Lone Star College-Kingwood Music Professor/Director Dr. Robert Hunt is teaming up with Broadway Composer Stephen Schwartz for an opera production in Houston this summer.
Schwartz is the creator of popular musicals such as Wicked, Godspell, and Pippin. He’s also contributed lyrics to popular films including Pocahontas, Hunchback of Notre Dame, Enchanted, and The Prince of Egypt, among others.
Now he is collaborating with Dr. Hunt on the reorchestration of Séance on a Wet Afternoon. The original orchestration, which is based on the 1964 suspense novel by Mark McShane, originally premiered at the New York City Opera.
Kelli Estes, Founder and Artistic Director of Lone Star Lyric in Houston, reached out to Schwartz to ask about bringing the opera to a more intimate and accessible setting. The theater is a non-profit opera and lyric theater committed to showcasing local artists. Estes is also a former music faculty member at LSC-Kingwood.
Schwartz then recruited Dr. Hunt for the project, after seeing some of his previous productions, and asked for him to create a new orchestration of Séance.
“Mr. Schwartz has been extremely gracious and has frequently expressed his appreciation of my work,” shared Dr. Hunt. “He has been easy to talk with, open and clear with his ideas, but respectful of the specific expertise I bring to the relationship.”
Schwartz had glowing remarks to share about working with Dr. Hunt as well.
“The musical director Robert Hunt has been my absolute hero, aided and abetted of course by Kelli Estes. There has been a lot to do to reduce the orchestration to this small intimate size, that required a lot of time and effort, some of which I just didn’t have because of my responsibilities with the upcoming Wicked movie and Broadway show I have. And Robert Hunt has jumped into the fray and done absolutely brilliant work. I’ll be eternally grateful to him.”
Two other faculty members from LSC-Kingwood are also in the cast. Professor Brian Yeakley plays Mr. Clayton and Professor Juan Garza is cast as a reporter.
“I'm so excited to work alongside my colleagues and be a part of this fantastic production!” said Garza. “Rob Hunt is truly a genius, and we are beyond fortunate to have him at LSC-Kingwood. For many of us that have had the opportunity to work with a living composer understand the responsibility of achieving a collective artistic vision. To collaborate with Stephen Schwartz is one of the greatest opportunities to learn and create something truly special.”
Dr. Hunt says it’s been exciting working with such a legendary composer.
“My favorite part of the writing phase of the collaboration is working with Mr. Schwartz’s brilliant musical and dramatic ideas and attempting to make them effective in a different format and with fewer resources of instrumental color and power. This was a fascinating activity and an exhilarating challenge.”
Séance on a Wet Afternoon runs July 9-12 at the Sterling Theatre at the Gordy, 800 Rosine Street, Houston, TX, 77019. For more information on times and to purchase tickets, visit Tickets | LoneStarLyric.
Lone Star College System enrolls over 90,000 students each semester providing high-quality, low-cost academic transfer and career training education. LSCS is training tomorrow’s workforce today and redefining the community college experience to support student success. Mario K. Castillo, J.D. serves as Chancellor of LSC, the largest institution of higher education in the Houston area. LSC has been named a 2024 Great Colleges to Work For® institution by the Chronicle of Higher Education. LSCS consists of eight colleges, seven centers, eight Workforce Centers of Excellence and Lone Star Corporate College. To learn more, visit Lonestar.edu.
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