Mark Campbell (librettist)

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Mark Campbell is a New York-based librettist and lyricist whose operas have received both a Pulitzer Prize in Music [1] and a GRAMMY Award. [2] Mark began writing for the stage as a musical theatre lyricist, but turned to libretto-writing after he premiered Volpone, his first full-length opera in 2004 at Wolf Trap Opera Company. [3]

Contents

Mark has written 40 opera librettos, lyrics for 7 musicals and text for 6 song cycles and 4 oratorios. His best-known works are Silent Night , [4] The Shining , [5] The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs , [6] As One , [7] Later the Same Evening, [8] Stonewall , [9] Elizabeth Cree [10] and the musical Songs from an Unmade Bed. [11] His operas have been produced by most of the prominent opera companies in the U.S., including Atlanta Opera, Arizona Opera, Austin Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Central City Opera, Chicago Opera Theatre, Cincinnati Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Ft. Worth Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Hawaii Opera Theatre, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Michigan Opera Theatre, Minnesota Opera, New Orleans Opera, New York City Opera, Opera Colorado, Opera Memphis, Opera Parallèle, Opera Philadelphia, Pensacola Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Portland Opera, San Diego Opera, San Francisco Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Seattle Opera, Urban Arias, Utah Opera, Virginia Opera, Washington National Opera and West Edge Opera.

As an educator, Mark has established libretto-writing programs at the American Opera Project, Washington National Opera's American Opera Initiative, American Lyric Theatre and the University of Colorado's New Opera Workshop. In 2022, he created the Campbell Opera Librettist Prize, the first and only award for opera librettists in the history of the art form (administered by OPERA America). In 2022, he co-created, with his As One collaborators, the True Voice Award to help with the training of transgender and non-binary singers (administered by Washington National Opera's Cafritz Young Artist's Program).

Operas (librettos)

TitleDescriptionComposerCo-LibrettistProducing company
VolponeA Comic Opera in Two Acts

Unfaithfully fashioned from the play by Ben Jonson

John Musto Wolf Trap Opera
Later the Same EveningAn Opera Inspired by Five Paintings of Edward Hopper John MustoThe University of Maryland School of Music
BastianelloA Comic Opera Inspired by an Italian Folk TaleJohn Musto New York Festival of Song/Carnegie Hall
LucreziaA Comic Opera based on Machiavelli's La Mandragola William Bolcom New York Festival of Song/Carnegie Hall
A Letter to East 11th StreetAn Opera in Two PartsMartin Hennessy The American Opera Project/CUNY Crane School of Music
The Tell-Tale HeartAn Operatic Monologue based on the Short Story by Edgar Allan Poe Lance HorneZipper Theatre
The Girl I Left BehindAn Operatic Monologue based on the Short Story by Dame Muriel Spark Lance HorneZipper Theatre
A Hunger ArtistAn Operatic Monologue based on Kafka's The Hunger ArtistLance HorneZipper Theatre
Rappahannock CountyA Theatrical Song Cycle about the American Civil War Ricky Ian Gordon Virginia Opera/Richmond University/ University of Texas Performing Arts Center
The InspectorA Comic Opera in Two Acts Based on Gogol's The Government Inspector John Musto Wolf Trap Opera/Boston Lyrics Opera
Silent Night An Opera in Two Acts Adapted from the Film Joyeux Noël (screenplay by Christian Carion) Kevin Puts Minnesota Opera
The Manchurian CandidateAn Opera in Two Acts Adapted from the novel by Richard Condon Kevin Puts Minnesota Opera
A Song for Susan Smith An Opera in One ActZach Redler University of Colorado New Opera Workshop
A Dog's HeartA Short Comic Opera based on Bulgakov's "Heart of a Dog"Lembit Beecher Opera Philadelphia
The Shining An Opera in Two Acts after the novel by Stephen King Paul Moravec Minnesota Opera
Approaching AliA Family Opera based on Davis Miller's The Tao of Muhammad Ali D.J. Sparr Davis Miller Washington National Opera
As One An Opera for Two Voices

and String Quartet

Laura Kaminsky Kimberly Reed The American Opera Project/Brooklyn Academy of Music
A Flourish of GreenA Mini-Opera based on a Story in Bocaccio's Decameron Missy Mizzoli Opera Philadelphia
The Other RoomA Monologue in One ActMarisa MichelsonInner Voices
Memory BoyA Children's Opera based on the Novel by Will Weaver Reinaldo Moya Minnesota Opera
Empty the HouseAn Opera in One ActRene OrthCurtis School of Music/Opera Philadelphia
The Whole TruthA Comic Opera based on the Short Story by Stephen McCauley Robert Paterson American Modern Ensemble
The Good FriarA Comic Opera in One ActMartin Hennessy
Elizabeth CreeAn Opera Adapted from the novel The Trial of Elizabeth Cree by Peter Ackroyd Kevin Puts Opera Philadelphia/Chicago Opera Theatre
Some Light EmergesA Chamber Opera in One Act about the Rothko Chapel Laura KaminskyKimberly Reed Houston Grand Opera/HGOCO
Dinner At EightAn Opera in Two Acts based on the play by George S. Kaufman and Edna Ferber William Bolcom Minnesota Opera
The (R)evolution of Steve JobsAn Opera Mason Bates Santa Fe Opera/Seattle Opera/Indiana University Jacobs School of Music/San Francisco Opera
The Nefarious, Immoral But Highly Profitable Enterprise of Mr. Burke & Mr. HareAn Opera in One Act Julian Grant Boston Lyric Opera/Music-Theatre Group
The Summer King An Opera in Two Acts Daniel Sonenberg Daniel Nestor Pittsburgh Opera/American Opera Project
Today It RainsAn Opera in One ActLaura KaminskyKimberly ReedOpera Parallèle
StonewallAn Opera in One Act Iain Bell New York City Opera
Edward TulaneAn Opera in Two Acts after the novel The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo Paola Prestini Minnesota Opera
The Secret RiverAn Opera based on the Novel by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Stella SungOpera Orlando
Frida Kahlo and the Bravest Girl in the WorldA Children's Opera based on the Book by Laurence Anholt Joe Illick Ft. Worth Opera
SupermaxAn Opera in 60 Minutes Stewart Wallace Michael Korie Long Beach Opera
again and again. and again.An Opera based on Corneille's The Comic Illusion Conrad Cummings
A Sweet Silence in CremonaA Comic Opera in One Act Roberto Scarcella Perino New York University/Florence Villa la Pietra, Teatro Comunale Ponchielli [12]
Stone SoupA Children's Opera in One Act Joe Illick Ft. Worth Opera
A Thousand AcresAn opera in two acts based on the novel by Jane Smiley [13] Kristin Kuster Des Moines Metro Opera
Bernadette's Cozy Book NookA Zoom opera in one act Joe Illick Ft. Worth Opera
Unruly SunAn music-theatre work inspired by

Derek Jarman [14] 's Modern Nature

 Matthew Ricketts Orchestre classique de Montréal,

Brott Opera, 21C Music Festival,

Musicals (lyrics)

TitleDescriptionComposerBook WriterProducing company
Splendora [15] Based on the book by Edward Swift Stephen HoffmanPeter WebbBay Street Theatre and American Place Theatre
Songs from an Unmade Bed [16] A solo theatrical song cycle18 different composers New York Theatre Workshop
The Sweet Revenge of Louisa MayBased on several Gothic tales by Louisa May Alcott Stephen HoffmanBurton Cohen Olney Theatre
The AudienceA musical written by many authors and composersVariousVarious The Transport Group
And the Curtain RisesA Musical about The First MusicalJoseph ThalkenMichael Slade Signature Theatre (DC)
Chang & EngA Musical about the Siamese TwinsStephen HoffmanBurton CohenNYMT
The Tenants of 3RStephen Hoffman
IrenaA musical about Irena Sendler [17] Włodek PawlikMary Skinner/

Piotr Piwowarczyk

 Teatr Muzyczny w Poznaniu

Oratorios (text)

TitleDescriptionComposerProducing companyCitations
Sanctuary RoadAn oratorio inspired by the writings of William Still Paul Moravec Oratorio Society of New York
A Nation of OthersAn oratorio set on a single day at Ellis Island in 1921 Paul Moravec Oratorio Society of New York
All Shall RiseAn oratorio about voters' rights Paul Moravec Oratorio Society of New York
Émigré About the Jewish community in Shanghai Aaron Zigman [18]

Song cycles (lyrics)

Awards and nominations

Libretto mentorship programs

Mark Campbell has created or helped create opera libretto-writing programs with the following organizations

American Lyric Theatre The American Opera Initiative University of Colorado New Opera Workshop Opera Philadelphia's Composer in Residence Program The John Duffy Institute for New Opera

Recordings

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References

  1. ↑ "Pulitzer Prize for Music Winners". www.pulitzer.org. Retrieved 2019-12-18.
  2. ↑ "'The (R)evolution Of Steve Jobs' Wins The Grammy – Opera Wire". operawire.com. Retrieved 2019-12-18.
  3. ↑ "Opera | Wolf Trap". www.wolftrap.org. Retrieved 2019-12-18.
  4. ↑ Tommasini, Anthony (2013-02-11). "Tenors Amid the Turmoil of War in the Trenches". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2019-12-18.
  5. ↑ "Even Scarier Than The Book Or Movie: 'The Shining' Is Now An Opera". NPR.org. Retrieved 2019-12-18.
  6. ↑ "Sing Different: Steve Jobs' Life Becomes An Opera". NPR.org. Retrieved 2019-12-18.
  7. ↑ "As One". AOP. Retrieved 2019-12-18.
  8. ↑ Schweitzer, Vivien (2008-12-15). "Edward Hopper's Paintings Spring to Operatic Life at Manhattan School of Music". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2019-12-18.
  9. ↑ Barone, Joshua (2019-06-23). "Review: A 'Stonewall' Opera Reflects the Diversity of Queer History". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2019-12-18.
  10. ↑ Philadelphia, Opera. "Elizabeth Cree". Opera Philadelphia. Retrieved 2019-12-18.
  11. ↑ "NYTW / Songs from an Unmade Bed". NYTW. Retrieved 2019-12-18.
  12. ↑ "Teatro Amilcare Ponchielli of Cremona: history, events, initatives". Teatro Amilcare Ponchielli. Retrieved 2023-01-22.
  13. ↑ "Jane Smiley", Wikipedia, 2022-12-16, retrieved 2023-01-22
  14. ↑ "Derek Jarman", Wikipedia, 2023-01-19, retrieved 2023-01-22
  15. ↑ "She's a He: Musical Splendora Gets Revised NYC Revival Feb. 8". Playbill. 2000-01-17. Retrieved 2019-12-30.
  16. ↑ Dale, Michael. "Songs From An Unmade Bed: Comfy and Playful". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 2019-12-30.
  17. ↑ "Irena Sendler", Wikipedia, 2022-10-20, retrieved 2023-01-22
  18. ↑ "Aaron Zigman's 'Émigré' oratorio, about Jews who fled Nazi Germany for Shanghai, has US premiere". AP News. 1 March 2024. Retrieved 22 June 2024.
  19. ↑ "EIGHT PHASES OF LUNA". Kamala Sankaram. Retrieved 2019-12-30.
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