Gentlemen Callers (Solo Version)

aria for soprano from The Wild Beast of the Bungalow
(PDF Download)

Libretto by Royce Vavrek, based on and further inspired by Mermaid in the Jar by Sheila Heti.

This aria occurs in the final portion of a triptych of short chamber operas (Mermaid in the Jar, Prairie Dogs, and Fine and Dandy) that take place entirely within an eleven-year-old Girl’s bedroom. Over the course of a few days, a mermaid, a family of stuffed prairie dogs, and singing groups of chicken pox and shingles force her to confront what it means to care for others and be cared for herself. This excerpt finds the Girl with the Chicken Pox, imagining that the pimples on her face are a handsome barbershop quartet. She quickly falls in love with all four of them before her world crumbles down around her.

INSTRUMENTATION: Piano/Vocal

DURATION: 3:00

PAGES: 5

WORLD PREMIERE: Oberlin Conservatory, Winter 2020.