American Opera (Music in American Life)

Tired of Tannhauser? Bored with Boheme? Then open your imagination to the unexpected pleasures of American opera. With this generous, accessible overview newly in paperback, Elise K. Kirk provides a vital history of one of America's liveliest arts. A treasure trove of information on a substantial, heretofore neglected repertoire, "American Opera" sketches musical traits and provides plot summaries, descriptions of sets and stagings, and biographical details about performers, composers, and librettists for more than one hundred American operas, many of which have received unjustifiably scant attention since their premieres. Elise K. Kirk, author of "Musical Highlights from the White House" and "Music at the White House", is the founder and former editor of award-winning "The Dallas Opera Magazine" and has served on the National Advisory Board of the Kennedy Center.