I Hear America Singing: Adventures in American Opera

Offered Through the Generosity of the Barbara Fromm Chair in Classical Music

American Opera? Some might be surprised to learn there even is such a thing. Others are already big fans. American opera composers followed European models at first, but by the early 20th Century they began striking out in many new directions, giving home-grown opera a distinctly new character. Their deliberate tunefulness and dramatic directness often earned critical ridicule for their supposed lack of European modernism and dissonant compositional daring. But the growing canon of distinguished American operas has now earned the loyal appreciation of devoted. Audiences unphased by the scorn of academia or the snobbery of critics. Using video illustrations, San Francisco Opera’s Dramaturg Emeritus Kip Cranna will take us on a journey through the multifarious world of American opera, exploring the ground-breaking, distinctly American work of composers like John Philip Sousa, Scott Joplin, George Gershwin, and Virgil Thomson. We’ll look at masterful mid-century operas by Gian Carlo Menotti, Leonard Bernstein, Samuel Barber, Aaron Copland, and Carlisle Floyd. We’ll sample repertoire-enriching works by Stewart Wallace, Mark Adamo, and André Previn. We’ll give special attention to the three most frequently performed living American opera composers: Philip Glass and the Bay Area’s own John Adams and Jake Heggie. And we’ll check out other figures on the vibrant contemporary scene including Jennifer Higdon, Laura Kaminsky, Missy Mazzoli, Mason Bates, Terence Blanchard, and lots more. The fertile fields of American opera beckon us to new discoveries. Join in the journey!