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Hello, The following event may be of interest to you: Pre-Opera Talk Friday, March 7, 2014 Shawn Jaeger, composer of the new opera Payne Hollow gives a talk about his creative process and how this new opera came to life. Shawn writes:"Payne Hollow is a love story, a ghost story, and a tribute to lives lived in harmony with the land. It celebrates two modern-day Thoreaus—Harlan and Anna Hubbard—who, from 1951–1986, lived in solitude and self-sufficiency, without electricity, in a small home they built on the bank of the Ohio River, at Payne Hollow. Their lives were filled with gardening, fishing, preserving, foraging, and scavenging, but also with reading, painting, writing, and playing music together. The opera’s libretto, by the distinguished Kentucky author, Wendell Berry, is an adaptation of Berry’s short verse play, “Sonata at Payne Hollow.” "Much of Jaeger's composition is based on a piece that the Hubbard's played together: Johannes Brahms' Violin Sonata No.1 in G Major. Anna played piano, and Harlan played violin. Shawn will play musical examples from his opera that demonstrate his use of the Brahms material and talk generally about his compositional process, as well as his process of working with Mr. Berry. We are also so privileged to have Bard faculty Marka Gustavvson and John Halle give a special mini-concert of the Brahms' violin sonata in G major (Ms. Gustavvson on violin and Mr. Halle on piano). John and Marka will also talk about their working process as spouses and musical collaborators. There will be time throughout for questions from the audience; we hope this will be a very interactive experience for anyone who is able to attend!For more information about the opera, you can read Shawn's description on his website: http://www.lucydhegrae.com/shawnjaeger/Shawn_Jaeger/Payne_Hollow.html Location: Bitó Conservatory Building Contact: Conservatory Concert Office. E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.lucydhegrae.com/shawnjaeger/Shawn_Jaeger/Payne_Hollow.html If you would like to see more events please visit the following URL: http://www.bard.edu/conservatory/events/