The Tender Land at Catholic University - Ward Hall

Aaron Copland created the quintessential American coming-of-age opera in The Tender Land. Set during the depression era, the opera depicts the hard-scrabble times that shaped a generation. It also touches upon issues that were near and dear to Copland in the 50s and still speaks to us today. Inspired by James Agee and Walker Evans Let Us Now Praise Famous Men, Copland had college singers in mind and thought universities were the most congenial venue for his masterwork. We will present the opera in Murry Sidlin's elegant chamber orchestration - a version favored by Copland himself.

The Tender Land is directed by James HamptonMusic by Aaron CoplandLibretto by Horace Everett (aka Erik Johns)Chamber version arranged and orchestrated by Murry SidlinBy arrangement with Boosey & Hawkes, Inc., publisher and copyright ownerMurry Sidlin, conductor