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The Soul of the Rock is an
documentary opera based on the lives and words of both
well known and obscure individuals who have worked for world
peace through non-violence. Speeches and writings from Nelson Mandela, Gandhi, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. are interwoven with original texts in a poeetical libretto.
The opera is in two acts and
is scored for soprano, bass/baritone, chorus, violin, cello,
percussion, keyboard, and pre-recorded computer music with live
sound diffusion. Video projections and dance are also featured.
It has been performed in Chicago,
New York, and St. Louis. The most recent St. Louis performances
featured soprano Kathryn Stieler. The St. Louis performances
were also enhanced by choreography by Susan Gash of the Gash/Voigt
Dance Theatre. The
New York performances featured soprano Ollie Watts Davis and were presented at HERE.
This work was developed with
financial assistance from the National Endowment for the Arts
Opera and Musical Theatre Program.
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