AMELIA (2010)

A two act opera in six scenes

Duration: 120 minutes

Music Text
Libretto by Gardner McFall | Story by Stephen Wadsworth (E, V)

Scoring

  • Original Instrumentation(44 players): solo voices S, S, S, S, Mez-S, M, T, T, Bar, Bar, Bar, B; supers ,2(I,II=picc).2(II=CA).2(I=Eb;II=bcl).2-2.2.2.1-timp.perc(2)-harp-pft-str(7.6.5.4.2 players)
  • Condensed Instrumentation (34 players): solo voices S, S, S, S, Mez-S, M, T, T, Bar, Bar, Bar, B; supers 2(I,II=picc).2(II=CA).2(I=Eb;II=bcl).2-2.2.2.1-timp.perc(2)-harp-pft(=synth)-str(5.5.4.2.1 players
Publisher / Licensing Agent
Peermusic Classical (Burning Sled Music)

Territory
This work is available from Peermusic Classical for the world.

World Premiere
8 May 2010 McCaw Opera House, Seattle, WA
Stephen Wadsworth, director
Conductor: Gerard Schwartz
Company: Seattle Opera

Roles
The Flier (Lyric-S)
Young Amelia (Lyric-S)
Helen (S)
Amelia (Mez-S)
Amanda (M)
Young Boy / Icarus (T)
Dodge (T)
Paul (Lyric-Bar)
Daedalus / Father (B)
Trang / Nurse (Lyric-S)
Huy / Doctor (Bar)
Interpreter / 2nd Doctor (Lyric-Bar)
C.O. / Political Official (T)
Chaplain / Government Official / Priest (Bar)
NVA Commander / Grief Counselor (spoken)
3 NVA Army Soldiers (spoken)
Several Supers (mute)

Time and Place
The United States and Vietnam between the years 1965 and 1996.

Synopsis
A first time mother-to-be, whose psyche has been scarred by the loss of her pilot-father in Vietnam, must break free from anxiety to embrace healing and renewal for the sake of her husband and child in this original story unfolding over a 30-year period beginning in 1966. The opera interweaves one woman's emotional journey, the American experience in Vietnam, and elements of the Daedalus and Icarus myth to explore man's fascination with flight and the dilemmas that arise when vehicles of flight are used for exploration, adventure, and war. With an intensely personal libretto by American poet Gardner McFall, whose father was a Navy pilot lost during Vietnam, the opera traces, with honor and dignity, one Navy family's journey from loss to recuperation, paralysis to flight, as the protagonist, Amelia, ultimately embraces her life and the creative force of love and family.

Production Stills
Here

Links
Wikipedia | Libretto | Orchestral Suite

Selected Notable Performances
Moores Opera House, Chicago Opera Theater, Chicago College for the Performing Arts