American Opera Initiative

A Comprehensive Commissioning
Program

About the Program

The American Opera Initiative is a comprehensive commissioning program founded in
January 2012 by Washington National Opera. The Initiative was created to stimulate,
enrich, and ensure the future of contemporary American opera by providing talented
emerging composers and librettists with mentorship and opportunities to write for the
stage.

Each season of the American Opera Initiative commissions three 20-minute operas
and an hour-long opera using a chamber ensemble drawn from the WNO orchestra Seasons
and the singers of the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program. Commissioned works
are based on American themes and stories. Each team of composers and librettists First ....................................... 2
workshops their operas throughout the development cycle at the Kennedy Center and Second .................................. 4
has the invaluable experience of witnessing their work performed on a Kennedy Center
stage during the January AOI Festival. Performances are followed by a Q&A session Third...................................... 6
with the artists and the creative team. Fourth ................................... 8

Participants are chosen from around the country in collaboration with the Kennedy
Center Conservatory Project. The Conservatory Project is an initiative of the Perform-
ing Arts of Everyone’s Millennium Stage, designed to present the best young musical
artists in classical, jazz, musical theater, dance, and opera from our nation's leading
undergraduate and graduate conservatories, colleges, and universities.
Fifth ....................................... 10
Sixth ...................................... 12
Seventh ................................. 14

A key element of the American Opera Initiative is connecting the young composers and
librettists to professional mentors who have successfully brought new American operas
to the stage. Past mentors have included conductors Anne Manson, Steven Osgood,
and John DeMain, composers Jake Heggie, Ricky Ian Gordon, John Musto, and Kevin
Puts, and librettists Mark Campbell and Gene Scheer. These mentors work closely
with WNO Artistic Director Francesca Zambello and AOI Director Robert Ainsley
throughout the creative process, offering detailed feedback and advice to each team.

Mentors for the 2019-2020 season are conductor Anne Manson (Founding AOI men-
tor; Music Director, Manitoba Symphony Orchestra), composer Laura Kamin-
sky (composer of As One, Some Light Emerges), and librettist Kelley Rourke (WNO
Dramaturg; librettist of Lucy, Odyssey, Robin Hood).
The Game of Hearts First Season

Composer: Douglas Pew Characters:

Librettist: Dara Weinberg Jean Bierbaum (lyric soprano)
Sylvia Bierbaum Alpertstein Holtz
Setting: The Sunset Terrace ex-
(dramatic soprano)
tended-care nursing home in Seattle,
Harriet Oshiro (mezzo-soprano)
early 2001.
Dr. Steve Vergara (lyric tenor)
Synopsis: Jean Bierbaum moves Jerry Rosenberg (lyric baritone)
into Sunset Terrace, where her sister
Instrumentation: flute, clarinet
Sylvia and Sylvia's friend Harriet live.
(doubling bass clarinet), alto saxo-
Jean, whose fiancé died in WWII,
phone (doubling bassoon), percus-
never married. Jerry Rosenberg, an-
sion - vibraphone, crotales, triangle,
other resident whose wife is dying,
suspended cymbal, piano, violin, vio-
sympathizes with Jean. She develops
la, cello
an interest in Jerry.
Act: one act
Duration: 20 minutes
Part of the Act
Composer: Liam Wade Characters:
Librettist: John Grimmett Ginger Taylor (soprano)
Mabel McGinley (mezzo-soprano)
Seamus McGinley (bass-baritone)
Setting: A vaudevillian theater in New
York City, 1924 Instrumentation: flute, clarinet in B-flat/
bass clarinet in B-flat (one player), bassoon/
Synopsis: Ginger Taylor is the most beau-
alto saxophone in E-flat (one player), drum
tiful and talented actress on the Orpheum
set/ timpani/ percussion (one player), piano,
Circuit. Mabel McGinley, a crazed housewife
violin, viola, cello
armed with a revolver, breaks into Ginger’s
dressing room and accuses her of having an Act: one act
affair with Mabel’s husband, Seamus. Ginger Scene: Prelude, Part one, Part two
explains that it is merely a test he devised to Duration: 20 minutes
test her loyalty. When Seamus suddenly
emerges from Ginger’s closet and explains
himself, we must decide what the truth is.
Charon
Composer: Scott Perkins Characters:
Librettist: Nat Cassidy Charon (bass)
Business Man/Ensemble (baritone)
Setting: the River Styx.
Man/Ensemble (tenor)
Synopsis: Charon is the ferryman of the Woman/Ensemble (mezzo-soprano)
River Styx. As he rows, Charon is subject to Spanish Woman/Ensemble (soprano)
overhearing the petty remnants of each new-
Instrumentation: flute
ly departed mortal. Through four singers, we
(doubling alto flute), bassoon,
hear a sampling of what Charon dismisses
percussion 1 - bass drum, ma-
as human pettiness—sometimes comic,
rimba, suspended cymbal, per-
sometimes tragic—before their past lives slip
cussion 2 - tam-tam, vibraphone,
away. Suddenly, the numbers of dead are
glockenspiel, tubular bells, xylo-
increasing, as are the sounds of their past
phone, piano, viola, cello
lives. He pushes his way back to the living
side of the river only to find there is no one Act: one act
there. Finally, a young child arrives at Char- Duration: 20 minutes
on’s dock. They row in painful silence until
they reach their destination. The child disem-
barks. “It's okay,” the child says. “I was the
last one.” Then turns and walks away.

2
First Season

Approaching Ali
Composer: D.J. Sparr
Librettist: Mark Campbell and Davis Miller
Setting: Timeline between 1964 and 1989.
Synopsis: The story is about a boy in North Carolina in
the early 1960s who is galvanized to overcome some trau-
matic childhood events when he sees Muhammad Ali on
television. More than twenty years later, as a writer on the
brink of middle age, he now seeks to rekindle that spirit by
visiting his boyhood hero in person at his mother's home in
Louisville.
Characters:
Davis (baritone) – Caucasian. A man on the brink of mid-
dle age, in every way, Davis is a writer who finds inspiration in an impromptu visit with his boyhood hero.
Muhammad Ali (bass-baritone) – African-American, late 40s, but seems older. The Champ is in semi-retirement, suffering from
the early stages of Parkinson’s’ Disease, but still exhibits the fire that made him The Greatest.
Odessa Clay (soprano) – African-American. Mother of Muhammad Ali, a vibrant woman in her early 70s, but seems decades
younger.
Young Davis (boy soprano) – Caucasian. The twelve-year old version of Davis, tormented at an early age by bullying because
of his physical stature and confused about his mother’s premature death.
Roy Miller (tenor) – Caucasian. Davis’s father, late-20s. A kind father doing the best he can to help Young Davis through being
bullied and his wife’s death.
Sara Miller (mezzo-soprano) – Caucasian. Davis’s mother, late-20s.
Instrumentation: flute/piccolo, clarinet/bass clarinet, 2 percussion, synthesizer, violin I + II, viola, cello, double bass
Act: one act
Scene: Prelude, Here Goes, Champ, When He Was A Child, Then, Will You Believe?, Hurts to Try, And So I Trained,
You’re Still A Great Man, Champ, Everything Happens For A Reason, Life the Pen
Duration: 60 minutes

3
Duffy's Cut
Composer: Jennifer Bellor
Librettist: Elizabeth Reeves
Setting: Rural Malvern, Pennsylva-
nia. Late August, 1832.
Synopsis: In August, 1832, the
entire crew of 57 workers at a Penn-
sylvania railroad worksite—Duffy’s
Cut—die. Contractor Phillip Duffy
wishes to destroy all evidence of
what happened. He charges the
camp blacksmith, Malachi Harris with
the task. Haunted by the ghosts of
three dead workers he knew in life
and nursed in illness, Malachi must
decide whether to carry out Duffy’s
orders, or preserve some trace of
what happened at Duffy’s Cut.
Breaking
Composer: Michael Gilbertson
Librettist: Caroline McGraw
Setting: (N/A)
Synopsis: A young reporter, desperate to
stand out in a 24-hour news cycle, finally
gets a moment in the spotlight, only to dis-
cover how harmful a constant stream of infor-
mation can be.
Characters:
Johanna (mezzo-soprano)
Sam (bass)
Zoe (soprano)
Davey (tenor)
4
Second Season
Characters:
Malachi Harris (baritone)
Philip Duffy (bass)
John Ruddy (tenor)
Catherine Burns (soprano)
John Burns (tenor)
Instrumentation: flute, clarinet in B
-flat/bass clarinet, percussion – vibra-
phone, xylophone, tubular bells, tim-
pani I + II, drum set (3 toms, 1 snare,
1 kick drum, hi-hat, ride, and splash
cymbal, wire brushes, and cloths to
dampen drums), triangle, tam-tam,
bass drum, piano, violin I + II, viola,
cello
Act: one act
Duration: 20 minutes
Uncle Alex
Composer: Joshua Bornfield Characters:
Librettist: Caitlin Vincent Anna Eingold (mezzo-soprano)
Inspector Henry Matthews (tenor)
Setting: Ellis Island, New York City; 1907.
Jacob Eingold (tenor)
Synopsis: Uncle Alex tells the story of Alexander Margolis (baritone)
new arrivals Anna and Jacob Eingold as they
Instrumentation: flute, clarinet in B-flat/
navigate their final interview with an Ellis
bass clarinet in B-flat, horn in F, percussion –
Island inspector. When their hopes are de-
suspended cymbal, tam-tam, bass drum,
railed by a technicality, fellow immigrant Alex
field drum, snare drum, 5 Set of temple
Margolis calls his own future into question
blocks, tubular bells (chimes), piano, 2 vio-
with an unexpected act of heroism. An opera
lins, viola, cello
about love, family, and what it truly means to
be American Act: one act
Duration: 20 minutes
Instrumentation: flute/piccolo,
clarinet in B-flat/bass clarinet,
horn in F, percussion – bass
drum, kick drum, suspended
cymbal, large tam-tam, snare
drum, field drum, vibraphone,
glockenspiel, chimes, piano, 2
violins, viola, cello
Act: one act
Duration: 20 minutes
Second Season

An American Soldier
Composer: Huang Ruo
Librettist: David Henry Hwang
Setting: Afghanistan. October, 2011.
Synopsis: An American Soldier is based on the true story
of Pvt. Danny Chen, a Chinese American soldier in Af-
ghanistan bullied by his unit commander and fellow sol-
diers. On October 3, 2011, Danny Chen was found dead
in a guard tower at his base in Kandahar province, Af-
ghanistan. The circumstances behind his death illustrate a
dark undercurrent to life in the military. Drawing from the
ensuing courts-martial of Chen's fellow soldiers, An Ameri-
can Soldier explores what happens when the very people
who are supposed to protect you in a combat zone be-
come your enemies.
Characters:
Pvt. Danny Chen (Tenor) - Asian American male, 19
Judge / Pvt. Manny Davis (Bass) - African American male
Sgt. Aaron Marcum (Baritone) - white male
Mrs. Chen (Mezzo-Soprano) - Chinese immigrant to America, female, 40
Defense Lawyer Major Baker / Pvt. Roderic Carter / Spc. Cameron Rodriguez (Tenor)
Brian (Danny’s best friend) / Sgt. Lucas Brown / Pvt. Roman Parker / Sgt. Jackson Blakemore (Baritone)
Prosecution Lawyer Major Rose / Spc. Austin Haldemann / Spc. Julian Swanson (Bass)
Instrumentation: flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, trumpet (doubling large didgeridoo & plastic sound tube), horn
(doubling large didgeridoo & plastic sound tube) , trombone (doubling large didgeridoo), percussion - bass drum & bongos & 2
congas, Chinese opera gong, large Indonesian button gong, metal wind-chimes, snare drum, bell tree, slapstick, violin I +II, vio-
la, cello, double bass
Act: one act (7 scenes)
Duration: 60 minutes

5
The Investment
Composer: John Liberatore
Librettist: Niloufar Talebi
Setting: (N/A)
Synopsis: The Mohems are an Ira-
nian-American couple who enjoy an
affluent life in Silicon Valley. The two
have recently purchased a painting
by Roxana Lieber. While discussing
the painting, Roxana reveals the true
subject behind what appears to be
just an abstract landscape—one that
offends Mr. Mohem. As dormant dif-
ferences erupt between Mr. and Mrs.
Mohem, Roxana struggles with her
own feelings about art.
Daughters of the Bloody Duke
Composer: Jake Runestad
Librettist: David Johnston
Setting: (N/A)
Synopsis: In a dark Gothic castle, the
newlyweds Kent De Quincey and Margot
Craven, have just spent their wedding night
together. After Kent falls asleep, Margot pre-
pares to murder him, having been ordered to
do so by her father, Gilbert Craven, “the
Bloody Duke of Ravenswood.” All forty of the
Craven daughters have been ordered to kill
their husbands – the forty sons of De Quin-
cey, who cheated Ravenswood out of his
lands. Margot must finally choose between
her family’s thirst for revenge and her own
growing love for her new husband.
6
Third Season
Characters:
Roxana (soprano)
Arezoo (mezzo-soprano)
Mrs. Mohem (mezzo-soprano)
Mr. Mohem (bass)
Instrumentation: flute, oboe, clari-
net in B-flat/doubling bass clarinet in
B-flat, bassoon, horn in F, trumpet in
C, percussion I – tam-tam, glocken-
spiel, temple blocks, snare, bass
drum, slapstick, percussion II – vibra-
phone, xylophone, 2 violins, cello,
double bass
Act: one act (six scenes)
Duration: 20 minutes
An American Man
Composer: Rene Orth Characters:
Librettist: Jason Kim Sally (mezzo-soprano)
Wyatt (tenor)
Setting: Contemporary America.
Rex (baritone)
Synopsis: Rising American political star
Instrumentation: flute, oboe, clarinet, bas-
Wyatt Adams returns home for his estranged
soon, horn in F, trumpet, piano, 2 percussion
father’s funeral. But when he reveals his hid-
– timpani, wood block (Japanese piccolo),
den motive—to erase all record of his father’s
tam-tam, snare drum, crotales, glockenspiel,
troublesome past—things begin to get com-
vibraphone (bowed), bass drum, xylophone,
plicated. Caught between his political ambi-
temple blocks
tions and his desire to do the right thing, Wy-
att must figure out what truly matters to him. Act: one act
Duration: 20 minutes
Characters:
Kent De Quincey (tenor)
Margot Craven (soprano)
Claudia Craven (soprano)
Countess Eleanor Craven
(mezzo-soprano)
Offstage Male voice
Offstage Female Voices (at
least three)
Instrumentation: flute, oboe, clari-
net, bassoon, horn in F, trumpet,
piano, 2 percussion – timpani,
tam-tam, glockenspiel, crotales,
suspended cymbal, triangle
Act: one act
Duration: 20 minutes
Third Season

Penny
Composer: Douglas Pew
Librettist: Dara Weinberg
Setting: In October, 2011. In the living room/ Kitchen of
Gary and Katherine’s one-bedroom apartment, in a high-
rise in Phoenix, Arizona.
Synopsis: The piece tells the story of Penny Ruther-
ford, an autistic woman who discovers as an adult that she
has an unusual talent for vocal music. As she begins to
consider performing publicly she starts to assert her inde-
pendence from her family, which leads to conflict with her
sister Katherine. Director Alan Paul writes, "At its core,
Penny is about discovering who you are—a journey that
everyone goes through in their lives."
Characters:
Penelope (Penny) Rutherford (mezzo-soprano) – 24 years old. Autistic. Musically gifted but untrained. She has never lived inde-
pendently from her family.
Katherine Tate (née Rutherford) (soprano) – Penny’s older sister. A junior high-school English teacher. 29 years old.
Gary Tate (baritone) – Katherine’s husband. 31 years old. A music teacher at the same school where Katherine teachers Eng-
lish. Focal dystonia ended his career as a pianist.
Mr. Jaeson Shaw (bass) – social worker. 30s or 40s.
Raymond Fasten (baritone) – Penny’s uncle, dead before the opera begins, a ghost. Mid-60s.
Martin Halstrom (tenor) – a pianist and composer, Gary’s college roommate. 31 years old.
Instrumentation: flute (doubling piccolo), oboe (doubling English horn), clarinet in B -flat (doubling E-flat clarinet and bass
clarinet), bassoon, horn in F, percussion (1) – 1 timpani (middle register), snare drum, small bass drum, cymbals, suspended cym-
bal, triangle, ratchet, glockenspiel, crotales (high octave), piano (doubling celesta), harp, 2 violins, viola, cello, double bass
Act: one act (six scenes)
Duration: 60 minutes

7
 20 Minutes Or Less Fourth Season

Composer: Sarah Hutchings Characters:

Librettist: Mark Sonnenblick
Setting: At the Pizza Queen, a
small chain restaurant in the Midwest.
Synopsis: Osha’s first night work-
ing at Pizza Queen coincides with
their most important delivery of the
year. Will her co-workers like and
respect her? Will she get the pizza to
the customer in time? Will the thin
veneer of human civilization prove
strong enough to keep the empty
chaos of the universe at bay? The
clock is ticking…
Osha (mezzo-soprano)
Damian (baritone)
Candice (soprano)
Pizza Queen 1 (soprano)
Pizza Queen 2 (tenor)
Instrumentation: flute, oboe, clari-
net in B-flat, bassoon, horn in F,
trumpet in B-flat, trombone (tenor),
percussionist - timpani, crash cymbal,
glockenspiel, xylophone, piano
Act: one act
Scene, The Phone Call, The Pizza
Queen, The Room Just Got Colder,
No Other Calls, Panic, Something
Bad Has Happened
Duration: 20 minutes
Alexandra

Composer: David Clay Mettens Instrumentation: flute, oboe (doubling

Librettist: Joshua McGuire
Setting: Present day with flashbacks to
1942, in a university library
Synopsis: As a young widow tries to re-
turn a library book stolen by her deceased
husband, she realizes it is the first link in a
chain of secret messages from another time.
With the library closing around her, she is
forced to choose between her own complex
history with the book and an uncertain future.
Characters:
Alexandra (mezzo-soprano)
Alex (tenor)
Ray (bass)
English horn), clarinet in B-flat (doubling bass
clarinet), bassoon, horn in F, trumpet in C,
trombone, piano, percussion - high wood
block, triangle, medium-small suspended
cymbal, medium Chinese cymbal*, sizzle
cymbal, tam-tam, bass drum, glockenspiel,
xylophone, timpani (3 drums) (* a large sus-
pended cymbal with a dense, complex sound
may be substituted for the Chinese cymbal),
violin, viola, cello, double bass
Act: one act
Duration: 20 minutes

Service Provider
Composer: Christopher Weiss Characters:
Librettist: John de los Santos Autumn (mezzo-soprano)
Beau (baritone)
Setting: Present day, an upscale restau-
Charlene (soprano)
rant
Dallas (tenor)
Synopsis: Service Provider is a comic opera
Instrumentation: flute, oboe,
detailing the erosion of modern romance by
clarinet in A, bassoon, horn in F,
our obsession with technology. When a lov-
xylophone, piano, violin, viola,
ing young couple goes out for their anniver-
cello, double bass
sary dinner at an elegant restaurant, the
evening descends into farcical disaster as Act: one act
the constant threat of cell phone use eventu- Duration: 20 minutes
ally unmasks the fractured reality of their
marriage.

8
Fourth Season

Better Gods
Composer: Luna Woolf
Librettist: Caitlin Vincent
Setting: Hawaii, between 1893 and 1895
Synopsis: As the opera begins, Queen Lili’uokalani of
Hawaii announces her plans for a new constitution, one
that will return voting rights to Hawaiian citizens. While
native Hawaiian Robert Wilcox is thrilled with the news,
American businessman Lorrin Thurston urges Lili’uokalani
to reconsider. Unbeknownst to the Queen, Thurston is
conspiring to annex Hawaii to the United States, and the
Queen’s new constitution will limit his political influence.
When Lili’uokalani insists on proceeding with the new con-
stitution, Thurston stages a coup d’état. As the Marines
surround Iolani Palace, Wilcox begs Lili’uokalani to take up
arms against them, but she refuses, citing her pacifist beliefs. Several months pass, and despite Lili’uokalani’s efforts, Thurston
and the Provisional Government remain in firm control of Hawaii. James Miller, a young journalist from the Associated Press,
arrives in Honolulu to report on the new government. Based solely on his interviews with Thurston, Miller initially writes in high
praise of the new government. However, when Miller has an opportunity to meet Lili’uokalani, he realizes that Thurston has ma-
nipulated him into presenting the overthrow in a positive light. As Miller prepares to return to San Francisco, Robert Wilcox leads
an unsuccessful revolution against the Provisional Government. He is immediately arrested, along with the other native royalists
who had hoped to restore Lili’uokalani to power. Under the pretext of involvement in Wilcox’s rebellion, Lili’uokalani is also ar-
rested and placed on trial for treason. Thurston compels Lili’uokalani to abdicate her throne or witness the executions of Wilcox
and her other supporters. Determined to avoid bloodshed, Lili’uokalani reads the statement of abdication and formally declares
the end of the Hawaiian monarchy.
Characters:
Queen Lili’uokalani (mezzo-soprano) – A devout Christian determined to preserve Hawaiian culture and tradition. Regal and
intelligent, but not without a sense of humor
Lorrin Thurston (tenor) – The grandson of the first American missionaries in Hawaii and the political force behind Hawaii’s an-
nexation movement. Ambitious and ruthless.
James Miller (baritone) – A reporter for the Associated Press. Clever and charming, but ultimately naïve.
Robert Wilcox (bass) – A judge for the Kingdom of Hawaii. Thurston’s man to the core.
Kahua (soprano) – A Hawaiian girl mentored by Lili’uokalani. Young, beautiful, and innocent.
Soldier – a non-singing actor
Instrumentation: flute/piccolo/alto flute/nose flute I, oboe/English horn, bassoon, horn in F, percussion I + II, violin I + II,
viola I + II, cello I + II, double bass
Act: one act
Scene Prologue, Scene 1, First Interlude, Scene 2, Second Interlude, Scene 3, Epilogue
Duration: 65 minutes

9
What Gets Kept
Composer: Frances Pollock
Librettist: Vanessa Moody
Setting: Present day, West Coast
Synopsis: Amy, suffering from a
terminal illness, has decided to pursue
death on her own terms with medical
assistance. While her teen daughter
faces the situation head-on, her hus-
band seeks to buy the family more time
together. Embracing its unique blend of
dark humor and deep compassion, the
family navigates the difficult tasks of
grieving for a living person and finding
peace in the aftermath of loss. Har-
nessing the ideal of community, the
family must balance the needs of the
individual with those of the whole.
Lifeboat
Composer: Matthew Peterson
Librettist: Emily Roller
Setting: N/A
Synopsis: Three refugees are stranded in
an inflatable lifeboat out in the open ocean;
they are the sole survivors of a shipwreck.
After three days tensions erupt between the
strangers, who each fled the same conflict for
different reasons. As their pasts are re-
vealed, cooperation—and survival—seem
unlikely. Lifeboat explores and challenges
the ideals of courage, social justice, and ser-
vice. Can these ideals overcome major di-
vides between people of different back-
grounds and experiences? Can we all live in
the same boat?
10
Fifth Season
Characters:
Emma (soprano)
Amy (mezzo-soprano)
Lawrence (tenor)
Instrumentation: flute, oboe, clarinet
in B-flat, bassoon, horn in F, trumpet in
C, trombone, percussion, piano, violin,
viola, cello, double bass
Act: one act
Scene:
What Gets Kept
Three Cold Ones
Side by Side\
Duration: 20 minutes
Adam
Composer: Zach Redler have the courage to stand by Adam against
Librettist: J. Douglas Carlson forces that would own his destiny? Does the
combination of great power and free will inev-
Setting: Near future, a military research
itably lead to conflict?
lab
Characters:
Synopsis: Adam is the story of the crea-
Adam (tenor)
tion of the world’s first sentient artificial hu-
Athena (soprano)
man. Mirroring the spirit of President Kenne-
Colonel Grey (bass-baritone)
dy’s launch of the U.S. space program, Ad-
am’s creator Athena seeks her goals “…not Instrumentation: flute, oboe, clarinet, bas-
because they are easy but because they are soon, Horn in F, trumpet, trombone, piano,
hard” (JFK). She does so in the service of percussion, violin, viola, cello, double bass
science and of her country…but is there jus-
Act: one act
tice in creating a being with free will for a
Duration: 20 minutes
purpose that he did not choose? Will Athena
Characters:
The Soldier (soprano)
The Doctor (mezzo-soprano)
The Professor (baritone)
Instrumentation: flute/piccolo,
oboe, B-flat clarinet, bassoon/
contrabassoon, horn (straight
mute), trumpet in C (straight &
harmon mute), trombone
(straight mute), percussion - 3
timpani, loose suspended cym-
bal, bass drum, snare drum, me-
dium tam-tam, two suspended
cymbals (medium and large),
tambourine, ratchet, glocken-
spiel, 3-8ve pit xylophone, vari-
ous beaters, including bass bow,
violin, viola, cello, double bass
Act: one act
Duration: 20 minutes
Fifth Season

The Dictator’s Wife

Composer: Mohammed Fairouz
Librettist: Mohammed Hanif
Setting: An unnamed country ruled by a dictator.
Synopsis: In this bitingly satirical work, the glamorous
yet tormented wife of a once-powerful dictator bemoans
that she now has to answer for all of the terrible atrocities
committed by her husband, who has taken to cowering in
the bathroom as the country falls apart.
Characters:
First Lady (mezzo-soprano) – The Dictator’s wife. Of
humble beginnings, she is ill-equipped to deal with the
insurmountable problems facing her country and is at her
wit’s end with the protestors and her absent husband, who always seems to be stuck in the loo.
ADC (baritone) – The Dictator’s right-hand man. He loves his country but can’t stand its citizens. He loves the Dictator more.
Ms. Holy (soprano) – UN Ambassador for Children’s Rights. Star of the glorified smut film Zombies in Our Midst. And its four
sequels. She means well.
Protestor 1 (Mom) (soprano) – Wants her husband’s pension and is willing to sell her children if she doesn’t get it.
Protestor 2 (Dad) (bass-baritone) – His son is on death row for being an army deserter. He wants the Dictator to sign his mercy
petition
Protestor 3(tenor) – An armchair economist, this protestor feels that because the price of crude is falling, he should get cheap,
or even free, gas.
Instrumentation: flute (piccolo), clarinet in A (bass clarinet in B-flat with low C), alto saxophone, 2 horns in F, bass trom-
bone, percussion – glockenspiel, xylophone, bass drum, tenor drum, bongos, cymbals, tam-tam, piano, violin I, violin II, viola,
cello, double bass
Act: two acts
Scene:
Scene 1-A “5000 Roses”
Scene 1-B “Morning Visitors”
Scene 1-C “Biscuits and Tea”
Scene 1-D “Ms. Holy is Coming”
Scene 2-About to Fall
Scene 3-Secrets
Scene 4-My Dear Countrymen
Duration: 60 minutes

11
Bridge for Three
Composer: Nathan Fletcher
Librettist: Megan Cohen
Setting: 1897, 1929, and Present
Day. On, under, and near the Brook-
lyn Bridge in all three eras.
Synopsis: Three figures are about
to hurl themselves from the Brooklyn
Bridge – inventor and daredevil Jim-
my James in 1897, Wall Street ty-
coon Roland Archister in 1929, and
teenage runaway Molly in 2017. All
have their different reasons for this
leap into the unknown, and all discov-
er that life is more than it sometimes
appears.
Precita Park
Composer: John Glover
Librettist: Erin Bregman
Setting: 1907. Night. Precita Park, San
Francisco
Synopsis: In the aftermath of the San
Francisco Earthquake of 1906, Lilah and her
four siblings move into their new home--a tiny
shack in Precita Park. Her brothers and sis-
ters bicker over every little thing. Searching
for stillness in the midst of chaos, Lilah
reaches for a copy of Thoreau’s Walden…
Characters:
Sonia (soprano)
Sarah (mezzo-soprano)
Lilah (soprano)
David (tenor)
Daniel (baritone)
12
Sixth Season
Characters:
Jimmy James (tenor)
Roland Archister (baritone)
Molly (mezzo-soprano)
Instrumentation: flute (doubling
piccolo), oboe (doubling English
horn), clarinet in B-flat, Bassoon,
horn in F, trumpet in B-flat, trombone,
percussion - timpani, tam-tam, sus-
pended cymbal, bass drum (kick),
xylophone, glockenspiel, vibraphone,
tubular bell (F), piano, violin, viola,
cello, double bass
Act: one act (10 scenes)
Duration: 20 minutes
Fault Lines
Composer: Gity Razaz Characters:
Librettist: Sara Cooper Kyoko (soprano)
Richard (baritone)
Setting: A kitchen in an upper-middle-class
Grace (mezzo-soprano)
suburb of New York, 1942
Harry (tenor)
Synopsis: In an upper-middle class suburb
Instrumentation: flute (piccolo), oboe,
of New York during the Second World War,
clarinet/bass clarinet in B-flat, bassoon, horn
racism, classism, and abuse lurk beneath the
in F, trumpet in C, trombone, timpani/
surface of this family’s daily life, spiraling out
percussion - bass drum, suspended cymbal,
of control as dark secrets come to light and
glockenspiel, vibraphone, tam-tam, piano,
threaten all their existences.
violin, viola, cello, double bass
Act: one act (four scenes)
Duration: 20 minutes
Instrumentation: flute (doubling piccolo ),
clarinet in B-flat, oboe, bassoon, horn in F,
trumpet, trombone, percussion –
timpani (23”, 25”, 28”, 30”), snare
drum, suspended cymbal, tom-
toms (high, middle, low), whip
crack, kick drum, bass drum,
xylophone, vibraphone, crotales
(F#6, C#7, D#7, E7), piano, vio-
lin, viola, cello, double bass
Act: one act
Duration: 20 minutes
Sixth Season

Proving Up
Composer: Missy Mazzoli
Librettist: Royce Vavrek
Setting: A homestead in Nebraska, circa 1877.
Synopsis: In Proving Up, based on a coming-of-age
short story by Karen Russell, a group of Nebraska families
struggles to claim their land under the Homestead Act. In
order to satisfy the grant, or "prove up," their homes must
each have at least one glass window. Unable to afford
such a luxury, the families recruit young Miles to ferry a
single window from one home to the next, each time the
inspector arrives. How will Miles handle this enormous
responsibility, knowing so many depend on his help to
achieve the American Dream?
Characters:
Mrs. Johannes “Ma” Zegner (soprano)
Zegner Sister 1 (soprano)
Zegner Sister 2 (mezzo-soprano)
Miles Zegner (tenor)
Mr. Johannes “Pa” Zegner (baritone)
The Sodbuster (bass)
Instrumentation: flute (doubling piccolo and A-Maj Harmonica), clarinet in B-flat (doubling bass clarinet and A-Maj Harmoni-
ca), bassoon (doubling double bassoon and E-Min Harmonica), horn in F, trumpet in C (doubling E-Min Harmonica), percussion
– 7 acoustic guitars, vibraphone, glockenspiel, chime (A-440), suspended cymbal, hi-hat, triangle, brake drum, bass drum, low
tom-tom, snare drum, 4 temple blocks, sandpaper, whip, tambourine, piano (doubling harpsichord), harp, singers, strings
Act: one act
Scene:
Settler’s Scar
Miles will Prove Up
How Pa Obtained the Glass
Strange Dreams
Nore at a Soft Canter
Sodbuster
Epilogue
Duration: 65 minutes

13
Relapse Seventh Season

Composer: Molly Joyce Characters:

Librettist: James Kennedy Marina (soprano)
Nurse (baritone)
Setting: Modern day in a hospital
Jessie (soprano)
room
Aaron (tenor)
Synopsis: Marina wakes up in a
Instrumentation: flute (doubling
hospital room after a serious drug
piccolo), oboe, clarinet in B-flat
overdose. As she pieces together the
(doubling bass clarinet), bassoon,
details of how she wound up so debil-
horn in F, trumpet in C, trombone,
itated by her dependence on pills, the
percussion (one player), vibraphone,
formidable challenges of overcoming
xylophone, temple blocks, bass drum,
her addiction slowly come into fresh
crotales, glockenspiel, timpani, trian-
focus. In the chaos of influence from
gle, high-pitched suspended cymbal
those who want her to make a full
with sizzle, piano (includes playing
recovery and those who would per-
inside piano), violin, viola, cello, dou-
petuate her cycle of dependency,
ble bass
Marina has to decide for herself if and
how she will move forward. Act: one act
Duration: 20 minutes
75 Miles

Composer: Matt Boehler Characters:

Librettist: Laura Barati Avery (soprano)
Marianne (mezzo-soprano)
Setting: 2014; the kitchen of a family
Jason (baritone)
home in rural Pennsylvania
Instrumentation: flute (doubling piccolo),
Synopsis: It’s twenty minutes before din-
oboe, B-flat Clarinet (doubling bass clarinet),
ner in rural Pennsylvania and sixteen-year-
bassoon, horn in F, trumpet in C, trombone,
old Avery just discovered she’s pregnant—
percussion (1 player), timpani (25"), triangle,
and the nearest women’s health clinic is half-
low and high suspended cymbals, rute sticks,
way across the state. Inspired by true events,
temple blocks (5), tam-tam, bass drum,
75 Miles follows a family forced to grapple
glockenspiel, xylophone, vibraphone, piano,
with their faith, beliefs, and economic limita-
violin, viola, cello, double bass
tions in the face of an unexpected
pregnancy. Act: one act
Duration: 20 minutes
Pepito
Composer: Nicolas Lell Benavides Characters:
Librettist: Marella Martin Koch Pepito (bass)
Camila (soprano)
Setting: Modern Day at an Animal Shelter
David (tenor)
Synopsis: Pepito, a lonely shelter dog, Angie (mezzo-soprano)
searches for solace in the memories of his
Instrumentation: flute, oboe,
old life as another long day draws to a close.
clarinet in B-flat (bass clarinet in
But when Camila and David, young married
B-flat), bassoon, horn in F, trum-
professionals, arrive eager to find the perfect
pet in C, trombone, percussion
dog for their little family, it seems as though
(timpani, glockenspiel, xylo-
things may finally be looking up. Yet, as Ca-
phone, vibraphone, tam-tam,
mila and Pepito’s bond deepens, the cracks
bass drum, cabasa, guiro, shak-
in her and David’s unfulfilling marriage be-
er, wood blocks, clave, casta-
come more apparent. Are she and David as
nets, cymbals, desk bell), piano,
ready to move forward together as they
violin, viola, cello, double bass
thought?
Act: one act
Duration: 20 minutes

14
Seventh Season

Taking Up Serpents
Composer – Kamala Sankaram
Librettist – Jerre Dye
Setting:
A chain Drugstore in Gulf Shores, Alabama (parking lot
and aisle)
On board a Greyhound Bus (evening)
A rural creek bed (early 90’s)
A hospital room in Birmingham, Alabama
The Church of Lord Jesus Christ with Signs Following - a
makeshift church converted from a gas station or tanning
parlor.
Synopsis: 25-year-old Kayla, a Save Mart employee in
Gulf Shores, Alabama, is the estranged daughter of a fire-
and-brimstone preacher of the “Church of Lord Jesus Christ with Signs Foretold.” When her father is severely bitten during one
of his snake-handling services, an unexpected phone call from her mother sends Kayla on a journey home to Birmingham to see
him in the hospital and forces her to confront her troubled upbringing. Once home, Kayla discovers her strength and overcomes
her traumatized childhood in a dramatic and shocking conclusion. Taking Up Serpents brings themes of faith, family, and abuses
of the patriarchy to the stage.
Characters:
Kayla (soprano)- a daughter of The Church, a lost soul , a wanderer
Nelda (mezzo-soprano)- Kayla’s Mother, anointed, a Preacher’s wife
Daddy (bass-baritone)- Kayla’s Father, a Holiness Preacher, a snake handler
Reba (mezzo-soprano) - Kayla’s co-worker / Passenger - a young mother /Holiness Congregation Member
Passenger (soprano)- a queer kid / Holiness Congregation Member
Passenger (tenor)- a bus driver / Holiness Congregation Member / Preacher
Instrumentation: flute/piccolo, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn in F, electric guitar/acoustic guitar, percussion, snare
drum, bass drum, triangle, glockenspiel, large suspended cymbal, whirly tube, crotales, water phone, junk metal (3 different
pitches ), piano, 2 violins, viola, cello, double bass
Act: one act
Duration: 60 minutes

15
Night Trip Eighth Season
Composer: Carlos Simon
Librettist: Sandra Seaton
Setting: Southern US in post-WW II era Characters:
Conchetta (mezzo-soprano)
Synopsis: On a July evening in 1958,
Uncle Wesley (baritone)
Wesley and Mack, black WW II veterans,
arrive at their sister’s apartment in Chica- Uncle Mack (tenor)
go to pick up their niece. Conchetta has Gas Station Attendant (tenor)
been waiting all summer to see her rela- Police Officer (baritone)
tives—her grandmother, her aunts, her
“play aunts.” The 16 year old’s vision of Instrumentation: TBD
small town life in Tennessee stands in
sharp contrast to the world of steel and Act: one act
concrete she is about to leave. On her Duration: 20 minutes
journey, she comes face to face with a
new reality, one that her uncles, who
have survived the brutality of war, refuse
to accept. In Night Trip, a young girl’s
dreams collide with harsh truths that will
change the way she sees her world.

Woman of Letters
Composer: Liliya Ugay Characters:
Librettist: Sokunthary Svay Sonya (soprano)
Sam (bass-baritone)
Setting: Modern day, a small apartment in
Dara (soprano)
the Bronx
Instrumentation: TBD
Synopsis: Sam is a first generation immi-
grant who works as a university janitor at a Act: one act
local university in Manhattan. He brings Duration: 20 minutes
home books for his daughter, Sonya, which
help educate her and give way to daydreams
of far-off places in their cramped Bronx apart-
ment. She learns she has received a scholar-
ship to study in England. Will her immigrant
father, a survivor of war and his wife’s death,
be willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to let
his daughter, his only family, go? Will Sonya
finally be allowed to see the world she’s only
Admissions read about in her father’s books?

Composer: Michael Lanci Characters:

Librettist: Kim Davies Daughter (soprano)
Son (tenor)
Setting: Modern day, a wealthy family’s
Mother (mezzo-soprano)
home in Beverly Hills
Father (bass)
Synopsis: They’re the perfect American fam-
Instrumentation: TBD
ily: Mother, a TV star... Father, a business
tycoon... their kids on track to go to the best Act: one act
colleges. But one night Mother and Father Duration: 20 minutes
come home and have to explain to their kids
that there’s been a little misunderstanding,
maybe a little money laundering, maybe an
indictment. And suddenly their plans aren’t
quite so on-track after all...

16
 WNO Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program
Founded by Plácido Domingo and currently in its 17th season, the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program guides young singers
and pianists/coaches on the verge of international careers. The program provides intensive study with renowned vocal and dra-
matic coaches and offers voice lessons, language classes, career guidance, and master classes with Washington National Opera
staff and guest artists. The Domingo-Cafritz Young Artists also have the opportunity to perform and cover roles in WNO produc-
tions, and to create new roles in WNO’s new works program, the American Opera Initiative.

In addition to many performances on the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage, the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artists have performed at
the White House, Teatro alla Scala in Milan, Opéra de Monte-Carlo, the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia in Valencia, the United
States Senate, the Supreme Court, the Music Center at Strathmore, the Smithsonian Institution, the Mexican Cultural Institute,
with the Baltimore and Charleston Symphony Orchestras, and at numerous embassies. They have also appeared in concert with
Maestro Domingo at the Reignwood Theatre in Beijing.

Each season, the Young Artists sing a fully staged performance with orchestra in the Kennedy Center Opera House as part of the
WNO season. Past productions have included La traviata, The Marriage of Figaro, Madama Butterfly, Così fan tutte, Don Giovan-
ni, The Magic Flute, La bohème, Alcina, and Carmen, conducted by such luminaries as Maestro Domingo, Phillippe Auguin, Evan
Rogister, Renato Palumbo, Jane Glover, and Michael Christie. In the 2018-2019 season, the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artists will
perform a Concert of Comic Masterpieces on Friday, May 24, 2019, including the first act of Verdi’s Falstaff. Additionally, the Do-
mingo-Cafritz Young Artists perform a concert at the Smithsonian’s Renwick Gallery on Sunday, February 10, 2019, and continue
this season’s recital series at the Phillips Collection on Thursday, April 11, 2019.

Graduates of the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program have gone on to successful careers including performances with the
Metropolitan Opera, San Francisco Opera, LA Opera, New York City Opera, The Glimmerglass Festival, Santa Fe Opera, Seattle
Opera, National Symphony Orchestra, Carnegie Hall, Bayreuth Festival, Glyndebourne Festival, Vienna State Opera, Berlin State
Opera, Teatro Real in Madrid, Liceu Opera Barcelona, and Opéra de Monte-Carlo.

Washington National Opera

WNO Studio
6925 Willow Street NW
Washington
DC 20012

WNO Administrative Offices

2600 Virginia Avenue NW
Washington
DC, 20037

Robert Ainsley
Director, Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program,
American Opera Initiative
Phone: 202-416-7808
E-mail: RAinsley@Kennedy-Center.org