Stewart Copeland

Podcast 31: Stewart Copeland, How do you go from playing in a rock band to writing opera?

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How do you go from playing in a rock band to writing opera?

We here at the Indie Opera Podcast had a fantastic time chatting with composer Stewart Copeland, legendary drummer from The Police. We heard about his childhood in Cairo and Beirut, his training as a percussionist and composer, performing with orchestras across the country, and the upcoming premiere of his new opera, The Invention of Morel at Chicago Opera Theatre this coming February.

Show Notes

  • Nashiville Opera – Three Way by Rob Patterson & Dave Cote
  • The Human Requiem by Brahms at White Lights Festival
  • Rossini – William Tell and Otello at the Metropolitan Opera, Bryan Hymel – tenor (lead role)
    • Juan Diego Florez
    • Barry Banks
  • Opera South West – Tancredi and Stabat Mater by Rossini
  • “27” Ricky Ian Gordon and Royce Vavrek, produced by MasterVoices Chorale
    • An opera about Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas
    • Stephanie Blythe
    • Male ensemble played characters representing: Picasso, Matisse, Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald
  • Met Opera “Guillaume Tell
  • Mathis der Maler by Hindemith
  • Falstaff – Finale Fugue
  • The Inner Circle an opera by Daniel Felsenfeld & Kate Gale
  • Connection Lost: L’Opere de Tinder (or Connection Lost: The Tinder Opera)
    • Composer and Tenor – Scott Joyner, Filmmaker and Writer – Adam Taylor
    • The Rainy Park Opera Company
    • Something Blue: L’Opere del Bacheleur
  • The Halloween Tree produced by American Lyric Theatre based on a Ray Bradbury short story
  • Harriet Tubman – Harriet: The Woman Called Moses by composer Thea’ Musgrave in 1984
  • Becoming Santa Claus by Mark Adamo, DVD to be released mid November
    • Tenor – Jonathan Blalock (will be our guest next month)
  • Three new pieces about Donald Trump
    • The Drumf” opera by Matti Kovler, Directed by Doug Fitch
      • 15 minute parody of the 15 hour Ring Cycle
      • Produce at Brooklyn’s Pioneer Works and at The Blue Building
    • Libretto reading composer by Daniel Henninger of the Wall Street Journal
      • Billy Corgan of Smashing Pumpkins andStephen Baldwin
    • Trump: A Theatrical Concerto by composer Gene Pritsker
      • At Le Poisson Rouge on 11/8/16
      • A 45 minute Violin Concerto
  • Documentary film – Alive Inside
    • Music Therapy with Alzheimers Patients
    • Oliver Sacks
  • Documentray film – The Act of Killing, about death squads in Bali
  • Becoming Santa Clause” DVD release, by Mark Adamo at Dallas Opera, more information coming November 15
  • Stewart Copeland, world reknowned composer and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
    • Some film scores: Rumblefish, Wall Street, Talk Radio
    • The Casque of Amontillado selections presented as part of Opera America New Works Forum
      • Barbados Festival commissioned and premiered The Casque of Amontillado
    • The Invention of Morel, world premiere arriving at Chicago Opera Theater, February 2017
      • A sci-fi romantic black comedy period piece
      • Based on the novella by Adolfo Bloy Casares
      • Director and Librettist, Jonathan Moore, Conducted by Andreas Mitisek
    • The Clash song – Police and Thieves
    • Bad Brains, a DC punk band
    • Tippy Hedron
    • Tyrant’s Crush an orchestral work performed by San Antonio Symphony and Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra
    • Stravinsky, The Rites of Spring
    • Off the Score – a hand selected classical ensemble prepared to inprovise live in concert
      • Pianist, Jon Kimura Parker – Violinist, Yun Kwan (1st Violin at Met Opera) – Judd Miller & Marlin Martinez
      • Works by Ravel, Stravinsky and Prokofiev
      • Stravinsky, The Rite of Spring
      • New recording of The Rites of Spring by the jazz trio The Bad Plus
  • World famous drummers – Neal Peart, Jon Bonham, Ringo Starr,
  • Shiny Time Station, a children’s TV show
  • Nationa Opera Center Producer’s Symposium

 

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This Episode Sponsored by OPERA America’s New Opera Showcase

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