Finalist in National Opera Assc. Competition

I received word yesterday that I am a finalist in the National Opera Association's biennial Chamber Opera Competition (2012-2014). My one-act opera Oblivion, along with two other composers' works, will be excerpted at NOA's Annual Convention in Portland next January. The winner will be produced in its entirety at the 2014 Convention.

Part of my doctoral dissertation, Oblivion was my treat to myself. It contains a lot of peculiarities that my creative and composerly self indulged in, but that may not appear particularly programming-friendly. The unfamiliar story, based on a two-page H.P. Lovecraft story with essentially no plot, interlaced with half a dozen poems by other authors, is not the stuff of your typical libretto. And the pit itself is quite small and unconventional: flute, guitar, cello, and three Himalayan singing bowls. Despite or perhaps because of these quirks, the work was selected. This is due in large part, I'm sure, to the excellent recording I got out of the premiere at the 2010 Capital Fringe Festival in Washington, DC.

Many thanks to director Sasha Brätt, stage manager Alison Goldberg, singer/actors Rachel Barham, Melissa Kornacki, Christine Laird (Gahagan), James Rogers, and Alexander Wolniak, instrumentalists Jessica Bateman, Jesse Crites, and Daniel Shomper, and everyone else who helped make the premiere possible!

More announcements coming soon about upcoming performances for the 2012-2013 season.

Zen Bowling the Opera - Where I Draw the Line on Copyright

Just how long are copyright terms nowadays?...

Let's say (foolishly) that I write my life's operatic masterpiece next year (2013), at the age of 30, and it becomes world-famous. [By the way, it's an epic comedy-drama about bowling, Buddhist meditation, and the meaning of life, tentatively titled Zen Bowling.]

So now everyone and their moms want to produce Zen Bowling. I rake in the dough (hahaha, profitable opera, good joke...), and live comfortably on that income until my estimated death at age 85, in 2068.

I agree that people shouldn't be able to stage Zen Bowling for free, create a commercial recording, develop a movie version, arrange the work for wind ensemble, perform selections on public recitals, write a sequel, create a fan-fiction graphic novel, sell Zen Bowling-themed T-shirts, etc., etc., for free, and thereby cash in on my success and hard work. It would be unfair to allow that sort of theft. Instead, people should be encouraged to do those things, with my permission, and required to share some of their profits with me.

But at some point in the future, people absolutely should be able to do those things for free. At some point, the "incentive to create" narrative runs out of steam. When should that be? 100 years ago, the law would have offered me protection of 28 years from creation, with another 28 years if I renew my claim. If we followed those rules, my fictional opera would become publicly available in 2040, when I'm 57, or, if I renew my copyright, in 2068, when I'm 85.

That seems reasonable to me, that a work I created at age 30 can be protected until I'm 85. If I were making the rules today, that's where I'd draw the line. 28+28 years is plenty. What about you? How many years do you require to protect the artistic integrity (read: financial potential) of your art? If you're living by today's rules, here's how long:

Copyright terms have been extended many times since the early 1900's - so much so, that, assuming I create this blockbuster opera next year (2013), and die when I'm 85 (2068), it will be protected from unauthorized use or re-use until the year 2138.

That's right, the day someone can start producing Zen Bowling or re-purposing its material without paying me (or my heirs/estate) for the privilege, is Jan. 1, 2138. That's 70 years after my death, 125 years after its creation, and 155 years after my birth. People my (fictional) great-great-great-grandchildren's age will be the first generation allowed to make a drawing of one of my now-famous characters and sell it without giving my (still fictional) great-great-great-grandchildren some of the profits.

That is ridiculous, unacceptable, indefensible, and more unbelievable than a profitable opera called Zen Bowling.

* Note: I am not a lawyer. But I am upset. This rant does not constitute legal advice. I may have forgotten to carry a "1". Do your own homework!

WNO 2011-2012 Season

Wait no longer, American opera fans. Here it is - the Washington National Opera 2011-2012 season:
* Tosca (1900)
* Lucia di Lammermoor (1835)
* Così Fan Tutte (1790)
* Nabucco (1842)
* Werther (1887; premiered 1892)

There's something peculiar yet familiar here. Just like their 2010-2011 season, there's nothing by an American composer. And nothing in English. And nothing written less than 100 years ago.

What exactly makes them Washington National Opera?

I can sympathize. We're (supposedly, slowly,) emerging from a recession. Opera is expensive, particularly when it's not pre-packaged. Conventional audiences, reliable yet dwindling, want their familiar Mozart, Puccini, and Verdi. But there is another audience, only partially overlapping, that will pay to see Adams, Heggie, and Weir. Or heck, at least some Britten and Menotti!

Previous decades in our capital saw works by Ginastera, Hindemith, Weill, Stravinsky, and Schoenberg. Our last American premiere was in 1999 (Sly, by Italian composer Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari, b.1876). Our last world premiere was in 1993 (Dominick Argento's The Dream of Valentino) - 18 years ago!

Maybe I've just become spoiled by the excitement of recent seasons, since 2006 or so, but I am truly disappointed in WNO's last two offerings. Conservative budgets do not have to mean conservative programing choices. Other voices agree.

Be sure to catch Anne Midgette's comments on the season. Her brief summary also links to the L.A. Opera season; at least Plácido is bringing them some Britten, and the less-common Bánk Bán by Ferenc Erkel. (Ferenc who??)

The upcoming WNO/Kennedy Center affiliation (PDF) looks promising. Both president Michael Kaiser and Domingo seem supportive of this change. Will it revive a measure of the past year's "surprising" programing? Find out, dear reader, in February 2012!

("If we all do safe, boring work, we will lose our audiences and our donors. It is the big surprising projects that build visibility and, therefore, income." ~Kaiser, #5)

New chamber opera Sept 4-5

Roc Lee's new chamber opera the Crossroad will be performed at the Kennedy Center's Page to Stage Festival, and again at The Catholic University of America.

Saturday, Sept. 4 @ 4pm - Terrace Gallery of the Kennedy Center

(30-min. excerpt, scene 1-5)

following Timothy B. Eisman's "The Nightingale and The Rose"

Sunday, Sept. 5 @ 7:30pm - Ward Recital Hall, The Catholic University of America

Visit http://roclee.net/thecrossroad/ for more info, including location, directions, and cast.

Oblivion: two performances remaining

Two chances remain to my world-premiere opera, Oblivion, at the Capital Fringe Festival.

* Wednesday, July 21 @ 10:00pm

* Sunday, July 25 @ 4:30pm

The venue is at 900 Mass Ave NW in DC, between Chinatown and Convention Center stations.

Visit kylegullings.com for more info, tickets, reviews, and sample audio and scores!

In other news, DCTheatreScene gave us a great review. If you saw the show and want to tell the world, please leave comments here:

Capital Fringe Festival (official Oblivion page)

DC Theatre Scene

Washington Post

Theater Mania

Friday Fringe Fest: Opera Edition

Looking for something to do tonight (Friday)? Have I got a great idea for you!

1.) 6:00-8:00pm - Bring your Fringe button to these nearby businesses for great food discounts.

* Marrakesh Restaurant - 20% off food

* La Tasca - 50% off regular sangria pitchers

* ACKC Cocoa Bar - 50% off ice cream desserts and milkshakes

2.) 8:30pm - See Padrevia by Opera Alterna.

www.operalterna.com

3.) 10:15pm - See my new opera, Oblivion.

www.kylegullings.com

$35 for two opera tickets, then big food/drink discounts. See you there!

Peace,

Kyle

P.S. - See all venues and restaurants on this custom Google Map:

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=103253407930927805678.00048b47befc86779ab5b&z=15

Extras, Show #2, Reviews

EXTRAS

Following tonight's show, we'll be uploading pictures, audio/score samples, and other great behind-the-scenes extras! Leave any requests in the comments.

SHOW #2

Tonight! Tuesday, July 13 at 10:00pm.

In this lovely, 140-seat, air-conditioned space:

Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church

900 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC

REVIEWS

More reviews coming soon!

1. Joel Markowitz (DC Theatre Scene, via Facebook)

- "Oblivion is so beautiful, one hour of sheer beauty."

- "Don't miss it. I'm going to make time to see it again."

- "The Plumtree [...] is one of the most beautiful songs I have heard on the stage."

2. Bob Anthony (allartsreview4u.com)

- "His libretto was lyrically most adept."

- "Rachel Evangeline Barham and Alexander Wolniak had very smooth legato with sincere acting so they commanded the stage artistically."

Visit the website to read these snippets in a fancy, Fading Scroller. My, your text fade-ins are so... gradual!

www.kylegullings.com

See you tonight!

Two weeks to go

With just under two weeks before the premiere, the production is starting to pick up steam. The vocal parts are coming together nicely, and we've got a little staging work under our belts. This Saturday is our first complete piano run-through, followed by a complete run with the pit on Sunday.

It's almost unbelievable how quickly this project has developed since March, especially in the past few weeks. As with most theater - and the Fringe Festival in particular - the rate of progress seems to increase explonentially as opening night approaches.

I can remember tossing around vague concepts and searching for related poetry back in January, and finally finishing the libretto in February. But the past couple of months have just been a blur of impossibly long days of composing, editing, and rehearsing - not to mention all the production-side work! What a fantastic experience it's been so far.

Two more weeks, then the real fun begins. I'm really very happy musically and artistically with how the project turned out, and I can't wait to see / hear / present it on July 8th. Stay tuned for more updates and musings. In the meantime, visit www.kylegullings.com for show dates and ticket info.

Robert Hugill on Writing New Opera

I just happened upon an excellent article called "Writing New Opera." It comes from Robert Hugill writing for the online daily music magazine Music & Vision.

The article focuses largely on the composer's shaping and/or avoidance of narrative through the libretto. It's a great read and especially useful to me today, as I expect to finish my new libretto before sundown!

Expect another post later today.

Buy Tibetan Singing Bowls in Washington, DC

I finally got them! After a couple weeks searching, I picked up two singing bowls yesterday. Along with the one I'm borrowing from a generous colleague, these three bowls will form the sonic basis of my opera's dream scenes.

Once my new H4n digital recorder arrives later this week, I will post detailed information, a picture, and audio of each bowl. Until then, here is a list of shops in Washington, DC, that offer singing bowls (updated March 22, 2010):

1. Woven History and Silk Road, 311 7th St SE: A nice selection and reasonable prices. Medium-small machine-made gold and copper(?) bowls ranging from $60 to $80. More than a few larger, hand-made gold bowls from about $120 and up. The employees and owner were extremely helpful, friendly, and knowledgeable, even allowing me to sit on their floor and play around for nearly an hour! They had no wooden or leather "sticks" when I went in - only large drum beaters - and could use more variety of items. But overall, this my #1 pick for DC-area singing bowls.

2.Eastern Market's Flea Market, C St SE & 7th St SE: Just across the street from Silk Road, John Kicklighter's Distant Treasures at Eastern Market also sells bowls. You'll see Tibetan prayer flags in front. Ranging from tiny $29 bowls, to $70 mid-sizes, to huge hand-made gold bowls costing hundreds of dollars, this stand's selection variety made up for the owner's minor impatience. Some bowls are lopsided, producing "wobbly" singing, but they're properly discounted. Others are simply gorgeous, and most really like to sing. If you buy multiple bowls, you may get a break.

3. Tibet Shop, 2407 18th Street NW: This place had a few shelves worth of bowls, many of which were very nice. Bowls for $69, $79, and $89 seemed the best deal, though some fine $115 pieces had me thinking for a moment. The employees were quite nice and patient, and even filled one bowl with water for an "extended technique" demo! Definitely worth the trip, and likely would have gotten one here if I wasn't hopping here and there by Metro.

4. India Art & Craft Inc., 2602 Connecticut Ave NW: On your way back to the Woodley Park Metro Station, you might as well stop by this shop. When I arrived, it had only two medium-large bowls - a nice-quality copper-engraved piece for $215, and a "wobbly" hand-made one for $110 or so. The owner was offering steep discounts for the pair, possibly a sign of overpricing. Clothing is certainly the focus in this shop, but I likely caught the place low on inventory. Another look might be worthwhile.

5. www.himalayanbowls.com, online: Out of the many websites offering singing bowls, this one seems the most legitimate, helpful, and reasonably-priced. The #1 perk of this site is its media; each hand-made bowl listed features an individual picture and audio clip! So, if you have thousands of dollars to throw around, this is a fun place to do so. Many large and/or antique bowls with "supersonic" bass notes are offered, along with moderately-priced smaller hand-made ones. For the budget-minded, a wide selection of cheaper machine-made bowls are also shown. Unfortunately, pitches may vary slightly from these samples, and unless you have it in your hand, it's hard to tell how well your "special bowl" will sing for you. (The site doesn't like Chrome or Safari.)

Oblivion and Night in Kalapa

As my hunt for singing bowls hopefully comes to a harmonious conclusion, I'm also finishing up my libretto and diving into my music/orchestration.

Planned instrumental ensemble: amplified classical guitar, 2 cellos (celli, technically!), and percussion [vibraphone, tam-tam, cymbals, temple blocks, and more!]

Of more immediate interest to me - and to my readers! - is one particular, central poem in my libretto. I have been given permission by the Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche's generous publisher to set the poem "Night in Kalapa" from the book Snow Lion's Delight. (please click for info)

Read the poem here at shambhala.org (scroll to the bottom). It's truly the spirit, tone, and heart of my opera's message, far more so than the dreary, life-negating timbre of Lovecraft's narrative. As dreamy and mystical as the short story "Oblivion" is, its outlook on reality certainly runs against the grain of something deep inside me that is or longs to be cheerful, practical, happy, and, perhaps more important, contented.

I hope you find "Night in Kalapa" as inspiring as I do. More updates later!

Tibetan Singing Bowls

At the suggestion of a friend, I'm looking into a small, non-traditional instrumental ensemble to accompany my new opera. The current wish list includes:

- Amplified acoustic guitar

- 2 cellos

- Percussion: vibes+bow, crystal glasses, tam-tam, wood chimes, temple blocks, rain stick, suspended cymbal, mid-low tom, tub of water?

- 3 singing bowls (for the chorus)

I wasn't too familiar with this last item. They seem like a great way to draw us into the contemplative other-world of Howard's dreams. I'm so excited to get my hands on some! See examples here:

himalayanbowls.com

In other news, work on the libretto continues after a brief hiatus due to a weekend conference and job searching. Still plugging away!

Poetry from Oblivion: The Widow's Lament in Springtime

The poem below is one of many I'm incorporating into the libretto of Oblivion. With the exception of my own writing and one stellar poem for which I've gotten text-setting permission, this entire libretto is in the Public Domain!

This lament appears near the end of the opera, as a wife quietly mourns the loss of her husband. I marvel at how Williams uses such plain, succint language to drive to the heart of the subject.


"The Widow’s Lament in Springtime"
by William Carlos Williams
from Sour Grapes (1921)

Sorrow is my own yard
where the new grass
flames as it has flamed
often before but not
with the cold fire
that closes round me this year.
Thirtyfive years
I lived with my husband.
The plumtree is white today
with masses of flowers.
Masses of flowers
load the cherry branches
and color some bushes
yellow and some red
but the grief in my heart
is stronger than they
for though they were my joy
formerly, today I notice them
and turn away forgetting.
Today my son told me
that in the meadows,
at the edge of the heavy woods
in the distance, he saw
trees of white flowers.
I feel that I would like
to go there
and fall into those flowers
and sink into the marsh near them.


(Also read Williams' famous and tiny gem "The Red Wheelbarrow.")

H.P. Lovecraft and "Ex Oblivione"

Theater festival paperwork looms as my libretto progresses. In the meantime, a little about why I chose this story...

As mentioned previously, my opera is based on the short story "Ex Oblivione" (full text), first published in 1921. The author, H.P. Lovecraft (1890-1937), is a major and rather well-known writer of "weird fiction" - now called science fiction, fantasy, or horror. While I am not an avid reader of the genre, there are many aspects to the style and content of this particular story that really get my creative gears turning.

First, the story is light on plot and heavily biased toward the landscapes of dreams, all but mandating an abstract and adventurous brand of storytelling. This is a welcome change after my most recent stage work, The Eden Diaries (2007), a playful yet undeniably conventional musical that predates even this blog!

The text is quite brief, and very little physically happens. A man suffers through an illness then dies; meanwhile, he has vivid, symbolic dreams that lead him to an internal epiphany. Brief indeed! This leaves the music plenty of room to breathe, developing at its own pace.

Despite his brevity, Lovecraft concerns himself with a deeply important human topic - the process of death and our struggles with and against it - without tying himself to any particular ideology. While atheistic or mystical elements are easy to infer from this text, neither are explicit. Because the story deals largely with the basic, earthly elements of existence (as opposed to Lovecraft's later "Cthulhu Mythos" writings), "Ex Oblivione" is compatible with a wide range of personal belief. This is important to me, as this piece is meant as a work of art and not as a statement of faith.

That said, I do find in this narrative an interesting correlation in Buddhist philosophy, which has recently caught my interest. Although certain doctrines are troublesome, there is something beautiful yet inherently practical in the tradition's notion of acceptance. Discussed alongside right mindfulness, acceptance involves observing all experiences clearly without judgment.

This is the small enlightenment that Howard gradually attains. Like the 121 daily haiku I completed recently on this blog, this revelation delivers dense meaning in modest packaging.

In short, Oblivion is an opera about nothing. It is just about a man who dies. And it is about learning to acknowledge the temporariness of being human. This last subject is, I think, suitably grand for opera.

Oblivion - The Story of a New Opera

Welcome! For those new to my blog, I am a composer, educator, and doctoral candidate in Music Composition at The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. For the next few months, this blog will trace the development of my new opera, Oblivion, from early drafts to the premiere and beyond. Relevant links and downloads will soon be available through my website:

www.kylegullings.com/oblivion

The opera is a largely plotless meditation on acceptance, based on the short story "Ex Oblivione" by H.P. Lovecraft. (Learn more about this early science fiction pioneer at the H.P. Lovecraft Archive.) It also incorporates poetry by William Carlos Williams, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, myself, and others. Tracing the spiritual landscape of life's periphery, the story navigates clinical tedium, dreamworld surreality, and the threshold between existence and whatever follows.

And now the big news: Oblivion was recently accepted into a DC-area theater festival, and will premiere in July! (More details to come.)

My current progress includes much of a libretto, a few snippets of music, and a healthy dose of excitement and terror. I will post frequently, so check back often. Better yet, subscribe to this blog's RSS Feed (orange button on the top right of the page) so you can keep track of updates automatically! Looking forward to everyone's feedback.

Peace,
Kyle

P.S. - If you've a hankerin' to be a part of some new opera in the next 4-5 months, the time to say hello is now!

Oblivion announcement

My one-act opera Oblivion was recently accepted for performance at a DC-area theater festival in July 2010 (more details to follow). It's based on the short story "Ex Oblivione" by H.P. Lovecraft. For more info on him, check out the H.P. Lovecraft Archive.

The work also incorporates poems by William Carlos Williams, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, myself, and others. This essentially plotless "meditation on acceptance" spends a lot of time in various dreamscapes.

I will be posting often on this work in progress, and I hope everyone will check it out every so often and give some feedback. Perhaps an entirely new blog is in order! More word later.

Peace,
Kyle

CUA POST #1: Music Exploration Groups

For anyone who is interested, I will be organizing two distinct weekly listening groups as an opportunity to explore new music. If you're interested in possibly attending one or both, keep an eye out for posters confirming a meeting time and place.
Also, if you want to attend but have a scheduling conflict, e-mail me and we'll see what we can do. Thanks!

Opera/Music Theater
Tentative time: Wednesdays, 1:30-4pm, location TBD
Listening to CDs - possibly watching DVDs is we can get the equipment - of various works of opera and musical theater. A special effort will be made to explore works/composers being performed at CUA and in the DC area (WNO, etc.). Selections are decided by popular vote. I'm hoping to attract a good mix of composers, voice majors, etc.

Contemporary Music
Tentative time: Fridays, 1-2pm, Ward 211
Listening to CDs and excerpts of interest to composers today, with the score when possible. We'll mostly explore music since 1945, although anything is fair game, really. This was really fun, fairly educational, and mostly successful last year... plus it's only one hour.

Uphill

Tomorrow will mark the fourth of four competitions I have failed to enter this year, each due to having large ambitions, not enough focus, and no "fall back" pieces to submit. I hope to make a concerted effort to enter a large number of competitions next year, as I only have two years remaining as a student!! AAAH!!

So... this has not been a good week for composing. Or maybe not a good month... or semester? No, that's not true. I've challenged myself a lot, and I've grown a lot in the process. Of course, the trade off is that I'm writing at an even slower pace than usual.

I am serving on a composition faculty search committee, starting up a CUA Composers radio show (premiering 4/11!), and researching the role of dramatic timing in William Bolcom's operatic adaptation of Arthur Miller's play A View from the Bridge. There, those are my excuses.

In other news, Opera Alterna, a new DC-based opera company founded by director Jay Brock and soprano Sarah Filippa, recently performed Purcell's Dido and Aeneas in the Callan Theater at CUA. While a lengthy review is neither possible nor needed now (as the run is over), suffice it to say that this inaugural production was a solid start for the area's newest opera company. Be on the look out for more of their productions in the future!

Review: Our Town (opera by Rorem) at CUA

As I mentioned in my previous post (see below), Catholic University of America's 2008 President's Festival of the Arts was held last week and culminated in productions of both Thornton Wilder's play Our Town and Ned Rorem's opera of the same name.

Rorem's operatic setting, with libretto by J.D. McClatchy, has really gotten me thinking. It's so interesting, in fact, that I will save my review of the opera itself for another separate post, to be written in the next few days. Before that, here is a full review of this specific CUA performance...

Director James Hampton is to be commended for his use of lines and texture on stage. The sparse, linear approach to the opening and closing scenes formed an effective bookend for the drama, and the blocking was as natural as most any other opera I've seen. Unfortunately, the Saturday evening performance also experienced a number of technical problems including the curtain catching twice on scenery, some running crew confusion, and a projection screen that was consistently lowered too far.

Conductor Murry Sidlin successfully led a well-rehearsed and talented orchestra through this relatively new score. The ensemble played as one and at a consistently appropriate level - always a challenge when not playing in a pit. Trumpet player Michael Mergen was particularly notable for his warm tone.

The prize for most notes sung certainly goes to Eric Gramatges, who sang with power and ease as the Stage Manager. His is a perfect example of a character who sings a lot of lyrical, beautiful, instantly-forgettable phrases. If only the Stage Manager had one or two well-defined, stand-alone arias, every lyric tenor in the country would jump at the chance to sing this role.

While the Stage Manager certainly sings the most notes in the opera, Emily Gibbs is the real lead character, due largely to her impressive and powerful "arias" (kind of) in the third act. Soprano Diana Bryan sang this role with impressive agility, tone, and character. John Murray (George Gibbs) offered a lighter, more fitting timbre for his youthful character; he matched Bryan in his energy and dramatic timing, but sounded somewhat strained that evening.

Damain Savarino and Bridgid Eversole demonstrated such fine singing and acting as Dr. and Mrs. Gibbs that one wishes Rorem could expand their roles. Eversole sang with her usual free and beautiful tone, while Savarino's rich, sonorous bass-baritone voice was the surprise of the evening for audience members who, like me, missed him in Elixir last year.

The team at CUA gave a quality DC premiere of this new and exciting opera. The voices and instruments made good music sound great. The dramatic effect on stage, however, was less than the original.

But that... is the the subject of another review.


Now that you've suffered through me, check out Cecelia Porter's Washington Post review of CUA's production of the opera.