Tom's Opera Talk

Fellow composer Tom Baker gives a lecture called The Unadorned Composer and the Extravagent Art of Opera at Jack Straw Productions on June 11th. Part of his talk includes quotes from Seattle composers who are working on operas. His questions were intriguing so I include them here.

I am in the midst of Kidnapping Water composing and auditions, so my answers to his query were brief:

1) Why opera? and Why now?

• superstar passion : rarefied voices : unwitting pain
• 21st century american privilege necessitates extreme humanity

2) Is it opera? In what sense?

• trained voices sing their narratives as if nothing else mattered

3) What kind of stories do you want to tell? Why?

• stories that should survive neglect

4) Do you see yourself in any way connected to previous composers of opera?

• Mozart's splendor amidst economic poverty

5) Any other thoughts or manifesto items that you can think of?

• don't tempt me.