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Contents

   



(Top)
 


1 Performance history  





2 Roles  





3 Instrumentation  





4 Reception  





5 References  





6 External links  














The Scarlet Professor







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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 


Ned Spofford (William Hite) with Newton Arvin (Keith Phares) in a scene from The Scarlet Professor

The Scarlet Professor is an opera by the American composer Eric Sawyer with libretto by Harley Erdman, based on the biography[1]byBarry Werth.

Performance history[edit]

The world premieres of the fully staged opera occurred on September 15–17, 2017, at Smith College where the events that inspired the performance took place. The opera was performed without intermission with running time of about one hour and 40 minutes. A symposium[2] on the Arvin case was held all day on September 16. The following weekend the opera was performed with a cast of young artists from the Five Colleges consortium of Western Massachusetts.

Roles[edit]

Role Voice type Premiere cast, 15 September 2017
Conductor: Eduardo Leandro
Newton Arvin tenor William Hite
Ned Spofford baritone Keith Phares
Hester Prynne mezzo-soprano Blythe Gaissert
Helen Bacon soprano Sarah Pelletier
Truman Capote countertenor Bryan Pollock
Officer Regan baritone James Dernier
Doctor soprano Kristen Watson
Arthur Summerfield baritone Sumner Thompson

Instrumentation[edit]

The 9-piece instrumental ensemble consisted of piano, percussion, flute, clarinet, tenor saxophone, and strings, with both electric and double bass.

Reception[edit]

Reviewer Marvin J. Ward found the opera a "compelling and captivating work", adding "...composer Eric Sawyer has a penchant for choosing historical events, especially local ones, as the subjects of his operas. This is the third that I have seen, each more polished and refined than its predecessor, with The Scarlet Professor scoring a 10/10 in my book."[3] The Scarlet Professor won the 2019 American Prize in opera composition.[4]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Werth, Barry. The Scarlet Professor: Newton Arvin: A Literary Life Shattered by Scandal.. Random House, 2001.
  • ^ "Singing the Story". Grecourt Gate. 2017-09-07. Retrieved 2017-10-28.
  • ^ Ward, Marvin (2017-09-21). "Scarlet Professor Recalls Gay 'Smut' Target As Opera". Classical Voice North America. Retrieved 2017-10-28.
  • ^ "The American Prize in Composition—Opera/Theater/Film (professional division)". 2019-08-05. Retrieved 2019-08-14.
  • External links[edit]


    Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Scarlet_Professor&oldid=1224817219"

    Categories: 
    Operas
    2017 operas
    English-language operas
    Operas based on literature
    Operas set in the 20th century
    Operas set in the United States
    Operas based on real people
    Cultural depictions of educators
    Cultural depictions of Truman Capote
    LGBT-related operas
    Hidden categories: 
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    This page was last edited on 20 May 2024, at 16:55 (UTC).

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