Minnesota Opera announces Minnesota OperaWorks
Landmark new works initiative includes an international coproduction, three revivals of American works and three commissions in seven years
Minnesota Opera announces the creation of Minnesota OperaWorks, a landmark program designed to invigorate the operatic repertoire with an infusion of contemporary works. It is a multi-year, $5.5 million commitment that will energize the company, the community, the industry and the art form. The Minnesota OperaWorks program includes an international coproduction, three revivals of American works and three commissions by American composers:
2008-2009: The Adventures of Pinocchio (Jonathan Dove and Alasdair Middleton;
international coproduction with Opera North)
2009-2010: Casanova's Homecoming (25th anniversary production of Dominick Argento's opera,
which premiered during Ordway Center's first season)
2010-2011: Commission - The Garden of the Finzi-Continis (Ricky Ian Gordon and Michael Korie)
2011-2012: Commission - working title: Joyeux Noël (Kevin Puts and Mark Campbell)
2012-2013 (50th season): Commission - Title TBA (Jack Perla, librettist tba)
2013-2014: Revival: El Nino (John Adams)
2014-2015: Revival: Wuthering Heights (Bernard Herrmann)
Minnesota OperaWorks reinforces Minnesota Opera's position as a leader among the local arts community and the international opera field. As OPERA America President Marc Scorca describes this program, Minnesota OperaWorks "demonstrates the importance of sustained commitment to new work and sets an example for other opera companies to reaffirm their own dedication to creating new pieces."
Robert Marx, Vice President of the Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation and noted opera commentator who has participated in the formation of this program on the advisory committee, said, "From its inception, Minnesota Opera has staged new work, but the company's current initiatives regarding contemporary music are exceptional and bold. No other American opera company is making new work so central a part of its artistic portfolio. In many ways, the nation's largest opera houses are only now showing a commitment to the kind of commissions Minnesota Opera has championed for years. Its next generation of work in the contemporary field is likely to influence the American operatic repertoire nationally and internationally."
A pioneering movement in new opera, Minnesota OperaWorks institutionalizes Minnesota Opera's commitment to artistic growth, leadership and innovation.
Minnesota Opera is uniquely positioned with the experience, expertise, institutional strength and community support to take on a project of this scale. Minnesota Opera Artistic Director Dale Johnson leads a veteran artistic and production staff that has developed and produced numerous new operas, the most recent of which is the sold-out run of The Grapes of Wrath. The company also has, with the Minnesota Opera Center's rehearsal, coaching and production facilities, an ideal venue to develop new works. Organizationally, Minnesota Opera has a seasoned and effective administrative staff and financial foundation to support this ambitious program. Finally, Minnesota Opera's strong board and generous cadre of contributors comprise the engine driving the Minnesota OperaWorks program forward, with more than half the funds raised ($3.5 million) as this announcement is made.
Minnesota OperaWorks is conceived to expand the operatic repertoire and its audience. To ensure these works enter the repertoire, Minnesota Opera will leverage its expertise as a national leader of coproductions to establish a consortium of coproduction partners for each opera, which will broaden each opera's reach beyond the local market. To support this, the company is committed to creating cost-efficient stagings of these operas, which will ensure a production life that is not dependent upon economic vagaries of other companies or seasons.
Building on its other successful world and American premieres, such at The Handmaid's Tale and The Grapes of Wrath, Minnesota Opera staff will create a robust community engagement component for Minnesota OperaWorks. Additionally, the company plans to create audiovisual recordings of five of the seven works for future distribution to amplify the reach of these works to new audiences in this community and worldwide.
Minnesota OperaWorks commissions continue Minnesota Opera's commitment to high artistic quality and cultural relevance. Ricky Ian Gordon, Jack Perla and Kevin Puts have strong, individual American voices and are well-suited to the task of composing operas. They are also part of elite creative teams; for Gordon's commission, Michael Korie will be the librettist and Eric Simonson will direct, reuniting them in the responsibilities they performed in Minnesota Opera's world premiere of The Grapes of Wrath. They have a proven track record for their dramatic successes - since their collaboration at Minnesota Opera, Michael Korie was nominated for a Tony Award for his lyrics for the Broadway musical Grey Gardens, and Eric Simonson won the Oscar for directing, best short documentary. Eric Simonson will direct the operas by Jack Perla and Kevin Puts, as well. Mark Campbell, who will adapt the screenplay of Joyeux Noel, is a highly sought young librettist at home creating uproarious comedies and serious dramas alike. He has worked in collaboration with some of the best composers working today, such as John Musto and William Bolcom. His next work will be an adaptation of The Inspector General for Opera Theater of St Louis, and he will also collaborate with Ricky Ian Gordon on a new project for Virginia Opera.
The Minnesota OperaWorks commissions are based on 20th- and 21st-century subject matter. Two of them are inspired by 20th-century cinema, which pushes forward opera's historical source material (myths, novels and plays) toward a reference point of relevance to contemporary culture. Joyeux Noel (being composed by Kevin Puts) is based on the French film screenplay by Christian Carion, which is in turn based on the real-life Christmas Eve truce of 1914; The Garden of the Finzi Continis (being composed by Ricky Ian Gordon), is based on a ground-breaking historical novel by Giorgio Bassani dealing with the story of an Italian Jewish family during the onslaught of the Fascist regime, which spawned a 1971 Oscar-winning film adaptation by Vittoria De Sica. (Details have not yet been released for the third commission, but it will be based on an American story in an American genre, well-suited to Jack Perla's contemporary voice, which is rooted in jazz, fusion and classical traditions.)
Finally, Minnesota OperaWorks connects 19th-century Bel Canto values with 21st-century opera production. Minnesota Opera's artistic philosophy is rooted in Bel Canto values, whereby the dramatic expression of the singing voice is the essence of the operatic art form. Bel Canto values, which emphasize intense emotional expression supported by exquisite vocal technique and meticulous preparation, inform every aspect of the company's programs, from repertoire selection, casting and visual design to education and artistic training.
Minnesota Opera's mission is to produce opera and opera education programs
at the highest artistic level that inspire and entertain our audiences
and enrich the cultural life of our community.