Elmer Gantry: A New American Opera

As mentioned in the previous post, the chorus in Nashville has devised their own character names. In some cases, these are family names of ancestors who lived around the time that ELMER GANTRY is set. It turns out that the devising of names was the wonderful idea of Amy Tate Williams, the supremely talented Chorus Master and Accompanist for Nashville Opera.
We've invited the chorus to list their real and devised names as a way of getting them started on this blog...

This past week we began staging for the chorus "Tent" scene. There is a specific time in the scene when Sharon leads the congregation into a rowdy worship time. For many of us who grew up gripping the pew as children (and even as adults), this scene is quite liberating. Lots of hand raising, dancing, shoutin "Hallelujah" and "preach on, sister" was seen and heard this past tuesday night. I think we all came away with a new idea of what church can be like and also quite excited that modern opera could be this much fun!

~Crystal Briley (aka. "Virginia Sue Ellen")
Nashville Opera Chorus member

Hello. My name is Camille Assaf, I am the costume designer for Elmer Gantry. I am delighted to present some of the fashions of our opera, where humor and tragedy, flesh and spirit, sacred and profane mingle freely...

an ill-suited couple, Fislinger and Lulu Baines

You'll have a chance to hear the cast sing the OCTET from ELMER GANTRY live on Nashville Public Radio, WPLN, and streamed live to the web at wpln.org. The Show is called "Live from Studio C" and it airs Tuesday, Nov. 6 at 12:00 noon Eastern Standard Time. To hear it, click here. For more on the history of the octet, read on... Herschel

I sort of live at the turn of the century daily in my Bed & Breakfast built 1898 - 1904 here in Nashville Top O'Woodland Historic Bed & Breakfast Inn 5 minutes from the theater downtown.
I have loaned the production my turn of the century wheelchair for the perfomances. I also play my turn of the century Bowed Psaltery during our quartet moment.

I choose to use my great Aunt Osie Morehead’s real name Eolia. It was shortened by her three little brother’s inability to say Eolia, so Osie it was her whole life. Born in 1892, she had a career when women didn’t do that yet, played a mean ragtime piano daily (I have her baby grand Steinway here and several of her other posessions) and she never married living to a healthy-feisty age 103.

My quartet decided our Base-father character Bertram Keely, previously widowed, had twin children Deller (soprano) & Doche (tenor) Keely by his first wife. I, Eolia (mezzo), am his second-trophy wife since I am a few years younger. We have had fun making up creative stories about our family getting a good laugh out of each other as we wait backstage to make our entrance in the Tent Revival scene.
What an honor to be part of the premier! Belinda Lee Leslie (my real birth name)

On the eve of the World Premiere performance of Elmer Gantry, I thought I'd greet you all. Like Jennifer Rivera, I haven't ever written or kept a blog either so this is a new experience for me. It's an interesting and important tool for you to read more about the opera and for us to share ideas of our process in the creation of this wonderful, moving opera. I have taken a few photos during our sitzprobe that I've posted here.

(l. to r.)Director John Hoomes, Librettist Herschel Garfein and Composer Robert Aldridge at the sitzprobe for Elmer Gantry.

Librettist Herschel Garfein and Composer Robert Aldridge at the sitzprobe for Elmer Gantry.