{"id":8979,"date":"2014-10-08T01:58:48","date_gmt":"2014-10-08T05:58:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=8979"},"modified":"2014-10-08T01:58:48","modified_gmt":"2014-10-08T05:58:48","slug":"houston-grand-opera-commissions-opera-based-on-the-columbia-space-shuttle-tragedy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=8979","title":{"rendered":"Houston Grand Opera commissions opera based on the Columbia space shuttle tragedy"},"content":{"rendered":"

The\u00a0Houston Grand Opera<\/a>\u00a0received a A $750,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation that will help\u00a0commission five new musical works, including a chamber opera based on the Columbia space shuttle tragedy:\u00a0$750,000 grant will help Houston Grand Opera produce 5 new works – Rant & Rave<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cO Columbia,\u201d based on the space shuttle calamity, will premiere in autumn 2015. Created by composer Gregory Spears and librettist Royce Vavrek, the chamber opera will look at the tragedy from multiple perspectives, including those of the control room at Johnson Space Center; a family waiting at Cape Canaveral in Florida; the Columbia crew; and Houston-area residents who witnessed the shuttle\u2019s end. <\/em><\/p>\n

Former Space Shuttle program manager Wayne Hale<\/a> was initially “appalled” at\u00a0the idea but was won over after he visited the HGO group a couple of times and heard what they were creating:\u00a0\u00a0O Columbia\u00a0-Wayne Hale’s Blog<\/a><\/p>\n

It was not merely good, it was great.<\/em><\/p>\n

It put space exploration in a historical context. It used the point of view of a young person aspiring to be an astronaut. There was nothing neither maudlin nor titillating. At one point there were tears among the audience. It was powerful.<\/em><\/p>\n

After the reading we were asked for comments; the astronauts spoke first, then we all had the chance; praise for the approach, minor corrections to the script, overall an emotional release.<\/em><\/p>\n

The music is in composition, much later the sets and costumes will be constructed, rehearsals will begin. The curtain should go up in October 2015. Just like all space projects, the schedule will take some time.<\/em><\/p>\n

I think it will be great.<\/em>
\nYou should mark your calendar and go.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The\u00a0Houston Grand Opera\u00a0received a A $750,000 grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation that will help\u00a0commission five new musical works, including a chamber opera based on the Columbia space shuttle tragedy:\u00a0$750,000 grant will help Houston Grand Opera produce 5 new works – Rant & Rave \u201cO Columbia,\u201d based on the space shuttle calamity, will premiere … Continue reading Houston Grand Opera commissions opera based on the Columbia space shuttle tragedy<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8979","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-space-arts","category-space-music"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p34aWK-2kP","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":11455,"url":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=11455","url_meta":{"origin":8979,"position":0},"title":"Houston Grand Opera debuts ‘O Columbia’ chamber opera celebrating space exploration","author":"TopSpacer","date":"September 25, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"This week the\u00a0Houston Grand Opera\u00a0presented\u00a0the\u00a0new chamber opera O Columbia, which has a space theme: 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. 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