Opera Orlando proudly premiered its first commissioned opera, The Secret River, this past December in the Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater at Dr. Phillips Center, and the Company is excited to once again partner with WUCF TV to broadcast an ENCORE! presentation of this “...love letter to Central Florida,“ Sunday, January 30, at 4:30 p.m. Based on the book of the same name by Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings, The Secret River is a heartwarming story about a young, African-American girl, Calpurnia, who searches for a secret river to help her family and small town. This story for all ages demonstrates the power of trusting one’s imagination and the goodness within us all.
With music composed by University of Central Florida Pegasus Professor Stella Sung and a libretto by Pulitzer Prize and Grammy Award-winning librettist Mark Campbell, this one-act chamber opera features a stand-out cast, headlined by former Opera Orlando studio artist soprano Kyaunnee Richardson, singing the role of Calpurnia. “Kyaunnee Richardson. . . .succeeds marvelously in capturing childlike inquisitiveness and determination without overplaying,” writes Matt Palm in his Orlando Sentinel review of the show “The audience feels like one with her, but the razzmatazz around her adds not only visual interest but a sense of the epic that all good adventures need.”
Along for the adventure with Ms. Richardson are acclaimed soprano NaGuanda Nobles and 2021-22 studio artist, baritone Geoffrey Peterson, playing the role of Calpurnia’s mother and father; mezzo-soprano Kimberly Milton, singing the role of the town’s wise woman, Mother Albirtha; and Metropolitan Opera soprano Emily Pulley, singing the role of the author herself, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. The opera also features musicians from the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra and members of the Opera Orlando Youth Company under the baton of Dr. Everett McCorvey, founder and music director of the American Spiritual Ensemble. It is directed by up-and-coming stage director Dennis Whitehead Darling, with puppetry created and performed by Michelee Puppets and dance choreographed by Maxine Montilus.
“There’s so much beauty in Opera Orlando’s The Secret River…a production bubbling with warmth and heart. . . .everywhere you look, artistic ingenuity is being celebrated,” writes Matt Palm, and Opera Orlando is so pleased to be able to share the beauty of this production with WUCF audiences. Tune in Sunday, January 30, at 4:30 p.m. for a special “Making of…” featurette about the development of The Secret River from page to stage, followed by the ENCORE! presentation of the world-premiere production.
Opera Orlando has been fortunate to receive funding from several foundations and institutions to support The Secret River. The commissioning of Stella Sung has received funding from OPERA America’s Opera Grants for Female Composers program, supported by the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation. Also, the Opera Orlando Youth Company, which is featured in The Secret River, has received funding from the Elizabeth Morse Genius Foundation, and The National Endowment for the Arts has approved a $10,000 Grants for Arts Projects award to support the world premiere as well as the in-school touring production of the work. “The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to support this project from Opera Orlando,” said arts endowment acting chairman, Ann Eilers. “Opera Orlando is among the arts organizations across the country that have demonstrated creativity, excellence, and resilience during this very challenging year.” Additional funding has also come from the Pabst-Steinmetz Foundation, the Miller Foundation, and the Edyth Bush Charitable Foundation.
Watch The Secret River on-air or online at wucf.org/live.