As a guest blogger, I would like to delve into the story behind one of the most exciting new works coming to Wilmington this year – the world premiere of the opera “Girondines” from the exclusively women and BIPOC-founded company Wilmington Concert Opera (WCO).
If you are not familiar with Wilmington Concert Opera, I invite you into my inner circle, as I am one of the co-founders. In 2016, Marisa Robinson and I were looking for a project. We ended up producing a concert of Puccini’s “Suor Angelica” at the Cathedral of St. Peter in downtown Wilmington. Reception from both the audience and the musicians was so positive that the question soon became, “What next?” Six years later, we are a thriving small concert opera company based in Wilmington, Delaware, having survived the pandemic, all the while maintaining our mission of bringing high-quality opera to the greater Wilmington community for free or low-cost.
GIRONDINES? WHAT IS THAT?
You may ask what a “Girondine” is? It’s not a common word in the American vernacular. It’s not even a word that I knew before researching our upcoming opera. A Girondine is the feminine of Girondin, which was a political faction during the French Revolution. Girondines is plural feminine, and here we get to the heart and soul of the opera.
“Girondines” is a (mostly) true story about six real women who were artists, scholars, and intellectuals during the French Revolution. Three of them died during the Reign of Terror by Madame Guillotine and three of them lived to tell their stories. What is not completely true, but makes our story interesting beyond the history, is that I have written their lives as woven together, functioning as friends and supporters of one another throughout the opera. Their story is extremely timely, despite the fact that these women lived in the 18th century.
A WOMEN CENTERED OPERA FOR A WOMEN RUN OPERA COMPANY
I am a singer, as well as many other things. One of my favorite things to do outside of music and running Wilmington Concert Opera is to write. During the pandemic, I wrote a libretto – my first – based on a story of Lady Macbeth. I mentioned it on Facebook once it was finished, and my composer friend Sarah Van Sciver reached out to me to say should I ever want to delve into another topic, perhaps she could compose it.
Being the lover of collaboration that I am, I quickly responded to Sarah and said, “Yes. Let’s do this! Let’s write an opera together!” I ended up researching Charlotte Corday, whose murder of Jean-Paul Marat always fascinated me. From there, I discovered so many other interesting women who were opposed to the Jacobins. I chose six women to become my Girondines – Charlotte Corday, Olympe de Gouges, Marie Anne Pierrette Paulze Lavoisier, Madame Roland, Madame de Staël, and Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun.
I wrote the libretto, sending snippets to Sarah, then I worked with Marisa, Executive Director and Right-Hand woman at Wilmington Concert Opera, to cast and plan the opera. Sarah wrote for the specific voices cast, and now we have an opera ready to be premiered in October.
LEGACY
This opera means the world to me for many reasons. Not only is it being premiered by my own company that I helped to create, but it’s also my first libretto to see production. I tried to access the depth of the minds of these famous women, giving them a 21st century voice and legacy in our opera. Creating strong, important, visceral female roles is important to me as a woman, an entrepreneur, and, perhaps most importantly, as a mother. Women need roles that speak to them in opera. These women had a story to tell, and I want to invite you into their world.
A HISTORICAL PREMIERE BASED ON HISTORY
“Girondines” will have its world premiere at Presbyterian Church of the Covenant at 503 Duncan Rd, Wilmington, DE 19809. The production makes its debut at 8:00 PM on October 21 and 22nd and 3:00 PM on October 23rd, 2022. It will be free and open to the public, because we truly believe opera is for everyone. If you have never been to an opera, are an avid opera fan, want to support women in the arts, or want to learn more about these fascinating historical figures in a world premiere setting, this is the event for you. The role of women is more important than ever. I can’t wait to bring the stories of these women to Wilmington and beyond.
For more information, go to www.wilmingtonconcertopera.com.
“Girondines” is partially supported by a Special Projects grant from The Presser Foundation.
WCO Artistic Director Dr. Kirsten C. Kunkle holds a D.M.A. in Voice Performance from the University of Michigan and has spent much of her career teaching voice and directing operas at colleges including Shorter College and Lincoln University. Lauded as the leading Native American soprano in today’s classical music world, her portfolio as a performer is extensive and diverse, with roles ranging from Mozart’s Countess, to Puccini’s Suor Angelica, to Arabella in Strauss’ Blindekuh.
