What’s coming up in 2011? Let’s see….First is Courtside, my one act opera for the Houston Grand Opera’s HGOco, is going into production! Casting, set design, rehearsals, all leading to the premier on February 5th, followed by a week of performances and events around greater Houston. The libretto, by San Francisco playwright Eugenie Chan, explores how two generations of a Chinese American family must find ways to reconcile differences in order to live with pride in modern America, while maintaining tradition. Courtside follows a hot-shot, high school basketball player who fights back when taunted on the court. This benches his team, and his grandfather scorns him for bringing public shame to his team and family.
And….two new recordings are in the works! Produced and engineered by Grammy-winners Judith Sherman and Leslie Ann Jones, The Bastard Wind will be a new disc comprising a cross-section of my recent vocal music. Well-known & beloved American singers confirmed for the recording are mezzo soprano Jill Grove, tenor Thomas Glenn, sopranos Melody Moore and Marnie Breckenridge. The disc will be recorded at Skywalker Sound in Marin, CA. Piano duties will be shared between me and Lydia Brown (Marlboro Chamber Music Festival & The Metropolitan Opera). Poet’s Cabaret will be recorded at the Atlantis Group Studio in Santa Monica, during the month of April. This is a new project focusing on a mix of short vocal songs balanced with short instrumental pieces. I’m approaching it as a collection of scenes and short stories told through music & lyrics. Stay tuned for more details!