COMPANIONSHIP | Music and Libretto by Rachel J. Peters
Recovering from a nervous breakdown, aspiring baker Leslie Sinclair finally reaches the end of her obsessive quest to bake the perfect baguette when the 207,345th one suddenly comes to life. Companionship mirrors our contemporary world, where what we consume becomes all-consuming. Adapted from the short story by Arthur Phillips.
CAST: 7 adult principals and children’s chorus
INSTRUMENTATION: 1.0.1 (doubling t.sax).1/0.0.1.0/pft- perc (1)/1.1.1.1.1 (doubling elec.bass)
DURATION: 1 hour 20 minutes
WORLD PREMIERE: Fort Worth Opera, 2019; Premiere with Orchestra, Virginia Arts Festival, 2022
MEN I’M NOT MARRIED TO | Music by Lisa DeSpain, Libretto by Rachel J. Peters
Men I'm Not Married To is loosely adapted from Dorothy Parker’s eponymous text. In the summer of 1924, three young bridesmaids are at their mutual friend’s wedding reception, hiding from their respective assigned groomsmen: a prankster whose antics have run afoul; a sanctimonious judge obsessed with Prohibition contraband; and a self-proclaimed intellectual full of unsolicited advice. Thank goodness it’s the era of the New Woman, when dating has supplanted courtship and a woman’s worth will never again be tied to her marital prospects. Right?
CAST: 1 soprano, 2 mezzo-sopranos, 1 nonsinging male actor
INSTRUMENTATION: Jazz ensemble
DURATION: 15 minutes
WORLD PREMIERE: Cleveland Opera Theater/Baldwin Wallace Conservatory/On Site Opera Operas in Place virtual festival, Winter 2022
STAGGERWING | Music by Lisa DeSpain, Libretto by Rachel J. Peters
Staggerwing is an original chamber opera dramatizing the historical flight of pilots Louise Thaden and Blanche Noyes competing in the grueling transcontinental 1936 Bendix Trophy Race, the first year all-female teams were allowed to enter. Intercut between the intense confinement of the plane and expansive episodes of crucial events leading up to the race, Louise and Blanche navigate the physical risks of their flight, work, personal tragedies, and a male-dominated field, emerging victorious. Winner, 2020 Opera Kansas Zepick Modern Opera Competition.
CAST: 5 principals (3F, 2M) (currently being expanded in development)
INSTRUMENTATION: Clarinet, piano, drums, bass (currently being expanded in development)
DURATION: 1 hour
WORLD PREMIERE: Opera Kansas, Summer 2021.
LESSON PLAN | Based on Georg Philip Telemann’s Der Schulmeister; Additional Music, Libretto, and Singing Translation by Rachel J. Peters
Lesson Plan brings an internationally celebrated operatic contralto into the world of online teaching while her headlining stage engagements are put on hold. Thought to be teaching trained singers at a prestigious conservatory, she catches her assistant in a scheduling faux pas and instead takes the Zoom stage for a community college with the same acronym – a group with little singing experience or interest in what the great diva had in mind. Intercepted by an overwhelmed school administrator with a side hustle as an amateur choir director, the pair clash over teaching technique, singing and the true meaning of art.
CAST: Soprano and contralto
INSTRUMENTATION: Bassoon, piano/harpsichord, 2 violins, bass
DURATION: 45 minutes
WORLD PREMIERE: On Site Opera virtual production, Winter 2022; Live Version premiere, Caramoor Festival, Summer 2022
THE WILD BEAST OF THE BUNGALOW | Music by Rachel J. Peters, Libretto by Royce Vavrek
This triptych of short chamber operas (Mermaid in the Jar, Prairie Dogs, and Fine and Dandy) takes place entirely within an eleven-year-old Girl’s bedroom as she overhears her parents’ volatile conversations. 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.
CAST: 1 coloratura soprano plus eight additional principals playing multiple roles
INSTRUMENTATION: 1.0.1 (doubling BCl.).1.bar.sax/0.0.1.0/pft-perc (1)-harp-ukulele (doubling banjo)/1.0.0.1.1 or piano/vocal
WORLD PREMIERE: Oberlin Conservatory, Winter 2020.
DURATION: 90 minutes
EVERYTHING COMES TO A HEAD | Music by Rachel J. Peters, Libretto by Margi Preus and Jean Sramek
Where is Basil, Rosemary’s boyfriend? He made like a tree and leaved. Rosemary is worried their love has gone domant (was it the lack of spice in their relationship?) but she’s staying planted in her tiny apartment. Her roommates, on the other hand, think Rosemary doesn’t need to cultivate that kind of baggage. Everything Comes to a Head gives us some sage advice: if the roots of love are deep enough, it doesn’t matter if you’re in mint condition.
CAST: soprano, two mezzo-sopranos, and baritone
INSTRUMENTATION: piano and violin
DURATION: 12 minutes
WORLD PREMIERE: Virtual Premiere: Decameron Opera Coalition/Lyric Opera of the North, Fall 2020. Live Premiere, Fargo-Moorhead Opera, 2023.
NO LADIES IN THE LADY’S BOOK | Music by Lisa DeSpain, Libretto by Rachel J. Peters
A short comic opera inspired by an article from Godey’s Lady’s Book declaring “This great work [The Transcontinental Railroad] was begun, carried on and completed by men only.” Godey is visited by an onslaught of unsung female inventors intent on setting the record straight.
CAST: Soprano, Mezzo, Tenor, Baritone
INSTRUMENTATION: piano, clarinet, and violin
DURATION: 15 minutes
WORLD PREMIERE: Utah Opera, Spring 2019.
STEVE | Music and Libretto by Rachel J. Peters
Ann attends her synagogue’s singles mixer. The only man there is the reincarnation of her dead mutt, Steve. Adapted from the play by Liz Bartucci.
CAST: Lyric soprano, Tenor
INSTRUMENTATION: 0.0.1.0/0.0.0.0/pft.perc (1)/1.0.1.1.0
DURATION: 10 minutes
WORLD PREMIERE: Boston Opera Collaborative, Fall 2018.