New York Stories

for Soprano, Baritone, and Chamber Ensemble or Piano

Written: In-Progress
Duration: ca. 60'
Instrumentation: soprano, baritone, and chamber Ensemble (flute, oboe, clarinet, percussion, piano, violin, viola, cello) or piano
Librettos except Extraordinary and Crossing The Hudson commissioned by Robert Paterson; Crossing The Hudson commissioned by the Five Boroughs Music Festival
Upcoming World Premiere (Chamber Version): Mostly Modern Festival, Vocal Program, Skidmore College, Arthur Zankel Music Center, Saratoga Springs, NY, June 16, 2024.
Upcoming World Premiere (Piano/vocal Version): American Modern Ensemble, Opera America, Marc A. Scorca Hall, New York, NY, May 24, 2024.
Publisher: Bill Holab Music

Sheet music will be available on September 1, 2024.

PROGRAM NOTEs and Brief synopses (In-Progress)

New York Stories began as a single duet for soprano, baritone, and piano called Crossing The Hudson with text by Mark Campbell, which was commissioned by the Five Boroughs Music Festival. A few years later, David Cote wrote lyrics for a duet with the same instrumentation called Extraordinary, as a concert ender for two song cycles we created, called In Real Life I and In Real Life II. After these two pieces, I sensed a pattern emerging, or at least a potential project: since both of these pieces take place in and contain texts by writers based in New York City, I thought it would be fun to ask four other talented New York City-based writers to write lyrics or short libretti, with the only stipulation that each piece be inspired by or take place in the five boroughs. The other writers I chose for this project include Margot Connolly, Briana Elyse Hunter, John de los Santos, and Sokunthary Svay.

Crossing The Hudson – Mark Campbell
When setting text to music, it is very fulfilling to have an opportunity to work with living writers, and especially a great writer such as Mark Campbell, one of America’s most celebrated librettists. The mission of the Five Borough Songbook project is to have composers and text writers create short pieces that are about New York City, so we decided to create a song entitled Crossing The Hudson about two people who cross each other on different Staten Island Ferries. Crossing The Hudson was commissioned by the Five Boroughs Music Festival for the Five Borough Songbook, Volume II. – Robert Paterson

Original and Only – Margot Connolly
Emma’s moved to Queens, and settling in is hard — new locker combination, nobody to talk to. Surprisingly, Harry Houdini has a lot of the same problems. With instructions from the internet, Emma tries to forge a connection amidst the gravestones of Machpelah Cemetery. – Margot Connolly

Extraordinary – David Cote
Brian and Angela met on a dating app and have decided to meet. They’ve shared pictures (pet, apartment, and so forth) and now they’re ready to meet IRL. It’s Central Park after work, and they’re both a little nervous, since this kind of feels like a date…right? To make things trickier, it’s the middle of a pandemic: face masks and social distancing. As they meet, sit, and chat, we hear their inner thoughts as they pass through stages of awkwardness, panic, warming up, and genuine attraction. Extraordinary was commissioned by American Modern Ensemble with funding from the Doctorow Family Foundation. – David Cote

Rules In Effect – Briana Elyse Hunter
Our protagonist has to move their car for the street sweeper, but they wake up late! It’s a race against the clock to make it and they’ve parked several blocks away. They thought it was a holiday. They’re not prepared to sit in their car for an hour and a half. The dog has to poop but can’t decide where. They have a phone meeting scheduled; they’ll have to do it in the car. Must acquire caffeine! Tick Tock, the traffic cop is down the block. The traffic cop muses over all of the excuses. Please don’t give me a ticket, my grandmother died, I broke my leg, I have the flu, my car won’t start, my pet is sick, etc. Both characters move down the block from opposite directions; who will arrive first? Can our protagonist make it in time? A mini action-adventure tale. – Briana Elyse Hunter

Shallow Wishes – John de los Santos
One day at a park in New York City (a different park than the one in Shallow Wishes), I happened to witness a photoshoot with a young bride in a couture gown in front of a fountain. When I looked closer, I saw an older man in the fountain behind her, digging for change. That bittersweet tableau has remained with me ever since as a reminder of the perilous, upward climb living in New York City necessitates on a daily basis. – John de los Santos

River Park – Sokunthary Svay
Separated by responsibility and opportunity, childhood friends, Christian and Mayra, reunite at River Park in the South Bronx after five years away from home. They share personal tragedies, accomplishments, and possibly more. – Sokunthary Svay

Program Notes © Copyright 2024 by the respective authors. Reprinted with permission.