Today : world première of the 2 acts version of 'An American Soldier' by Huang Ruo in Saint Louis

Today, the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis presents the world première of the new version of An American Soldier, an opera in 2 acts composed by Huang Ruo with a libretto by David Henry Hwang.

The first version was performed in Washington on June 13, 2014.

Danny Chen is the son of Chinese immigrants, and a proud American. He enlists in the US Army in 2011, eager to serve his country. In boot camp, Danny is welcomed by his band of brothers. But in Afghanistan, his own base becomes enemy territory as military hazing turns deadly. (reproduced from the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis website)

The cast includes tenor Andrew Stenson (Danny Chen), bass baritone Wayne Tigges (Sergent Aaron Marcum), mezzo Mika Shigematsu (Mother Chen) and soprano Kahtleen Kim (Josephine Young). Michael Christie conducts the Orchestra and Chorus of the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. Matthew Ozawa directs.

The score is published by Ricordi. According to the publisher, the required chamber orchestra (35 musicians) is the following :

- 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons ;
- 2 horns, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones ;
- 2 percussions ;
- strings.

The performance should last about 2 hours, including one intermission.

Today : World première of Huang Ruo's opera 'An American Soldier' in Washington, DC

Today, the American Opera Initiative program of the Washington National Opera continues with the world première performance of An American Soldier, composed by Huang Ruo, with a libretto by David Henry Hwang. This one hour-long opera will be performed at the Terrace Theater of the Kennedy Center.

Here is the storyline of the opera, as found on the Kennedy Center website :

On October 3, 2011, Chinese-American Army Pvt. Danny Chen was found dead in a guard tower at his base in Kandahar province, Afghanistan. The real circumstances behind his death, though, illustrate a darker undercurrent to life in the military. Based on a true story, and drawing from the ensuing courts-martial of Chen's fellow soldiers, An American Soldier explores what happens when the very people who are supposed to protect you in a combat zone become your enemy.

The cast is the following : Andrew Stenson (Pvt. Danny Chen), Guang Yang (Mother Chen), Trevor Scheunemann (Sgt. Aaron Marcum), Soloman Howard (Judge and Pvt. Manny Davis), Andrew McLaughlin, Michael Ventura and Jonathan Blalock. The singers will be accompanied by a chamber orchestra conducted by Steven Jarvi. David Paul directs.