Videos: Full playlist | Rainbow Crow | Prometheus | Murilé and the Moon-Chief
The Firebringers is a chamber opera for young audiences based on fire origin myths from three continents. The libretto is by Ben Allen-Kingsland and the music by Chappell Kingsland. The piece was commissioned by Reimagining Opera for Kids in Bloomington, Indiana, a non-profit organization which performed the work at dozens of schools in the Midwest during the 2014-15 season. Mile High Opera in Denver, Colorado gave six performances in May 2015 for adults and schoolchildren.
Scene 1: Rainbow Crow is a story from the Lenapé tribe of North America. Long before the time of Humankind, the first snowfall came and the animals were freezing in the cold. Rainbow Crow, known for her multicolored feathers and melodious voice, flew up to the twelfth heaven to ask the Creator for help. The Creator gave her a burning branch to take back to Earth, but on the journey back down, the fire made the Crow's feathers black and voice harsh. Fire kept the animals alive through the winter, and if you look closely, you can still see the traces of colors in a Crow's feathers.
Scene 2: Prometheus was the creator of humankind in Ancient Greek mythology. When he steals fire from the gods in order to keep humans alive, Zeus chains him to a rock and orders an eagle to eat his liver every day. In our telling of the story, we found a comical angle. Zeus is shown to be a pompous ruler, easily outsmarted, and after Prometheus tells his story to the eagle, the bird has a change of heart and comes up with an alternative to eternal punishment.
Scene 3: Murilé and the Moon-Chief comes from the Chagga people of Kenya and Tanzania. Murilé is a young boy whose parents are frustrating him with their scolding. He happens upon a magic stool and flies to the moon. The moon-people he meets welcome him and offer him a feast of cold food. When he finds that they don't know how to use fire, he teaches them how. The Moon-Chief invites Murilé to stay as a Prince of the Moon; who could say no?
The opera is 33 minutes long. Each scene is about ten minutes, and fast-paced enough to sustain the interest of children (adults seem to enjoy it as well!). There are four vocalists in each scene (Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Tenor and Baritone) and four instrumentalists (Clarinet, Bassoon or Cello, Percussion and Piano). The music is inspired by Native American, Ancient Greek, and Kenyan music, by turns melodious, rhythmic, intense, and playful.
Read the libretto (the lyrics) here.
The Firebringers is a chamber opera for young audiences based on fire origin myths from three continents. The libretto is by Ben Allen-Kingsland and the music by Chappell Kingsland. The piece was commissioned by Reimagining Opera for Kids in Bloomington, Indiana, a non-profit organization which performed the work at dozens of schools in the Midwest during the 2014-15 season. Mile High Opera in Denver, Colorado gave six performances in May 2015 for adults and schoolchildren.
Scene 1: Rainbow Crow is a story from the Lenapé tribe of North America. Long before the time of Humankind, the first snowfall came and the animals were freezing in the cold. Rainbow Crow, known for her multicolored feathers and melodious voice, flew up to the twelfth heaven to ask the Creator for help. The Creator gave her a burning branch to take back to Earth, but on the journey back down, the fire made the Crow's feathers black and voice harsh. Fire kept the animals alive through the winter, and if you look closely, you can still see the traces of colors in a Crow's feathers.
Scene 2: Prometheus was the creator of humankind in Ancient Greek mythology. When he steals fire from the gods in order to keep humans alive, Zeus chains him to a rock and orders an eagle to eat his liver every day. In our telling of the story, we found a comical angle. Zeus is shown to be a pompous ruler, easily outsmarted, and after Prometheus tells his story to the eagle, the bird has a change of heart and comes up with an alternative to eternal punishment.
Scene 3: Murilé and the Moon-Chief comes from the Chagga people of Kenya and Tanzania. Murilé is a young boy whose parents are frustrating him with their scolding. He happens upon a magic stool and flies to the moon. The moon-people he meets welcome him and offer him a feast of cold food. When he finds that they don't know how to use fire, he teaches them how. The Moon-Chief invites Murilé to stay as a Prince of the Moon; who could say no?
The opera is 33 minutes long. Each scene is about ten minutes, and fast-paced enough to sustain the interest of children (adults seem to enjoy it as well!). There are four vocalists in each scene (Soprano, Mezzo-Soprano, Tenor and Baritone) and four instrumentalists (Clarinet, Bassoon or Cello, Percussion and Piano). The music is inspired by Native American, Ancient Greek, and Kenyan music, by turns melodious, rhythmic, intense, and playful.
Read the libretto (the lyrics) here.
