Stage Director

Manhattan School of Music’s public programs are made possible in part by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.

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MSM Opera Theatre: An American Dream

Manhattan School of Music

The 2024 Studio Artist Program will present two performances of Rappahannock County which pairs the outstanding and celebrated talents of composer Ricky Ian Gordon and librettist Mark Campbell. Rappahannock County is a theatrical song cycle that captures key emotional, sociological, and historical moments in the Civil War. Much of the text was inspired by actual events and drawn from diaries, letters, and other accounts. The narrative follows the lines of history, from secession in 1861 to defeat in 1865, and is in five parts. Although the story is centered geographically in Virginia, its themes are universal to the Civil War. It is described as such by Wes Blomster of Opera Today: “The piece has the sense of a lens closing in on a spectrum of individuals and their feelings around slavery and morality in a profound and poignant way…’ Opera Maine’s production will premiere a special score composed for two pianos.

Rappahannock County

Portland Stage

Treasured possessions become symbols of home in this Seattle Opera commission written by composer Jack Perla from a libretto by Jessica Murphy Moo and inspired by true stories from our painful history. Set during World War II, this opera explores the lives of two women: a Japanese American forced to leave her home and a German Jewish immigrant preoccupied with those she left behind. An American Dream is accompanied by a four-piece chamber ensemble, and while this opera is a piece of fiction, the story was crafted from interviews with residents of Puget Sound, Washington, who experienced the mass incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II.

An American Dream

Moanalua High School

Castle Performing Arts Center

Leeward Community College

Treasured possessions become symbols of their lost homes for two women during World War II: a Japanese American facing incarceration and a German Jewish immigrant preoccupied by those she left behind, in Jack Perla’s 2013 drama.

Lobero Theatre

Treasured possessions become symbols of their lost homes for two women during World War II: a Japanese American facing internment and a German Jewish immigrant preoccupied by those she left behind, in Jack Perla and Jessica Murphy Moo’s  2013 drama.

Family is everything.
Diane Tran, an 11th grade honor student in Houston, was jailed for truancy. She works two jobs while balancing school and family. Interviewed on air, Diane revealed that her parents were divorced and said, “I thought my family was happy.”



The poignant and heart wrenching one act, Bound, by composer Huang Ruo and librettist Bao-Long Chu, tells the true story of Diane Tran, an 11th grade honors student in Houston, Texas who was arrested and jailed for repeated truancy after trying to balance her obligations between two jobs, family, and school. Starring internationally renowned soprano Karen Vuong (who sang the title role in Anchorage Opera’s 2025 production of Madama Butterfly), this gripping drama is profoundly relevant and resonant.

Stage Director

Richard Gammon

Events

Upcoming events

5 - 8 Feb, 2026

Bound · Anchorage Opera

Past events

14 - 15 Dec, 2024

MSM Opera Theatre: An American Dream · Manhattan School of Music

28 - 30 Jun, 2024

Rappahannock County · Opera Maine

About

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