All That Glitters (an opera buffa in one scene) (2015)
Prizewinner of 2017-2018 American Prize for opera/film/theater (student division)
All That Glitters is a complete micro-opera in one scene. It is a modern take on the Cinderella story, with an underlying moral of self-acceptance and positive body image. Ru Paul’s motto may be appropriate to quote here as the gist of the story: “If you can’t love yourself, how the hell are you gonna love somebody else?” The larger-than-life character of the Afro-Carribbean/Latin show-stealing drag queen Phanessa inspired all the Afro-Cuban, Calypso, Blues, Bossa Nova, and crooner numbers in this opera. A more traditional “classical” approach is used in the recitative dialogues and Neveah’s central aria “I Crush, I Squeeze, I Shrink, Deflate, and Wither.” This work is dedicated to the LGBTQ community and all those who feel that they don’t fit.
Duration: c. 14’
Characters:
Neveah--mezzo-soprano
Phanessa, a Fairy Dragmother--baritone
Store Clerk--soprano
A shopper—silent
Prizewinner of 2017-2018 American Prize for opera/film/theater (student division)
All That Glitters is a complete micro-opera in one scene. It is a modern take on the Cinderella story, with an underlying moral of self-acceptance and positive body image. Ru Paul’s motto may be appropriate to quote here as the gist of the story: “If you can’t love yourself, how the hell are you gonna love somebody else?” The larger-than-life character of the Afro-Carribbean/Latin show-stealing drag queen Phanessa inspired all the Afro-Cuban, Calypso, Blues, Bossa Nova, and crooner numbers in this opera. A more traditional “classical” approach is used in the recitative dialogues and Neveah’s central aria “I Crush, I Squeeze, I Shrink, Deflate, and Wither.” This work is dedicated to the LGBTQ community and all those who feel that they don’t fit.
Duration: c. 14’
Characters:
Neveah--mezzo-soprano
Phanessa, a Fairy Dragmother--baritone
Store Clerk--soprano
A shopper—silent
Prizewinner of 2017-2018 American Prize for opera/film/theater (student division)
All That Glitters is a complete micro-opera in one scene. It is a modern take on the Cinderella story, with an underlying moral of self-acceptance and positive body image. Ru Paul’s motto may be appropriate to quote here as the gist of the story: “If you can’t love yourself, how the hell are you gonna love somebody else?” The larger-than-life character of the Afro-Carribbean/Latin show-stealing drag queen Phanessa inspired all the Afro-Cuban, Calypso, Blues, Bossa Nova, and crooner numbers in this opera. A more traditional “classical” approach is used in the recitative dialogues and Neveah’s central aria “I Crush, I Squeeze, I Shrink, Deflate, and Wither.” This work is dedicated to the LGBTQ community and all those who feel that they don’t fit.
Duration: c. 14’
Characters:
Neveah--mezzo-soprano
Phanessa, a Fairy Dragmother--baritone
Store Clerk--soprano
A shopper—silent
Instrumentation:
Piano; electronic keyboard set to a “vibes” patch or some other “smooth jazz” sound (one player)
Percussion (one player): drum set, marimba, vibraphone, bell tree, mark tree