Don Henry - A Chamber Opera in One Act

Abstract

Don Henry is a chamber opera that tells the true story of a University of Kansas student who fought in the Spanish Civil War against Francisco Franco’s fascist forces in the 1930s. The work examines the eponymous protagonist’s commitment to the anti-fascist cause for which he gave his life. Don Henry represents a stylistic synthesis of rock music and art music. Don Henry is a sixty-minute one-act work. The work is scored for mezzo-soprano, tenor, pre-recorded soprano and male narrator, Pierrot ensemble, and rock trio (drum set, bass guitar, and electric guitar). The libretto consists of a combination of historical documents, poems written by British international brigaders, and original text and lyrics. The primary purpose of Don Henry is to portray, through music and drama, the composer’s conviction that exploitation, national chauvinism, and intolerance are not permanent characteristics of humanity, but are things that can be overcome.