RV: I remember applying to the Composer Librettist Development Program at ALT the day that my thesis musical was going up at NYU. I was always really exited about opera, and loved the classical music world that was introduced to me by my singing teacher growing up in Alberta. I think that made me yearn to contribute to opera in some way, but I was unaware of any avenues or opportunities to get involved in opera as a writer until I saw the information about the CLDP. If there had been a graduate degree for opera librettists, I possibly would have looked into that, but I also love musical theater, so doing a graduate degree in musical theater writing seemed right up my alley.
LE: So you came to the CLDP right out of grad school. What did the CLDP do for you – both in terms of your artistic development, as well as your professional development?
RV: I really had no idea as to the breadth of what opera was, or how one could participate in the operatic arena, so I went in as a sponge wanting to take in everything. The CLDP not only gave me a more extensive background into the history and scope of opera and the way that the form functions, but it also provided a playground in which to experiment. I got to experience working with five very different composers – working with each of them on a variety of projects, and learning how a librettist can help them function as musical storytellers. So it was a great way to jump right into the form and discover how I could contribute to the future of contemporary American opera.
LE: You mentioned that you had the opportunity to collaborate with five composers in the CLDP. Do you find collaborating in opera different than in musical theater?
RV: I think that I approach every different composer, whether they are in musical theater or opera, in ways that are very specific to their needs. I try to understand their process so I can give them words that will encourage the best music from them, and it’s never the same. As a librettist, one has to be able to inspire each different collaborator on their own terms. In the CLDP, having the opportunity to work with so many different, diverse composers put me in a situation where I had to create different sorts of texts for different writing projects. I remember an aria project I did with Aleksandra Vrebalov, and she said she said she wanted as little text as possible – so I told her I would write something that was ten lines, which she said would be perfect. Then, I had to keep myself to ten lines – which was challenging, but out of challenges like that can come great things. Another project was a duet that I did with Patrick Soluri, and he said that he wanted a repeated chorus-like section, so I knew that I had to write text in a form that would engage what he wanted to do musically.
LE: Since you completed the first year of the CLDP, ALT commissioned you to write a one act opera with composer Jay Anthony Gach, OF THE FLESH, as part of THE POE PROJECT; but, I know that ALT opened some other doors for you professionally, and that is, of course, part of what the program is for. You are actually involved in more projects than I can count right now! How did you become so in demand?
RV: I’m not really sure – but I’m very excited, and glad, and thankful, that these composers want to compose music to my words. The OPERA IN EDEN concert, where I was fortunate to have the opportunity to write the libretti for two operas (NORA AT THE ALTAR-RAIL with Jay Anthony Gach, and THE HUNGER ART with Jeff Myers) was pivotal. One of Jeff’s colleagues from school, composer David T. Little, was at the OPERA IN EDEN concert, and was very affected by the libretto I wrote for Jay. David had just been commissioned to write the beginnings of a work for Dawn Upshaw and Osvaldo Golijov’s Young Artists Workshop at Carnegie Hall and needed a librettist, and based on what he saw at the ALT concert, asked me to write the libretto for what has since become the full-length opera DOG DAYS. I’m very excited that DOG DAYS, will be produced by Beth Morrison Projects and Montclair Peak Performances in the fall of 2012. David and I also wrote a one-act opera, VINKENSPORT, which Dawn Upshaw commissioned for Bard Conservatory. VINKENSPORT will also be featured as part of VOX this year.
In addition to all of the workshops and projects that are part of the CLDP, one of the great things that ALT does is arrange for artists in the program to sit in on the rehearsals of a professional opera production. Jeff and I began discussing a full-length project during our observership at New York City Opera, when we were both assigned to attend VANESSA rehearsals. We threw around some ideas, and I ran across a Wikipedia article that got us both excited about writing MAREN OF VARDO. I wrote the first draft of the libretto in about a week. That was about three and half years ago, and now it is going to VOX and will also be workshopped at the Yale Institute of Music Theater this summer.
Beyond that I am busy writing works with many composers including THE BEACH – the third of my operas being presented at VOX this year – with Andrew Gerle, a theatrical song cycle entitled YOANI with Paola Prestini, another song cycle entitled 1882 with Mark Baechle, the completion of Missy Mazzoli’s libretto for SONG FROM THE UPROAR, a triptych of comic operas with Rachel Peters called THE WILD BEAST OF THE BUNGALOW, my country-western musical THE BELLY OF THE BEAR with Nick Martin, an untitled new work with Matt Marks for Alarm Will Sound, and a music theater work with Du Yun entitled ANGEL’S BONE that will premiere this fall at the Mann Center in Philadelphia. So I’m busy!
LE: What have you discovered to be the most valuable things to do in terms of improving your skills?
The librettist’s craft is not the same as that of a playwright, and coming from the world of theater and film it was important that I acquired the particular tools for libretto writing. In opera, you can polish a libretto all you want on your own, but writing a libretto isolated from a specific collaboration with a composer – knowing who you are writing for, what their particular needs, their preferences, their sound – is a bit backwards in my experience. I know there are opportunities for people to work on libretti in that manner, but that’s not how I’ve known the process to work, and I truly believe that collaboration is one of the great joys of being a librettist and an artist in general. Because opera is such a composer-driven art, opportunities to collaborate are crucial. Librettist Rochelle Bright loves to call me a “collabora-whore.” I admit it – I like to get around! I love the alchemy of working on a piece from the very beginning with a collaborator, and I love discovering the intricacies of different composers and their way of telling musical stories.
LE: For librettists (and composers) who are considering applying to the CLDP, what are the pros and cons of the program?
The only ‘con’ – if you want to consider it one – is that there is a lot of writing involved. I entered the program at the perfect time to really give of myself, but it is a very intensive program. I think of that more as a ‘pro’ – but the CLDP is definitely not for someone who doesn’t really want to throw themselves into it head first. But I would encourage interested composers and librettists to make time for the program – it truly is an invaluable opportunity.
For me, being able to write and present so many different projects during the CLDP, where you are encouraged to make mistakes and to learn from them, was invaluable. It’s a safe place to explore, push your own boundaries, and to take risks – and that is the best way to become a better artist. I don’t know that I will ever meet anyone as smart as Cori Ellison. What a pleasure to learn about operatic dramaturgy from her. Mark Adamo has become one of the most important mentors in my life. Michael Korie is a genius. I could go on… In terms of learning from the best in the field – I can’t imagine a better place than ALT.
LE: Any last thoughts?
RV: I hope everyone will come out to VOX of course, and, I am very excited to hear OPERA IN EDEN in June. Knowing that the artists in the program this year are using the same ‘outline’ as we did, and knowing how different all of the operas turned out when I was in the CLDP, I can’t wait to hear the four new one-acts that have been written this season!
