Voir Dire

VOIR DIRE (2010)

chamber opera in two acts
for four singers, octet and conductor
sop mez ten bar; fl cl perc pno vln vla vc cb
duration 90:00

The libretto for Voir Dire, written by Matthew Peterson and Jason Zencka, is based on and adapted from true stories witnessed by crime reporter Jason Zencka while on assignment for the Stevens Point Journal, January 2007 to June 2008.

PERFORMANCES & AWARDS

premiere: selections performed by Opera Vista (Houston, Texas), March 2011
additional performances: Fort Worth Opera Frontiers (Fort Worth, TX), May 2014
2011 Opera Vista Award
2014 Fort Worth Opera Frontiers Showcase Selection

Lifeboat

LIFEBOAT (2016)

chamber opera
for three singers and chamber ensemble
sop mez bar; 1111/1110/pno/perc/strings 10111
duration 25:00

Three refugees are stranded in an inflatable lifeboat out in the open ocean; they are the sole survivors of a shipwreck. After three days, tensions erupt between the strangers, who each fled the same conflict for different reasons. As their pasts are revealed, cooperation-and survival-seem unlikely. Lifeboat explores and challenges the ideals of courage, social justice, and service; can these ideals overcome major divides between people of different backgrounds and experiences? Can we all live in the same boat?

A John F Kennedy Center Commission.

PERFORMANCES & AWARDS

premiere: Washington National Opera, Kennedy Center, Jan 16 2017
2017 John F Kennedy Center Commission for the American Opera Initiative