Release Date: June 22, 2007
World Premiere Announced for
"Later
the Same Evening:
an opera inspired by five paintings of Edward Hopper"
A joint project of the National Gallery of Art, Clarice Smith Performing
Arts Center, and University of Maryland School of Music
Composer John Musto and pianist Jeffrey Watson accompanied soprano Claire Kuttler as she performed the world premiere of “Out my one window...,” an aria from the new opera “Later the Same Evening: an opera inspired by five paintings of Edward Hopper,” at the National Gallery of Art, on June 19.
Washington, DC — The world premiere of Later the
Same Evening: an opera inspired by five paintings of Edward Hopper will
bring to life iconic works by the great American artist whose urban scenes
are among the most enduring and popular images of the 20th century. Performed
at both the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center from November 15 through
18, 2007, and the National Gallery of Art on December 2, 2007 (showtimes
below), this innovative opera is offered in conjunction with the first comprehensive
exhibition of Hopper’s work to be seen in American museums outside
New York in more than 25 years. The exhibition Edward Hopper is
on view at the National Gallery of Art from September 16, 2007 through January
21, 2008.
A joint project of the National Gallery of Art, the Clarice Smith Performing
Arts Center, and the University of Maryland School of Music, Later the
Same Evening: an opera inspired by five paintings of Edward Hopper is
written by Pulitzer Prize–nominated composer John Musto with award-winning
librettist Mark Campbell, who previously collaborated on the highly successful
opera Volpone. Leon Major, professor of opera at the UM School
of Music, directs the fully staged production, which will be performed by the
School's Maryland Opera Studio and the National Gallery Orchestra, conducted
by Glen Cortese. The opera is co-commissioned by the Clarice Smith Center
and the UM School of Music.
"At the University of Maryland, we welcome opportunities to work with the other great institutions in the nation's capital," said Susie Farr, executive director, Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center. "Later the Same Evening creates an important occasion to expose the wonderful young singers of the Maryland Opera Studio to the creative process from conception through performance."
Five of Hopper’s paintings, which poignantly capture moments of profound loneliness and a sense of estrangement, are deftly woven into the set design through projections. Room in New York (1932), Hotel Window (1955), Hotel Room (1931), Two on the Aisle (1927), and Automat (1927) all depict New York scenes that convey a sense of solitude, welcome and unwelcome, that one can feel in the city. The opera imagines the lives of the figures in these paintings and connects them as characters—both directly and tangentially—on one evening in New York City in 1932.
Design Team and Cast
The production’s design team includes Erhard Rom, scenic designer; David Roberts,
costume designer; and Nancy Schertler, lighting designer. The cast
includes Maryland Opera Studio members Claire Kuttler as Elaine O'Neill,
Andrew Adelsberger as Gus O'Neill, Melissa Schiel as Estelle Oglethorpe,
Onyu Park as Ruth Baldwin, Eric C. Black as Ronaldo Cabral, Jenna Lebherz
as Thelma Yablonski, Adam Hall as Jimmy O'Keefe, and Jenny Chen as Valentina
Scarcella.
Performances
Four performances of Later the Same Evening: an opera inspired by five
paintings of Edward Hopper will be given at the Clarice Smith Performing
Arts Center’s Kay Theatre Thursday through Saturday, November 15 through 17,
2007, at 7:30 pm and on Sunday, November 18, 2007 at 3:00 pm. One performance
will be given at the National Gallery of Art on Sunday, December 2, at 6:30
pm.
Tickets and Reservations
Tickets for the November 15 through 18 performances at the Clarice Smith Performing
Arts Center are $20 for the general public, $7 for full-time students of
all ages, and are available now by visiting www.claricesmithcenter.umd.edu or
calling (301) 405-ARTS (2787). The Clarice Smith Center is located
near the intersection of Route 193 and Stadium Drive at the University of
Maryland, College Park. For the free December 2 performance at the
National Gallery of Art, east Building, seating will be first come, first
seated beginning at 6 p.m.
Funding
Programs of the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center are supported by a grant
from the Maryland State Arts Council, an agency funded by the State of Maryland
and the National Endowment for the Arts. Additional support is generously
provided by grants from the Leading College and University Presenters Program
of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz
Foundation.
The National Gallery of Art
The National Gallery of Art, one of the world’s preeminent museums, preserves,
collects, exhibits, and fosters the understanding of works of art at the
highest possible museum and scholarly standards. The Gallery's collection
of some 116,000 paintings, drawings, prints, photographs, sculpture, and
decorative arts traces the development of Western art from the Middle Ages
to the present. Temporary exhibitions presenting a range of art history
and programs including lectures, tours, concerts, films, and family activities
are offered to the public year-round. The National Gallery of Art and
its Sculpture Garden, located on the National Mall between Third and Ninth
Streets at Constitution Avenue NW, are open Monday through Saturday from
10:00 am to 5:00 pm and Sunday from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm, and are closed on
December 25 and January 1. Admission is free. For more information, visit www.nga.gov or
call (202) 737-4215 or the Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) at
(202) 842-6176.
Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center
The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center transforms lives through sustained
engagement with the arts. Through extended residencies, the Center
forges relationships between extraordinary guest artists, faculty, students,
and the wider community, creating multiple avenues for learning and illuminating
the creative process. Providing transformational experiences both onstage
and off, the Center supports and develops provocative work that represents
diverse perspectives, sparking dialogue and reflection. Located on
the University of Maryland, College Park campus between Washington, DC and
Baltimore, the Center serves as home to the UM School of Music, Departments
of Dance and Theatre, and the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library. For
more information, visit www.claricesmithcenter.umd.edu.
University of Maryland School of Music
The University of Maryland School of Music serves as an advocate for
the art of music in American culture. The School provides a comprehensive program
of study for cultivating and transforming musical traditions in ways that prepare
our students for meaningful engagement with their art, culture, and world community
through excellence in music performance, composition, scholarship, and teaching.
With world-class faculty and state-of-the-art facilities, the School fosters
a community of 600 student musicians at one of the nation's leading public
universities. The UM School of Music awards the following degrees: PhD,
DMA, MM, MA, BME, BM and BA. Among the School's many outstanding offerings
is a two-year graduate program in opera performance. Known as the Maryland
Opera Studio, this master of music degree specializes in the complete education
of young opera singers, preparing them for careers on the professional stage.
The program includes work in all areas of vocal and theatrical training, movement & dance,
operatic language study, and performance experience. The UM School of
Music is fully accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music (NASM). For
more information, visit www.music.umd.edu.
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