Jake Heggie, Lori Laitman, Mark Campbell, Adolphus Hailstork, & Hilda Harris to Attend the National Opera Association’s 2024 Annual National Conference

(Photo credits: Niebuhr, Steiner, Marshall Light Studio, © Chuck Thomas 2012) The National Opera Association’s 69th annual national conference is scheduled for Jan. 3-6, 2024 at in Tempe, Arizona. The conference kicks off with a performance of “Sanctuary and Storm” by Tawnie Olson and Roberta Barker, the winner of the 2023 Chamber Opera Competition. Jake Heggie will give the Keynote {…}

Oct 3, 2023

Atlanta Opera 2023-24 Review: The Shining

(Photo credit: Raftermen/courtesy of The Atlanta Opera) Atlanta Opera gave a skillful East Coast premiere of Paul Moravec and Mark Campbell’s “The Shining.” As most are familiar with the plot of Stephen King’s 1977 novel, “The Shining,” from the 1980 Stanley Kubrick film, I will not recount the storyline. However, it is important to mention the operatic version is based {…}

Sep 30, 2023

San Francisco Opera 2023-24 Review: ‘The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs’

Steve Jobs forever changed the world of communications. The opera, “The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs,” composed by Mason Bates with libretto by Mark Campbell, opened at the San Francisco War Memorial Opera House and brought the story of how Jobs gave birth to the computer with panache. Although the opera’s premiere occurred in Santa Fe in 2017, and was the {…}

Jul 7, 2023

OPERA America Announces 2023 Winner of Campbell Opera Librettist Prize

OPERA American has announced that Deborah Brevoort has won the Campbell Opera Librettist Prize. She will take home $7,000 for creative development and career advancement. Brevoort is an alum of American Lyric Theater’s Composer Librettist Development Program and has written librettos for nine operas including “The Knock,” Embedded,” “Steal a Pencil for Me,” and “Dinner 4 3.” Her works have {…}

Apr 2, 2023

Katherine Goforth Awarded the First “True Voice Award” on International Transgender Day of Visibility

Photo credit: Dallas Symphony In recognition of International Transgender Day of Visibility, Washinton National Opera announced Katherine Goforth as the first recipient of the “True Voice Award.” The new award was created specifically for transgender or nonbinary opera artists by the creators of “As One,” Kimberly Reed, Laura Kaminsky, and Mark Campbell in collaboration with Washington National Opera. The “True {…}

Oct 3, 2022

Q & A: Composer Lembit Beecher Talks About His New Song Cycle ‘A Year to the Day’

Photo: Jamie Jung American composer Lembit Beecher has collaborated with librettist/lyricist Mark Campbell to write “A Year to the Day,” a new song cycle rooted in, but not about, the pandemic. The concept was Campbell’s, and it was he who approached the composer. Together, they wrote six songs, along with five instrumental interludes for tenor Nicholas Phan, violinist Augustin Hadelich, {…}

Sep 20, 2022

Nicholas Phan Headlines World Premiere of Beecher & Campbell’s ‘A Year to the Day’

The Violin Channel is set to present “A Year to the Day” on Oct. 7, 2022 at 7 p.m. The dramatic song cycle by composer Lembit Beecher with lyrics by librettist Mark Campbell, which explores the life of an artist during the pandemic, will feature performances by tenor Nicholas Phan, violinist Augustin Hadelich, pianist Orion Weiss, and cellist Karen Ouzounian. {…}

Jun 14, 2022

The Atlanta Opera 2021-22 Review: As One

(Credit: Raftermen) Laura Kaminsky, Mark Campbell, and Kimberly Reed’s chamber opera “As One” has brought a newness to the opera stage through the kind of story they tell and created opportunities for opera professionals in the LGBTQIA+ community. In The Atlanta Opera’s production, starring Lucia Lucas as Hannah Before and Blythe Gaissert as Hannah After, the positive impact and need {…}

May 27, 2022

Stephanie Fleischmann Named Winner of the 2022 Campbell Opera Librettist Prize

OPERA America has announced librettist Stephanie Fleischmann as the 2022 Campbell Opera Librettist Prize winner. Conceived and funded by Pulitzer Prize and Grammy Award-winning librettist Mark Campbell, the prize seeks to raise the profile of librettists, who seldom receive recognition for their work. The award comes with a $7,000 prize to support creative and career development. Fleischmann, an alumna of {…}

May 31, 2021

Douglas Kearney to Receive Inaugural Campbell Opera Librettist Prize

OPERA America has announced that Douglas Kearney has been named the inaugural recipient of the Campbell Opera Librettist Prize. The award, conceived and funded by Mark Campbell, is the first in American opera to specifically honor the work of the librettist. An alumnus of Howard University and CalArts, Kearney has written libretti for such operas as “Sweet Land,” “Crescent City,” {…}

May 12, 2021

Opera Orlando Announces ‘Together As One’ Panel

Opera Orlando will partner with 26 Health to showcase Laura Kaminsky, Kimberly Reed, and Mark Campbell’s “As One.” In anticipation of the performances of the opera scheduled for May 21 and 23, 2021 the company will present “Together as One,” a community panel led by local activist and Opera Orland board member Chevalier Lovett with the aim of connecting audience {…}