The first studio recording of AS ONE, a chamber opera in which two voices share the part of a sole transgender protagonist.
As One is a chamber opera in which two voices—Hannah after (mezzo-soprano) and Hannah before (baritone)—share the part of a sole transgender protagonist. Fifteen songs comprise the three-part narrative; with empathy and humor, they trace Hannah’s experiences from her youth in a small town to her college years—and finally traveling alone to a different country, where she realizes some truths about herself.
“As One forces you to think, simultaneously challenging preconceptions and inspiring empathy.”
—The New York Times
“A piece that haunts and challenges its audience with questions about identity, authenticity, compassion and the human desire for self-love and peace.”
—Opera News
“As One is everything that we hope for in contemporary opera: topical, poignant, daring, and beautifully written. “
—New York Classical Review
“An elegantly realized chamber opera…”
—Slate.com
The original team of artists behind the premiere of this important new opera have reunited to make the first recording of As One – but we need your help! In this current climate, we need to share Hannah’s story more than ever. Can you help us spread her message to the world?
Laura Kaminsky is a composer with “an ear for the new and interesting” (New York Times). Recently cited in The Washington Post as “one of the top 35 female composers in classical music,” her scores often address issues such as sustainability, war, and human rights. Her music is “full of fire as well as ice, written in an idiom that contrasts dissonance and violence with tonal beauty and meditative reflection.” (American Record Guide) Recent collaborations with Mark Campbell and Kimberly Reed since As One (2014): Some Light Emerges (Houston Grand Opera) and Today It Rains (Opera Parallèle/American Opera Projects). Also, a new opera with Reed inspired by the Postville, Iowa, immigration raid for a consortium led by Santa Fe and San Francisco Operas. She is the head of Composition at Purchase College Conservatory of Music/SUNY.
Mark Campbell’s work as a librettist is at the forefront of the current contemporary opera scene in this country. He has written 28 commissioned operas produced by more than 50 companies around the world. His best-known work is Silent Night, which received the 2012 Pulitzer Prize in Music. Other successful operas include Elizabeth Cree, The Shining, The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, The Nefarious, Immoral But Highly Profitable Enterprise of Mr. Burke & Mr. Hare, Dinner At Eight, Later the Same Evening, Volpone, The Manchurian Candidate and Bastianello/ Lucrezia. Awards include: a Grammy® nomination, the first Kleban Foundation Award, two Richard Rodgers Awards, a Larson Foundation Award, and a NYFA Playwriting Fellowship. Upcoming premieres include: Edward Tulane for Minnesota Opera; Today It Rains for Opera Parallèle/American Opera Projects and Stonewall for New York City Opera.
Kimberly Reed designed projections for and wrote As One with co-librettist Mark Campbell, composed by Laura Kaminsky. The team then collaborated on Some Light Emerges (Houston Grand Opera) and the forthcoming Today It Rains (Opera Parallèle). Santa Fe and San Francisco Operas have commissioned her to write the libretto for Postville, again with Kaminsky. Her written work is collected in “The Moth,” a New York Times best-seller. She has held fellowships at NYFA, Yaddo, Squaw Valley Writers Workshop, and the Hermitage. Her documentary film Prodigal Sons premiered at the Telluride film festival and garnered 14 international awards. Her documentary Dark Money will premiere at the Sundance film festival in 2018. One of Filmmaker magazine’s “25 New Faces of Independent Film,” she has been featured on CNN, NPR, MSNBC, Moth Radio Hour, and the Oprah Winfrey Show.
We are on a tight timeline – and are ambitiously aiming for a June release of the album. We have a great team in place (American Opera Projects, BrightShinyThings, award-winning producers/engineers) to help us meet our goals, and are confident that we have the pieces in place to make this happen!