A Place to Call Home (opera)
Encyclopedia
A Place To Call Home is a contemporary American opera composed by Edward Barnes
who also wrote the libretto
. The work was commissioned by the Los Angeles Opera
and premiered at the John Anson Ford Theater during the summer of 1993. The Los Angeles Opera
later toured the opera, with further productions by the University of Texas at El Paso
, among others.
Synopsis: The opera is an account of four different teenage refugees/immigrants to the United States. It is based on interviews conducted by Edward Barnes with teenage refugees from El Salvador, Iran, Cambodia and Angola.
Cast: Woman 1 (soprano
); Woman 2 (mezzo-soprano
); Man 1 (tenor
); Man 2 (baritone
); other immigrants, refugees, high school students, high school teachers, street gang, barrio kids (chorus)
Duration: 60 minutes
Orchestration: Electric keyboards (2 players) and percussion (1 player)
Edward Barnes (composer)
Edward Barnes is an American composer and producer.Edward Barnes studied music composition at the Juilliard School with composers Vincent Persichetti and David Diamond, and at Dartington Hall in Great Britain with composer-conductor Sir Peter Maxwell Davies...
who also wrote the libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
. The work was commissioned by the Los Angeles Opera
Los Angeles Opera
The Los Angeles Opera is an opera company in Los Angeles, California. It is the fourth largest opera company in the United States. The company's home base is the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, part of the Los Angeles Music Center.-Current leadership:...
and premiered at the John Anson Ford Theater during the summer of 1993. The Los Angeles Opera
Los Angeles Opera
The Los Angeles Opera is an opera company in Los Angeles, California. It is the fourth largest opera company in the United States. The company's home base is the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, part of the Los Angeles Music Center.-Current leadership:...
later toured the opera, with further productions by the University of Texas at El Paso
University of Texas at El Paso
The University of Texas at El Paso is a four-year state university, and is a component institution of the University of Texas System. Its campus is located on the bank of the Rio Grande in El Paso, Texas. The school was founded in 1914 as The Texas State School of Mines and Metallurgy,...
, among others.
Synopsis: The opera is an account of four different teenage refugees/immigrants to the United States. It is based on interviews conducted by Edward Barnes with teenage refugees from El Salvador, Iran, Cambodia and Angola.
Cast: Woman 1 (soprano
Soprano
A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
); Woman 2 (mezzo-soprano
Mezzo-soprano
A mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above...
); Man 1 (tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
); Man 2 (baritone
Baritone
Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
); other immigrants, refugees, high school students, high school teachers, street gang, barrio kids (chorus)
Duration: 60 minutes
Orchestration: Electric keyboards (2 players) and percussion (1 player)