{"id":11455,"date":"2015-09-25T00:29:47","date_gmt":"2015-09-25T04:29:47","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=11455"},"modified":"2015-09-30T15:25:04","modified_gmt":"2015-09-30T19:25:04","slug":"houston-grand-opera-debuts-o-columbia-chamber-opera-celebrating-space-exploration","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=11455","title":{"rendered":"Houston Grand Opera debuts ‘O Columbia’ chamber opera celebrating space exploration"},"content":{"rendered":"

This week the\u00a0Houston Grand Opera<\/a>\u00a0presented\u00a0the\u00a0new chamber opera O Columbia<\/a><\/em>, which has a space theme:<\/p>\n

Don’t miss the world premiere of\u00a0O Columbia, a new chamber opera that celebrates the wonder of exploration and reflects upon the necessary risks of discovering new frontiers. Inspired by interviews with Houston\u2013<\/span>based NASA astronauts, scientists, and engineers,\u00a0O Columbia\u00a0traces a history of dreamers and explorers\u2013from Sir Walter Raleigh journeying to the New World, to a Houston teenager experiencing communion, and later, heartbreak, with a Columbia space shuttle astronaut, to future astronauts venturing to the far reaches of the solar system-in an ode to America’s pioneering spirit.<\/em><\/p>\n

Created by and featuring a constellation of rising operatic talents,\u00a0O Columbia\u00a0comes to life in an inventive and surprising production in an unexpected venue\u2013just across the street from the Wortham Theater Center. Space is limited, so purchase your tickets early!<\/em><\/p>\n

Join us at the lobby bar before each performance to meet and mingle with members of the creative team-and stay after the performance for a talkback with the artists. The Revention Music Center invites you to bring your refreshments into the theater during the performance.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0“O Columbia\u00a0captures the intrinsic need to explore and discover that humans have felt since the beginning of time, as well as the sense of wonder that led so many of us to pursue careers in space exploration. It’s exciting to see our story portrayed in this important context and to see how deeply it resonated with the HGO team through our interviews with them.”\u00a0 – David Rose, Shuttle Program Engineer<\/em><\/p>\n

The opera was created by composer\u00a0Gregory Spears with librettist\u00a0Royce Vavrek,\u00a0and stage director\u00a0Kevin Newbury. Here is a Q&A (pdf)<\/a> with the creative team.<\/p>\n

… what began with a focus on the 2003 space shuttle Columbia tragedy became a broader meditation on America\u2019s history of exploration, loss, and perseverance. The Columbia astronauts\u2019 story is set at the center of a long tradition extending back to the days of sailing ships and moving forward into the unknown future. Our hope is that the piece will be both an elegy for the Columbia crew and a reflection about the heavens as a frontier to be explored at all costs.<\/em><\/p>\n

More about the work and the reaction to the debut:<\/p>\n