subtitle: An Opera About What Columbus Did to the “Indians”
(100′) 55 numbers, in 1 or 2 acts;
commissioned by Puffin Foundation in honor of
50th anniversary of American Music Center
and Columbian Quincentennial;
libretto by composer & Joel Shatzky
(credit withdrawn at his request 11/30/92);
7 soloists, 2 rappers, pno, perc., 3 synthesizers
+opt. Chorus, Ballet, Tpt, Tb, Conchs.
Separable numbers:
#1 Kaytawari’s Monologue #2 Crew’s Entrance
#3 Columbus’s Aria #6 Nudity Chorus #9 Prayer
#11 Rodrigo #16 Isabella’s Bolero #17 Quartet (Act I)
#26 Guarionex #27 Yuisa #29 Kaytawari’s Vision
#30 George #32 Columbus-Isabella Duet #34 Quartet (Act II)
#37 De Torres #44 Rap Number #46 Tainos’ Mourning Chorus
partial performances:
#16 by Helene Williams at Golden Fleece Ltd. Composers’ Chamber Theater
Square One program @Theater 22, NYC 3/31/90;
#1, 3 by Ronald Edwards at
Union Theological Seminary CALC 25th anniversary 7/22/90
& WBAI 10/12/90;
#2, 6 chorus preview:
Second International Naturist Opera Workshop,
Belezy, France 7/90;
#16 at Third International Naturist Opera Workshop,
Belezy, France 7/92 and at
Haus der Kirche, Berlin 9/1/92
& Dresden Center for Contemporary Music 9/5/92;
#3, 16, 37, 32 LICA concert, Heckscher Park, Huntington 8/6/91
All of the above previewed on WQXR’s
“The Listening Room” 10/12/91 10pm;
Suite of excerpts broadcast on WBAI 10/14/91.
#11 sung by Ivan Thomas, broadcast on WBAI Arts Magazine 2/8/93
complete performances:
full concert premiere by After Dinner Opera Co.
(& Meet The Composer)Â @ Lincoln Center 10/12/91;
staged premiere co-sponsored by LICA, East End Arts Council
& NYFA S.O.S. Grant, Puffin Foundation
Hngtn & Suffolk County Arts Council,
Heckscher Park, Huntington 8/11/92;
N.Y. City staged premiere co-sponsored by
East End Arts Council-NYFA S.O.S. Grant
& Meet The Composer, Donnell Library 2/9/93;
Music received rave review from George Wallace in
Opera Monthly. Casts also included Mark Wolff,
Eugene Green, Elliott Z. Levine, Robert Ross,
Peter Ludwig, Shirley Perkins. Staged by Benjamin Spierman.
Production photos at
http://www.ljlehrman.artists-in-residence.com/NewWorld.html