Note from the Director

“They don’t understand, do they? They never understand.” Eighty-five years ago, Thornton Wilder penned those words in his Pulitzer Prize winning play that would become an integral part of our American experience. Composer Ned Rorem and librettist J. D. McClatchy took Wilder’s words and elevated them in a new medium. This opera tackles the eternal questions regarding life, existence, love, family and death. Though Thornton Wilder’s setting of the play is 1901 small town America, the questions being asked are perhaps even more relevant for a contemporary audience. Emily asks, “Do any human beings ever realize life while they live it?—every, every minute?” Do we? I feel that all of us can benefit from a greater sense of presence and mindfulness in our lives. There is beauty to be found even in the mundane, daily struggles of life. Often we just need to look for it.

– Vanessa Ballam