Brother Brother Updates

I wanted to give an update to those of you who have expressed interest in the plans for Brother Brother.  Things are going really well and on schedule for the full production on May 2 and 3 at the Abrons Arts Center.  I am currently working on the music for the final scene of the opera (see above) and excited about how its coming out, but also a bit wistful about leaving my friends, Orville and Wilbur Wright and Red and Blue. I have spent a lot of time with these men and will miss them when I am done writing all of the music.

Does everyone know about the opera story?  It’s about the Wright Brothers and the difficult times they had following their first flight in Kitty Hawk, NC.  They had a very hard time personally and professionally in the three years after their first flight since they were eager to sell their planes, but not so eager to share their technological advances with other inventors.  The opera is also about Red and Blue, two fictional brothers who live in the late 20th century.  I like to think they are informed by my relationship with my twin brother, but they also are modeled after friends and other brother relationships.  These two stories happen concurrently and sort of connect, but you will have to see the opera to know for sure! Brothers are a unique bunch and I hope that the opera captures some of the intensity of these relationships.

The other big news is that the cast for the opera is almost complete!  The musicians, actors and production team are like a dream.  Really, sometimes I dream about these people and they are just awesome.

Here is the current line up of brilliant artists:

Mallory Catlett, Director
Mimi Lien, Designer
David Bloom, Musical Director
Michele Kennedy, Mother Fate
Patrick Fennig, Orville Wright
Marc Day, Wilbur Wright

This is all just another way of saying that I hope you can come on May 2 and 3 to hear and see the work that we are all putting into this production.  I will try to send along more regular updates as the project progresses, but here are the details so you can make sure to put it on your calendar:

Brother Brother
Produced by Experiments in Opera
May 2 & 3, 2014
Abrons Arts Center
New York, NY