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 (Maureen Batt and Marta Herman, in Hannah & Paige, & the Zombie Pirates by Chris Thornborrow)
The Toy Piano Composers are happy to report that our Opera Scenesters concert was a huge success! A sold-out Heliconian Hall was packed to the brim with an enthusiastic audience, many of whom experienced opera for the first time. Tim Crouch, our Director of Development and Marketing, guided them along the musical journey by interviewing the composers, librettists, as well as scene director Erik Thor on the process of collaboration and what it means to bring opera scenes to life on the concert stage. Highlights included baritone Jeremy Ludwig’s hilarious multiple roles (including one in drag!) in Monica Pearce’s Cake; the seamless interweaving of live conversations and electronics in Fiona Ryan’s The Best of ‘Nosey Nate’; and Maureen Batt and Marta Herman channeling their inner playful child with pyjamas, kitchen-bowl hats, and wooden-spoon swords in Chris Thornborrow’s rousing finale Hannah & Paige and the Zombie Pirates! Fantastic performances by the singers, pianist Wesley Shen, and flutist Katherine Watson made these six brand-new works something for all us scenesters to write home about. Thanks for coming – we hope to see you again soon! Read below for more information about the six scenes presented: The Hipster Grifter, The Crossword Puzzle, Cake, Like a Dog, The Best of Nosey Nate, and Hannah & Paige, & the Zombie Pirates.
The Hipster Grifter is based on the true story of a woman named Kari Ferrell who, after moving to New York from Utah, faked her way into a job at the popular indie magazine Vice. She situated herself in Williamsburg, the "hipster central" of Brooklyn, and scammed dozens of men out of their money. Many of them soon found out that she was on the Salt Lake City Police Department's Most Wanted List for forgery, retail theft, and passing $60,000 in bounced cheques. She served six months in prison. – Elisha Denburg
Eight o’clock, nine o’clock, ten o’clock, eleven. Peter waits for Sara. Twelve, one, two. Should he go to bed? Peter feels like someone has been shooting him full of flaming arrows all night. They stick out of his shoulders, his spine, his bum. He will wait until Sara comes home, all sneaky smarmy, thinking she’s so smart and great, sneaking in so late as if it doesn’t matter. Peter makes a list. EVERYTHING I NEED TO SAY TO SARA, it says at the top. He unburies every secret black treasure he’s buried in the sand of his chest during the last 3.3333 years and adds each to the list. Peter will wait. This time, Sara will listen. – Glenn James
Cake is a comedic operetta about the goings on at a wedding cake shop – wedding cakes, fiascos, fondant, decisions, waffling personalities and manipulative mothers in law. It was written as a catharsis after my own wedding, though many of the elements are not based on my own experiences but rather an amalgamation of the universal emotional commotion that surrounds nuptials. Accompanied by piano and flute, this piece features soprano, mezzo-soprano and baritone. Cake is dedicated to Jessica Smith, whose confections and affections enrich the lives of all those around her. – Monica Pearce
The idea for creating an opera around a crossword puzzle came to me a couple of years ago. I solve crossword puzzles on a consistent (almost daily) basis and I thought setting a scene of a couple who reconcile their relationship over solving a puzzle would fun. It definitely had some challenges as I had never before written a libretto, or even song lyrics, but it was a very enjoyable and fun experience and seeing it come to life is a huge treat. – Christian Floisand
The Best of Nosey Nate
Nathan (alias Nosey Nate)
Thinks his blog is pretty great.
He shares his brilliant observations
Of other people's conversations.
His task in this scene is retrospective;
A"best of" blog is his objective.
Okay, I guess you realise Nate is fake,
But, my dear audience, make no mistake:
These quotations were actually overheard!
As the one who transcribed them,
I give you my word.
– Fiona Ryan
As a kid, I used to play “acting” games with other kids in my neighbourhood. We played ninja-squad, our own versions of Oliver Twist, re-enacted the barricade battle in Les Misérables, or whatever else we could think of. The unwritten rules tended to be that we always saved the day and that we would all die a noble, horrible death. Hannah and Paige and the Zombie Pirates chronicles such an adventure. It is the epic journey of two friends as they comb the seas in search of Roosevelt. He is the greatest sailor there ever was, and he has been kidnapped. It is Hannah and Paige’s sworn duty to get him back. Although the entire story takes place in their imagination, it is no-less dangerous. They will face sea monsters, viscous storms, and of course zombie pirates. This opera is dedicated to my cousin, Hannah, whose imagination knows no bounds. – Chris Thornborrow
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