St. Matthew’s Cathedral Hosts A Night at the Opera
CONTACT:
Jeff Lockwood Tammy Heise
(307) 399-3402. (307) 292-0182
LOCKWOOD@UWYO.EDU. THEISE2@UWYO.EDU
LARAMIE, Wyo.—St. Matthew’s Cathedral will host a trio of short operas at 6:30 p.m. Sept. 12 in the cathedral sanctuary. The operas — Miracles, Sacred Clown, and Mercy Killing — grapple with fundamental questions of faith and doubt. People of all ages and religious backgrounds will find meaning in these operas.
The performances will feature opera singers from the Front Range and an eclectic three-piece ensemble (marimba, clarinet, and cello) from the Colorado Chamber Orchestra, conducted by the CCO music director, Thomas Blomster. Jeff Lockwood wrote the librettos for these operas, and Blomster and Noriko Tsuchiya wrote the music.
Blomster says of the operas, “These musical fairy tales are set in the contemporary West and were created to inspire imagination while delighting the eyes and ears of the young and old through pathos, humor, and irony.” Tsuchiya adds, “Our musical inspirations traverse the gamut from European classical music dating back to Gregorian chants to popular American cultural expressions. In addition, the wonders of nature are suggested by sounds evocative of crickets chirping, the swooping of seagulls and the drama of a hunt between prey and predator.”
Miracles: A Mormon, a Seagull and a Cricket Walk Into a Bar…
(performed at UW to a COVID-restricted audience in the spring of 2021)
What can an LDS fellow struggling with his faith learn from a California gull and a Mormon cricket? Put them together in a bar and miraculous insights as to the nature of truth and beauty emerge through a surrealistic encounter.
Sacred Clown
(world premiere)
A wise woman bridges her son’s perplexity and her father’s absurdity to help them see that sometimes what appears to be practically futile is of ultimate meaning. Three generations are brought together to understand, along with the audience, that world-making is oftentimes self-making.
Mercy Killing
(world premiere)
When the modern world and its machinery of gears and greed collides with nature, the result can be a terrible dilemma of what to put out of its—and our—misery. When a young man has to decide to end the suffering he’s caused, the result can be heartbreaking and startling.
The operas are free to the public thanks to funding by Wyoming Humanities, Kristine T. Utterback Memorial Fund, and Colorado Chamber Orchestra and Opera.
A reception and discussion will follow the performances at 7:30 p.m. St. Matthew’s Cathedral is located at Third and Ivinson in Laramie.
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