Touch the Sky (2024)

Premiered on April 25, 2024 by the Juilliard School Vocal Arts Department

Libretto by Yiqi Zue

15 minutes

Instrumentation

3 Singers (Soprano, Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano)

Clarinet

Cello

Percussion (“E" Crotale/Triangle/Shaker/Snare Drum/2 Wood Blocks/Bass Drum)

Premise

“An alternate and untold story surrounding the character Ariel from Shakespeare’s The Tempest who has remained imprisoned on the island despite Prospero’s promise to free them. In the opera, Ariel confronts past and future versions of themselves as they decide whether to fight back against Prospero or continue to trust him.”

Dead Reckoning (2022)

For the 2022 Opera from Scratch workshop

Premiered on August 14th, 2022 by Tristan Zaba and Lynette Wahlstrom at the 2022 Opera from Scratch Festival in Halifax, Nova Scotia

Libretto by Tristan Zaba, additional text by Michael Nunes

10 minutes

Instrumentation

Baritone Singer, Piano

Premise

“In 1895, Joshua Slocum began his journey to become the first person to circumnavigate the globe single-handedly in a sailboat. Surrounded by fog and with no wind in sight, the isolated sailor begins to regret his potentially fatal journey.”

-Michael Nunes

Union (2019)

For Grandpa, and for family members who never truly leave us

Premiered on June 28th, 2022 by Green Room Music

Conceived by Erica Kath

Libretto by Abigail Sinclair and Michael Nunes

30 minutes

Instrumentation

Three Singers (Soprano, Baritone, Mezzo-Soprano)

Flute & Piccolo, Oboe & English Horn

Trumpet & Flugelhorn, Horn, Tuba

Percussion

Keyboard

String Quartet (additional players may be added to supplement and balance the sound as desired.)

Premise

“Anna and her father, Thomas, arrive in Union Station for the first time together--dazzled by the bustling city in contrast with their quiet rural lives. Anna has recently been accepted to her dream university program, but is unsure whether she will be able to accept it. Tension is high between the pair as they struggle to find their next train.”

-Michael Nunes