- Composer Jim Cockey with Executive Director Mark Junkert
Become part of the creative process when Opera Idaho presents a showcase of a new opera work-in-progress by Idaho composer Jim Cockey on Monday, April 26 at 7:30 pm at the Opera Idaho Studio.
The evening will feature the 20 minutes of the work which Jim has composed thus far, followed by feedback from the audience, which Jim will take into account as he completes the piece.
Performing the piece will be:
Penny Odysseus – Michele Detwiler, mezzo soprano
Dee Motolemus – Tara Victoria Smith, soprano
Melanie Thius – Vernae Buck, mezzo soprano
Yuri Machus – Geoff Friedley, tenor
Andy Neus – Michal Jarolimek, bass
Phil Mius – Alex Burns, baritone
Calypso – Tara Victoria Smith, soprano
John Odysseus – Geoff Friedley,tenor
Accompanist – Felix Eisenhauer
The work is a modern re-telling of the Odyssey tale, says Jim. John, the hero, is a corporate CEO who, after war breaks out in the Middle East, is detained by terrorists for seven years. His wife Penny, acting CEO for the company, fends off several executives who are plotting a hostile takeover in John’s absence. Libretto is by Idaho playwright Bernadine Cockey.
Jim just returned from Hyannis, Mass. where his work, The Gift of the Elk, a piece for Native American flute and symphony orchestra premiered with the Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra. Jung-Ho Pak conducted the CCSO, which also commissioned the piece. We caught up with Jim and asked him about this new work, his first foray into composing for opera. (Watch for a story in the Statesman’s Scene Magazine Friday, April 23. 2010.)
Opera Idaho: What was the genesis of this work?
Jim Cockey: When I wrote Symphony #2, it had a scene that was quite dramatic and I had a blast writing it. Ever since then, I”ve wanted to write opera. I approached Mark Junkert and I got Berni on board as librettist.
Opera Idaho: Describe your composing process.
Jim Cockey: I like to be in my ‘composing space’ in my house. It helps to have a work habit. I like to get up in the morning and compose. By noon, either I keep going or I’m done for the day and keep the rest of my life going. Sometimes inspiration or deadlines keep you working all your waking hours!
Working in opera is great fun because I get to run around the house singing! It’s been a terrific experience — I absolutely love this medium. Bringing these characters to life allows me to be a writer and part director, roles I’ve never done before. When I talk about writing, I mean bringing the characters to life. Music is my way of giving them life.
Opera Idaho: How do you and (former wife) Berni collaborate as composer and librettist?
Jim Cockey: This is a full collaboration. We’ll work separately — she wrote the libretto alone and I composed the music alone, but we comment on each other’s work. Before we write, we do quite a bit of conceptualizing together. Then we get together and revise as need. So we meet before during and after we actually write.
Berni has also worked in production for several Opera Idaho shows this season. Her play, Night Among the Hunters, received third place in a national competition sponsored by Writer’s Digest.
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