An opera with libretto by Maria Reva commissioned and premiered by Ad Astra Music Festival in Russell, Kansas, USA to explore the life of Trudy Furney. A beloved artist and teacher, Trudy grappled with personal tragedies which led her towards fringe interpretations of Christian belief and alien visitation. Based on interviews with townspeople who knew her, the opera constructs Trudy’s personality and life through often conflicting memories creating a complex human being who showed different sides of herself to different people. Through memory space, the characters grapple with the challenge of reconciling an overwhelmingly positive legacy with uncomfortable developments at the end of Trudy’s life. The opera was premiered in June 2021 as part of Prairiesta 2021. Read more about it here.

Cast:
Trudy: mezzo-soprano
Narrator: baritone
Dora: soprano
Todd: tenor
Chorus: SATB quartet (one singer per part)

Instrumentation:
two violins, viola, cello, bass, trumpet

Duration: 70 minutes

Language: English