Words First: Talking Text in Opera Keturah Stickann
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- Arts
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Conversations between host, Keturah Stickann, and librettists, lyricists, producers, and performing artists about opera text and storytelling to music.
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Alaina Viau and Reaching for an Equitable Operatic Landscape
Keturah speaks with director, creator, and Executive Artistic Director of Loose Tea Music Theatre, Alaina Viau, about her creative work and Loose Tea’s BIPOC Composer Librettist Development Program.
Alaina Viau: https://www.alainaviau.com/
Loose Tea Music Theatre: https://looseteamusictheatre.com/
Highlands Opera Studio: https://www.highlandsoperastudio.com/ -
Kate Holland, Susan Werbe, and Sifting Through The Great War
Kate Holland and Susan Werbe were co-librettists on Letters That You Will Not Get, composed by Kirsten Volness, and produced by American Opera Projects. In this episode, I speak to them both about their collaboration, and what it was like finding women’s voices from across the continents and weaving them together.
Letters You will Not Get: https://www.aopopera.org/events/2022/letterspremiere -
Eric Einhorn and Letting The Space Dictate the Show
Keturah speaks with General and Artistic director of OnSite Opera, Eric Einhorn, about his relationship to text with site specific work. They also discuss Rhoda and The Fossil Hunt, which he wrote with John Musto for presentation at the Museum of Natural History.
On Site Opera: https://osopera.org/ -
Matthew Jocelyn and How to be Undaunted by Hamlet
Keturah speaks with Matthew Jocelyn, the celebrated director, writer, and theater administrator, who wrote the libretto for Brett Dean’s Hamlet, originating in Glyndebourne in 2017, and currently playing at the Metropolitan Opera.
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Deborah Brevoort and her Journey from Politics to Theater
Keturah interviews playwright and librettist, Deborah Brevoort, about her early political career in Alaska, her switch to theater, and her more recent work writing opera libretti. They go in depth on three operas: STEAL A PENCIL FOR ME, that had its stage premiere at Opera Colorado, THE KNOCK, that was presented as a film for the Glimmerglass Festival last year, and QUAMINO’S MAP, which is about to get its premiere at Chicago Opera Theater.
Deborah Brevoort: https://www.deborahbrevoort.com/ -
Amy Stebbins and New Work Both Here and There
Keturah interviews director, dramatist, and librettist, Amy Stebbins, about the differences between libretti in the United States and libretti in Europe (particularly new work being written in Germany and Austria). They discuss the different ways of crafting a piece, why there isn’t a lot of cultural exchange of new works, and what to do about it. They also talk about some of Amy’s recent libretti, including a work in progress, entitled The People Out There.
Amy Stebbins: https://amystebbins.net/