The Des Moines Metro Opera (DMMO) brings to life Susan Kander’s chamber opera dwb (driving while black) for three performances in July 2023. Written with librettist and soprano Roberta Gumbel, the 45-minute work is scored for soprano, cello, and percussion. dwb premiered in 2018 at the Lawrence Arts Center in Kansas featuring Gumbel as the […]
Susan Kander
Kander: Wonderfully Technical & Performative
“I am spectacularly grateful to Katy for premiering Rahassya!” — Susan Kander On April 9, 2022, Susan Kander’s newest vocal work Rahassya will be premiered by mezzo-soprano Katherine Pracht-Phares at Bowling Green State University’s Bryan Hall (Ohio). Joining Pracht-Phares are percussionists Nick Fox on vibraphone and David Esselburn on marimba. The 20-minute work is based […]
Kander: dwb at Urban Arias in DC
On April 30, 2021, UrbanArias presents the digital premiere of its film adaptation of Susan Kander’s chamber opera dwb (driving while black), featuring soprano Karen Slack joined by cellist Rosanna Butterfield and percussionist Eric Plewinski. Kander’s 45-minute, one-woman monodrama was written in collaboration with librettist and soprano Roberta Gumbel. Gumbel — along with New Morse […]
Kander: DWB NY Premiere
On October 23, Susan Kander’s chamber opera dwb (driving while black) receives its New York premiere — via virtual performance — presented by Baruch Performing Arts Center in Manhattan. The 45-minute, one-woman monodrama originally premiered in fall 2018 at the Lawrence Arts Center in Kansas. With stage direction by Chip Miller, the production features original […]
Kander: Composers Corner Q & A
Welcome back to “Composers Corner,” where you can better get to know our composers and gain some insight into their thoughts on creating music while they look forward to moving ahead and beyond these challenging times. Today, we’re featuring Susan Kander, whose catalog includes a wide range of genres. She is the composer of such […]
Kander: Singers are Storytellers
“Singers are storytellers, but rarely do we get the opportunity to help create the stories we are telling.” And so, soprano and librettist Roberta Gumbel introduces us to Susan Kander’s new chamber opera DWB (*driving while black*). The opera premieres on November 17 at the Lawrence Arts Center in Lawrence, Kansas. Scored for soprano, cello, […]
Kander: “Miranda” Debuts Down Under
“I want to present ‘The Orchestra’ the way I see it: as the greatest team sport I know of.” On the eve of its May 7 Australian premiere, Susan Kander shares some insight into Miranda’s Waltz, as Kevin Purcell conducts the Australian Discovery Orchestra. Scored for narrator and orchestra, the 26-minute, seven-movement work features texts by […]
Kander: A Rare Trifecta
It’s New Year’s at the Tulsa Opera, as it rings in 2015 with a new production of Susan Kander’s opera The Giver. Based on the award-winning Lois Lowry novel and featuring Kander’s own libretto, the 90-minute, one-act opera was co-commissioned by the Lyric Opera of Kansas City and Minnesota Opera. The Giver received its […]
Susan Kander’s “Giver” — Twin Cities Encore
A Rich, Musical Landscape In January, Susan Kander’s opera The Giver successfully premiered at the Lyric Opera of Kansas City. In April, The Giver receives an encore by the Minnesota Opera with its own new production directed by Octavio Cardenas and conducted by Dale Kruse. Based on the award-winning Lois Lowry novel and featuring Kander’s […]
