THE SHINING Opera World Premiere Recording Set For April Release

Lyric Opera of Kansas City will release the world-premiere recording of Paul Moravec and  Mark Campbell’s opera The Shining (2016) on April 12.

Based on the iconic 1977 novel by Stephen  King, the opera enjoyed a world-premiere run at Minnesota Opera in 2016, and now for the first time, can be enjoyed as a  recording in both physical and digital formats. 

The Kansas City Symphony and Lyric Opera of Kansas City Chorus are led by the  eminent conductor Gerard Schwarz and join forces with an cast of soloists.  The main role of Jack Torrance is interpreted by Edward Parks, who was part of the  GRAMMY Award-winning recording of Mason Bates’ The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs,  released on Pentatone in 2018.

ABOUT Paul Moravec 

Paul Moravec, recipient of the 2004 Pulitzer Prize in Music, has composed over 200  orchestral, chamber, lyric, choral and operatic works. Frequently commissioned by notable ensembles and music institutions, Mr. Moravec’s recent works include the oratorios All Shall Rise, A Nation of Others, and Sanctuary Road (to libretti by Mark  Campbell) premiered by the Oratorio Society of New York at Carnegie Hall.

His extensive  discography spanning three decades includes six albums on Naxos American Classics. A  graduate of Harvard and Columbia universities, he holds the special rank of University  Professor at Adelphi University, and has served as Artist-in-Residence at the Institute  for Advanced Study in Princeton as well as Composer-in-Residence at the American  Academy in Rome.  

ABOUT Mark Campbell 

The Pulitzer Prize and GRAMMY Award-winning operas of librettist/lyricist Mark  Campbell are among the most successful in the contemporary canon. Mark has written  41 opera librettos, lyrics for 7 musicals and text for 11 song cycles and 5 oratorios.  His works include Silent Night, The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, As One, Elizabeth Cree,  Sanctuary Road, As One, The Manchurian Candidate, Stonewall, The Nefarious, Immoral  but Highly Profitable Enterprise of Mr. Burke & Mr. Hare, A Thousand Acres, Edward Tulane,  Unruly Sun, Later the Same Evening and Songs from an Unmade Bed.

Mark mentors future  generations of librettists and composers at the American Opera Project, American Lyric  Theatre and as a founding member of the American Opera Initiative. He created and  funds the Campbell Opera Librettist Prize, the first award for opera librettists in the  history of the art form and co-created the True Voice Award to support the training  of transgender and non-binary singers. He was recently awarded the 2024 Lifetime  Achievement Award from the National Opera Association. 

ABOUT LYRIC OPERA OF KANSAS CITY 

Established in 1958, Lyric Opera of Kansas City is one of the world’s premier regional  opera companies and brings high-quality live operatic performances to the Kansas  City region. Renowned for its dedication to excellence, Lyric Opera presents a diverse  repertoire featuring original language productions from the traditional opera canon  alongside contemporary and American operas.

Lyric Opera is committed to lifelong  learning through robust education, family, and community engagement programming.  Through innovative initiatives and commissions, these programs deepen humanistic  connections, artistic literacy, and social-emotional learning. Lyric Opera of Kansas  City remains an integral part of the cultural fabric of Kansas City and the surrounding  region.