Readers that follow Opera Parallèle probably know that tonight will be the opening night of a new version of Paul Moravec’s opera The Shining, setting a libretto by Mark Campbell based on the novel by Stephen King. Given that this will mark the end of the current season, it seems appropriate to announce the plans for the 2023–24 season. Once again, this will be a season of premieres, one a double bill.
The title of that double bill will be Birds & Balls, reflecting the titles of the two one-act chamber operas to be performed on either side of the intermission. The title of the first of these is “Vinkensport, or The Finch Opera,” composed by David T. Little working with a libretto by Royce Vavrek. This will be a comedy about Flemish sportsmanship.
It will be paired with another sports-related one-act opera, entitled simply “Balls.” The libretto by Gail Collins is based on the tennis match held in 1973 between Bobby Riggs (age 55) and Billie Jean King (age 29), dubbed by the journalists (not just in sports) as the “Battle of the Sexes.” Laura Karpman composed the music for Collins’ libretto. The performances of this opera pairing will take place between Friday, April 5, and Sunday, April 7.
The season will begin with performances on October 27 and October 28 of the world premiere performance of The Emissary. This will be based on the novel by Japanese author Yoko Tawada, but the opera will draw upon the English-language account provided by Margaret Mitsutani. The narrative explores the psychological stress on the younger generation arising from the angst triggered by the alarming news of deteriorating environmental conditions. Kelley Rourke will adapt Mitsutani’s text to serve as a libretto for music composed by Kenji Oh.
The season will conclude with performances between June 21 and June 23 of the West Coast premiere of Fellow Travelers. Wikipedia has an entry for this term, describing a fellow traveler as “a person who is intellectually sympathetic to the ideology of a political organization, and who co-operates in the organization's politics, without being a formal member of that organization.” Here in the United States, the term was applied to those that sympathized with Communist ideals without becoming “card-carrying members” of the Communist Party. Such sympathizers were often accused of homosexuality, resulting in an anti-Communist movement known as the “Lavender Scare.”
The opera is based on a novel of the same title by Thomas Mallon. Greg Pierce developed the opera libretto by drawing upon Mallon’s book. The music was composed by Gregory Spears. The result was given its world premiere in 2016 by the Cincinnati Opera. It was then performed during the 2018 Prototype Festival in New York and subsequently by the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Minnesota Opera, and the Boston Lyric Opera.
Each of these three productions will take place in a different venue. The Emissary will be performed at the ODC Theater at 3153 17th Street, on the northwest corner of Shotwell Street. The double bill will be performed in the Miner Auditorium of the SFJAZZ Center at 201 Franklin Street, on the northwest corner of Fell Street. Fellow Travelers will be performed in the Presidio at the Presidio Theatre, located at 99 Moraga Avenue. Ticketing has not yet been finalized but will probably become available at the Opera Parallèle Web site after Web pages have been created for the new season.
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