DeSpain/Peterspalooza in Utah

Pre-show chat and hat at the Staggewring premiere in Wichita, 2021.

Composer Lisa DeSpain and I may live in the same city, but we see each other more often when we’re traveling elsewhere for work. This time, it’s my first-ever jaunt to her home state of Utah, where our first collaboration kicked off at Utah Opera. Since its world premiere, No Ladies in the Lady’s Book was published by E.C. Schirmer and has been performed in various places around the country. You can add your organization to that list!

This time, on May 26th and 27th Brigham Young University is mounting an ambitious program of scenes from our other works. Most university opera scenes evenings give a broad overview of the traditional canon—Mozart, Puccini, etc.—but now it’s us! The very first live presentation of Men I’m Not Married To, adaptated from the short story by Dorothy Parker and originally conceived for video in early Pandemic Times, will be followed by excerpts from Staggerwing. We also have the rare gift of an orchestra for these performances, which allows Lisa to try out some new textures. Rehearsals are underway, and reportedly, enthusiasm is high! We look forward to parachuting in at the end of the week for the finishing touches.

The quote “Art is never finished, only abandoned,” has been (perhaps mis-)attributed to many artists over time. No matter who said it, we agree, and we’re glad to keep refining these works in front of audiences willing to take the ride with us. You can purchase tickets here, and be sure to let me know if you’re coming!