Chamber opera by Wiemann, Moxley selected for New in November festival in Connecticut
An excerpt from “Until the War Is Over,” a chamber opera by composer Beth Wiemann, University of Maine professor of music and chair of the Music Division of the School of Performing Arts, and poet Jennifer Moxley, UMaine professor of English, will be performed at the New in November festival, Nov. 15 in Hartford, Connecticut, sponsored by Hartford Opera Theater.
The opera is based on a novel by American poet H.D. (Hilda Doolittle). Sample recordings of the opera are online.
“Until the War Is Over” was selected for performance in this year’s New in November festival from more than 40 submissions. Hartford Opera Theater established the festival in 2010 to “seek out and encourage contemporary opera composers and to create an opportunity for the community to experience performances of these new works,” according to the company’s website. Each year, the festival features six 10-minute scenes from new operas.
This is the first collaboration between Wiemann and Moxley. Wiemann’s compositions have won awards from the Orvis Foundation, Colorado New Music Festival and others. This spring, Moxley received the 2015 William Carlos Williams Award from the Poetry Society of America for her book, “The Open Secret.”
Wiemann and Moxley are collaborating with the Division of Theatre/Dance for a performance of an excerpt, expected in 2016.