Synopsis
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| Castor and Patience | |
|---|---|
| Opera by Gregory Spears | |
| Librettist | Tracy K. Smith |
| Language | English |
| Premiere | |
Castor and Patience is an opera composed by Gregory Spears to a libretto by Tracy K. Smith, commissioned by Cincinnati Opera for its 100th anniversary season and received its world premiere there in July 2022. [1] [2] The opera was developed by Opera Fusion: New Works, a collaboration between Cincinnati Opera and the University of Cincinnati – College-Conservatory of Music which focuses on the creation of new American operas. The world premiere production was directed by Kevin Newbury and conducted by Kazem Abdullah.
| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast, July 21, 2022 [3] Conductor: Kazem Abdullah |
|---|---|---|
| Patience | soprano | Talise Trevigne |
| Castor | baritone | Reginald Smith Jr. |
| Celeste | mezzo-soprano | Jennifer Johnson Cano |
| Wilhelmina | soprano | Victoria Okafor |
| West | baritone | Benjamin Taylor |
| Judah | tenor | Frederick Ballentine |
| Ruthie | soprano | Raven McMillon |
| Clarissa/Ensemble | soprano | Amber Monroe |
| Jane/Ensemble | mezzo-soprano | Zoie Reams |
| Nestor/Ensemble | tenor | Victor Ryan Robertson |
| Cato/Ensemble | baritone | Phillip Bullock |
| Second Man/Ensemble | bass-baritone | Earl Hazell |
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Castor and Patience was named one of the Best Classical Music Performances of 2022 by The New York Times [4] and was on the shortlist for the Best World Premiere in the International Opera Awards in 2022. [5]
In his review for The New York Times, Zachary Woolfe named the performance a "Critic's Pick" and described the work as "passionate, but also clear, focused and humble" and praised the music as "so fervent, the melodies so sweet, that you can find yourself moved nearly to tears by more or less random lines." [6]
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