Sat 8.6

Prepositions and the Names of Fish

MARK ADAMO (b. 1962)

Acclaimed as “one of the best opera composers of the moment,” composer-librettist Mark Adamo first attracted national attention with the libretto and score to his uniquely successful début opera, Little Women. Introduced by Houston Grand Opera in 1998 and revived there in 2000, Little Women is one of the most frequently performed North American operas of the last decade: it has enjoyed over seventy national and international engagements in cities ranging from New York to Minneapolis, Toronto, Chicago, San Francisco, Adelaide, Mexico City, and Tokyo, where it served as the official U. S. cultural entrant to the 2005 World Expo. The Houston Grand Opera revival (2000) was telecast on Great Performances in 2001 and released on CD by Ondine that same year; in fall 2010, Naxos released this performance on Blu-ray. Adamo is currently at work on his next opera, commissioned by San Francisco Opera, for premiere in 2013. Comparable acclaim greeted the premiere of Lysistrata, or the Nude Goddess, adapted from Aristophanes’ comedy but including elements from Sophocles’ Antigone. Lysistrata was commissioned by Houston Grand Opera for its 50th anniversary and made its New York City Opera début in 2006. Adamo’s first concerto Four Angels: for Harp and Orchestra was commissioned by the National Symphony Orchestra and premiered in June 2007. His opera Little Women was featured at the 2002 Cabrillo Festival with Marin Alsop Conducting. Adamo’s Prepositions and the Names of Fish will be given its world premiere on August 6 and is dedicated to Marin Alsop on her 20th anniversary as music director at Cabrillo. 20th anniversary as music director at Cabrillo.

Mark Adamo is published by G. Schirmer.