CCM’s Department of Opera teams up with Cincinnati Opera in the second of two installments of Opera Fusion: New Works 2012, a program offering composers and librettists the opportunity to workshop a new opera during a 10-day residency. CCM’s public workshop performance of Morning Star, composed by Ricky Ian Gordon with libretto by William M. Hoffman, will be presented at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 5 in UC’s Cohen Family Studio Theater.
The workshop will be directed by Ron Daniels, who staged the world premiere of the new American opera Il Postino at LA Opera in 2010. Metropolitan Opera regular Steven White will conduct the piece. Admission to Morning Star is free but reservations are required. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, Dec. 3 – visit the CCM Box Office or call 513-556-4183 to reserve. Limit two tickets per order.
Morning Star tells the story of a Jewish mother who immigrates to New York City with her four children in the hopes of achieving the American dream. The action follows the immigrants through the early years of the 20th century as they adapt to their new country, enduring both the First World War and the Great Depression. Through their struggles, the work addresses such issues as political ideology, race, religion, and identity with humor and humanity.
Gordon and Hoffman begin their Opera Fusion residencies on Nov. 26, working on the opera with CCM and Cincinnati Opera singers. Their week-and-a-half-long residency will culminate in the public workshop of Morning Star, allowing audiences to experience a fresh, new work as the creative forces behind it build their vision together. Mr. Hoffman’s libretto is adapted from Sylvia Regan’s play of the same name, which premiered in New York in 1940.
Cincinnati Opera will also present a workshop performance of Morning Star at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 4 at Memorial Hall on Elm Street in downtown Cincinnati. Please contact the Cincinnati Opera Box Office at 513-241-2742 to reserve tickets for the Dec. 4 performance. Limit two tickets per order.
About Ricky Ian Gordon
After studying composition at Carnegie Mellon University, Ricky Ian Gordon settled in New York City, where he quickly emerged as a leading writer of vocal music that spans art song, opera, and musical theater. Gordon’s songs have been performed by such internationally renowned singers as Renée Fleming, Dawn Upshaw, Nathan Gunn, Kelli O’Hara, Audra MacDonald, Kristin Chenoweth, and Nicole Cabell. He is the composer of the 2007 opera The Grapes of Wrath, adapted from the novel by John Steinbeck.
About William M. Hoffman
Playwright William M. Hoffman is Associate Professor of Journalism, Communications, and Theatre at City University of New York. His play about the AIDS epidemic, As Is, won an Obie Award and three Tony nominations in 1985. Aside from his numerous plays, Hoffman also wrote the libretto for the opera The Ghosts of Versailles, with a score by John Corigliano, through a commission by the Metropolitan Opera.
About Opera Fusion
Opera Fusion: New Works, a unique collaboration between CCM Opera and Cincinnati Opera, was created in 2011 to foster the development of new American operas. The program offers composers or composer/librettist teams the opportunity to conduct a 10-day residency in Cincinnati culminating in a public workshop, utilizing the talent, personnel and facilities of both organizations. The workshops are cast with a combination of CCM students and professional artists who have appeared in Cincinnati Opera’s mainstage productions, and each workshop concludes with two free public performances. The program is led by co-artistic directors Marcus Küchle, Director of Artistic Operations of Cincinnati Opera and CCM’s Robin Guarino, the J. Ralph Corbett Distinguished Chair of Opera. Opera Fusion: New Works is generously funded by a $300,000 grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Learn more about the collaboration by visiting ccm.uc.edu/theatre/opera/calendar/operafusion2012.
Performance Time
8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 5
Location
Cohen Family Studio Theater, CCM Village
University of Cincinnati
Reserving Tickets
Admission to Morning Star is free but reservations are required. Tickets become available at noon on Monday, Dec. 3 – visit the CCM Box Office or call 513-556-4183 to reserve. Limit two tickets per order.
Parking and Directions
Parking is available in the CCM Garage (located at the base of Corry Boulevard off Jefferson Avenue) and additional garages throughout the UC campus. Please visit uc.edu/parking for more information on parking rates.
For directions to CCM Village, visit ccm.uc.edu/about/directions.
CCM Season Presenting Sponsor: The Otto M. Budig Family Foundation
Opera Fusion: New Works is sponsored by a generous grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
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