Ardea Arts Receives Commissioning Grant from OPERA America

Ardea Arts - Family Opera Initiative is proud to announce that it has been awarded a Commissioning Grant from OPERA America's Opera Grants for Female Composers program, for the orchestration of Animal Tales, a family-friendly opera composed by Kitty Brazelton, written by George Plimpton, and directed by Grethe Barrett Holby. The project was selected by a special panel from OPERA America to receive one of seven commissioning grants given in support of female composers. Opera Grants for Female Composers is made possible through the generosity of The Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation.

Animal Tales is a Disney-length opera-musical, about daring to be different, overcoming stereotypes and finding purpose and happiness in life, all told through song, dance and puppetry - a rambunctious masterpiece bursting with fun, optimism and insight into the human journey. It follows the classic structure of many of the most beloved children's books, songs, and poems: one by one, each animal leaves its bed, home, mother, shepherdess, sets out to find something, and disappears. The guardian worries, but then, one by one, they each return, "wagging their 'tales' behind them." Audiences of all ages will delight in Animal Tales' optimistic but provocative look at life.

"I suppose in a mild way there is a lesson to be learned for the very young, or the young at heart - the gumption to get out and try one's wings." - George Plimpton

"All three of us, George, Grethe, and myself, have young children. We are writing this for them, and for all children everywhere...Plimpton's libretto is tight, evocative, witty and as archetypically truth-bearing as a fable by Aesop." - Kitty Brazelton.

As initial collaborators, Grethe Barrett Holby and George Plimpton asked Kitty Brazelton to compose Animal Tales just before Plimpton passed away in 2003. Brazelton began working on the music with Ardea Arts' Family Opera Initiative at The Atlantic Center for the Arts in New Smyrna Beach, FL. Major workshops of Animal Tales include 2005 (Atlantic Center for the Arts, FL), 2006 (Montclair State University, NJ), and 2008 (Ardea Arts/Family Opera Initiative, NYC). These workshops used the minimum instrumental forces sanctioned by Brazelton: Piano, DJ Turntablist, and Latin Percussion, with a children's chorus.

Animal Tales was selected for inclusion in the New Works Sampler at OPERA America's Opera Conference 2009. The last step in the completion of Animal Tales remains for Brazelton to orchestrate the opera for chamber orchestra. The Animal Tales cast includes eight vocal artists covering the map in style and range, backed by a children's chorus of 10-30 singers either professional, from the community, or a mix of both. The orchestration includes a Piano, DJ Turntablist, Latin Percussion, and a chamber orchestra with a harp and classical guitar.

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