Work in progress.
for 7 singers and chamber ensemble
(anticipated 2018) ~60′
Image courtesy of user “Ettit” on pixabay.com
CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) – Public Domain Dedication
Libretto by Anne McCrady.
Instrumentation: 3 sopr, 2 mezzo, 1 tnr, 1 bar; fl, Bb cl, hn, pno, perc (vibr., sus cym., tri., sn., li/low toms, granite blocks, bar chimes), vn, vc. Also available in piano-vocal.
Recording:
The playlist below contains multiple movements. (Piano-vocal selections.)
Click the “next chapter” icon to advance, or select a scene from the playlist on the top left.
This video was recorded March 26, 2018, at The University of Texas at Tyler’s Braithwaite Recital Hall. Performers include:
- May Wright, mezzo-soprano
- Justin Forward, tenor
- Austin Goswick, baritone
- Elena Daughtery, piano
Score:
Program Notes: (Brief synopsis)
A late-1980’s middle-class American family is feeling the tension of discontent and desire. Cathy, feeling constrained by her role as wife and mother, dreams of going beyond free-lance work to find a creative job as a designer. Cathy’s daughter, Lizzie, is excited about her upcoming marriage, though, a perfectionist, she is nervous about the wedding preparations. Cathy’s teenage son, Carl, spends most of his time alone, feeling misunderstood and longing to follow his passion for aeronautics and space travel. Cathy’s husband, Louis, a serious-minded engineer, is trying his best to keep his family together, although his resistance to the changes at hand puts him at odds with everyone else. He has dismissed Cathy’s ambitions, so, without telling him, she has applied for a design job in Seattle. Lizzie is feeling the magnitude of marriage and the threat it poses to her relationships with her three best friends, Hannah, Maddie and Shayna. Carl has summoned his courage to do something on his own and is secretly building an ultralight glider. Tensions build as Louis and Cathy struggle over their marriage and her job offer, Carl works on his project, and Lizzie attends her bachelorette party. Each voices mixed emotions about the future. Finally, with Louis still insisting on stability, each member of his family makes a departure from the status quo: Lizzie jumps into marriage, Cathy leaves to accept her new job, and Carl test launches his ultralight.
Work in progress.
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