The Scarlet Professor is an opera by the American composer Eric Sawyer with libretto by Harley Erdman, based on the biographyWerth, Barry. The Scarlet Professor: Newton Arvin: A Literary Life Shattered by Scandal.. Random House, 2001. by Barry Werth.
Performance history The world premieres of the fully staged opera occurred on September 15–17, 2017, at Smith College where the events that inspired the performance took place. The opera was performed without intermission with running time of about one hour and 40 minutes. A symposium on the Arvin case was held all day on September 16. The following weekend the opera was performed with a cast of young artists from the Five Colleges consortium of Western Massachusetts.
Roles
RoleVoice typePremiere cast, 15 September 2017Conductor: Eduardo Leandro Newton Arvin tenor William Hite Ned Spofford baritone Keith Phares Hester Prynne mezzo-soprano Blythe Gaissert Helen Bacon soprano Sarah Pelletier Truman Capote countertenor Bryan Pollock Officer Regan baritone James Dernier Doctor soprano Kristen Watson Arthur Summerfield baritone Sumner Thompson
Instrumentation The 9-piece instrumental ensemble consisted of piano, percussion, flute, clarinet, tenor saxophone, and strings, with both electric and double bass.
Reception Reviewer Marvin J. Ward found the opera a "compelling and captivating work", adding "...composer Eric Sawyer has a penchant for choosing historical events, especially local ones, as the subjects of his operas. This is the third that I have seen, each more polished and refined than its predecessor, with The Scarlet Professor scoring a 10/10 in my book." The Scarlet Professor won the 2019 American Prize in opera composition.
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