Composer. Flutist. Storyteller.
ESCAPE
Aria Collection for Soprano and Piano
Escape is a collection of three arias loosely connected by a single theme. Available in transpositions for soprano, mezzo-soprano, and baritone, these arias capture moments of longing, transcendence, and finally thrilling actualization at the pivotal moment of escape.
Many thanks go to Christine Evans, Ken Takata, and Ian Bonner, my brilliant librettist collaborators; the Really Spicy Opera Aria Institute, its co-directors Tess Altiveros, Basil Considine, and Anne Wieben, and soprano Bree Nichols, with whom these pieces were conceived and workshopped; Victoria Schemenauer and Bethany Brinson, who gave the first in-person performance at Indiana University’s Auer Hall; Steven Warnock, who inspired me to complete the full orchestration of Spires and recorded it under the baton of Tyler Readinger; Bree Nichols and Lindsey Huff Breitchschaedel, who performed this piece on tour at the Fondation des États-Unis in Paris with Really Spicy Opera; and the Nightingale Opera Theatre Young Artist Program, who presented the aria collection and its sister collection Turning Point with full staging in the summer of 2022.
City of a Hundred Spires
Soprano and Piano/Chamber Orchestra
In City of a Hundred Spires, Liana bitterly regrets not following her dream of moving to Prague, the city she has idealized since childhood for its musical heroes and stunning architecture. As she gazes upon the moon in Texas, quotes from Smetana, Dvorak, and Janáček flow through the piece as she slips deeper and deeper into a blissful reverie, ultimately hearing the voice of the Vltava river reassure her that she is never alone.
Range - C#4-Bb5; Duration – 5 minutes
When I Sing
Soprano and Piano
with optional Flute or Alto Sax
In When I Sing, Mia’s passion for singing has just been challenged by her date, and she starts to
try to explain to him what singing means to her. As she thinks about the joy it brings her, she
escapes the dull, judgmental atmosphere of the date into a euphoric space where singing deeply
connects her to ancient cultures, the past and present, and the sensations within her own body.
Range - E4-C6; Duration – 3.5 minutes
Something I Ate
Soprano and Piano
In Something I Ate, the biblical Eve has just partaken in the forbidden fruit, and is filled with a wash of knowledge and emotions previously unimaginable. In a feminist retelling of a too-often demonized character and moment, this libretto portrays God and religion as a toxic atmosphere for a woman, and glories in Eve coming into her true power in a moment of
thrilling triumph.
Range – C4-C6; Duration – 5:00
