Betty Box Office

Mini Opera in One Scene (2008)
Libretto by Ken Gass
Three Voices, Cl, Vn, Vc, Pno
Duration: 9″
Full Score :: Piano Vocal Score
Premiere: September 2008, Tapestry New Opera, Toronto, Ontario; Wayne Strongman, Music Director
The operatic aspirations of a box office employee come to life when the star of the evening’s performance suffers an unfortunate accident. Betty convinces the dashing General Manager to allow her save the show, but her moment is ruined by a handsome co-worker who charms the GM with an alternate solution involving a “little bluegrass Eurydice and some country Orfeo”. This leads to an important operatic staple: murder, carried out in this case with the sharp end of a pencil.