in the human side of the story. Recent events, most notably the disappearance of Malaysian Airlines flight 370, were the real impetus for The Forest of Dreams. I found that the sensationalist news coverage of this tragedy obscured the pain of those truly involved in the event, and I wanted to create a work that could bridge the gap between all of us observers of tragedy and those who take part in it.”
Swann’s Love
Music and Libretto by Maxwell Ramage
A modern take on Proust’s “Swann’s Way,” Maxwell Ramage’s opera is a humorous exploration of modern romantic relationships and Swann’s lack of skill within them. Ramage tests the boundaries of the operatic love affair. It’s an erogenous cacophony of he loves her, she loves him, he loves him. Blurring the lines between broadway and grand opera, Swann’s Love is a modern take on what a piece of “music theatre” can be.
Ramage speaks of his inspiration, “As a violinist, I was drawn to the novel's most prominent leitmotif, a fictional violin sonata. Before writing a single word of the libretto, I composed a violin sonata based on Proust's descriptions of the music. Almost all the music in the opera is derived from the sonata's themes. The sung material comprises fifteen numbered songs connected with recitative; each song explores a single emotion and a single musical motif.” With a current, comedic libretto and ear catching compositional style, Ramage will bring a little levity to this year’s Double Bill.
2016 Double Bill
For more information about New Voices Opera, please visit newvoicesopera.org or find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/newvoicesopera
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