Nathan Gunn to spearhead American opera project

Nathan Gunn in "An American Tragedy" (photo by Ken Howard)

The Opera Company of Philadelphia has announced that barihunk Nathan Gunn has been appointed as the director of its newly-formed American Repertoire Council. Gunn will work with Opera Company of Philadelphia General Director David B. Devan and a steering council in advancing the company's American Repertoire Program, which aims to produce a new American work in 10 consecutive seasons. The program launched in June 2012, with four announced co-commissioned operas as part of both the Aurora Series for Chamber Opera at the Perelman Theater and the Opera at the Academy Series. 

For the next three years, Gunn function as artistic advisor to the company's two composers in residence, Lembit Beecher and Missy Mazzoli, and will guide American repertoire choices and assemble both partnerships and creative teams for new works.

Patricia Racette and Nathan Gunn get hot and steamy in "An American Tragedy":

Gunn is already involved with the opera "Cold Mountain," a co-commission by the 2010 Pulitzer Prize-winner in music, Jennifer Higdon. Based on the bestselling novel by Charles Frazier, which won the National Book Award, it features a libretto by Gene Scheer, and will premiere at the Santa Fe Opera in 2015 before making its February 2016 East Coast Premiere at the Academy of Music. Nathan Gunn stars in both productions.

Gunn has premiered a number of new American operas, including Andre Previn's Brief Encounter at the Houston Grand Opera, Daron Hagen's Amelia at the Seattle Opera, Peter Eötvös' Love and Other Demons at the Glyndebourne Opera Festival and Tobias Picker's An American Tragedy at the Met.