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An Opera in One Act Soprano, Mezzo‐Soprano, Tenor, Baritone, and SATB Chorus with Piano Quartet

Following performances in Los Angeles, California and Poznań, Poland, composer Jenni Brandon and librettist Oliver Mayer’s 3 PADEREWSKIS: An Opera in One Act had its official world premiere on Wednesday, November 20, 2019 at 7:30 p.m. at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Terrace Theater. Produced by the Kosciuszko Foundation and the Adam Mickiewicz Institute and directed by David Bridel, the performance was part of a celebration of the 101st anniversary of Polish independence and the centenary of Polish and American diplomatic relations.

A winner of The American Prize in Composition, 2018-19, opera/theater/film/dance division, “3 Paderewskis” is a 60-minute opera in one act that uniquely explores the life and work of pianist, composer, diplomat, and the first Prime Minister of the modern Polish state, Ignacy Jan Paderewski. The piece imagines three versions of the great Paderewski (one of them female) as they sift through a lifetime of memories far too vast for any one person; Ignacy the virtuoso pianist and composer, Jan the politician and statesman, and Paderewski the éminence grise and Paso Robles winemaker. Coming together and pulling apart, they summon the ghost of Antonina, Paderewski’s beloved, long-dead first wife. In so doing, they release the spirit of a better Poland. A compassionate opera about a man whose greatness lay not only in his art and his politics but in pure passion for life, whose memory instructs our own moment of political and moral crisis.

The Kennedy Center cast includes, in alphabetical order, Omar Crook, E. Scott Levin, Maria Dominique Lopez, Steve Pence, Ariel Pisturino, Katherine Powers, Todd Strange, and Courtney Taylor. The cast was accompanied by the L.A. based ensemble Central4 Piano Quartet with music direction by the composer, Jenni Brandon. Members of Central4 Piano Quartet include, in alphabetical order, Meredith Crawford, Timothy Durkovic, Paula Fehrenbach and Elizabeth Hedman. The production team included Edina Hiser as costumes coordinator, Ron Barnett was rehearsal accompanist, and graphic design by Omar Razo. Seira Murakami was the production stage manager.

This presentation was commissioned by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute and presented in collaboration with the Kosciuszko Foundation and the Embassy of the Republic of Poland. Co- financing was provided by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland as part of the multi-annual program NIEPODLEGŁA 20172022. This project was originally commissioned in cooperation with the Adam Mickiewicz Institute as part of the international cultural program POLSKA 100 accompanying Poland’s centenary of regaining independence. CAST Antonina (soprano): the ghost of Paderewski’s long-departed wife Igance (mezzo-soprano) : the virtuoso pianist and composer Jan (tenor): the politician and statesman Paderewski (baritone): éminence grise and Paso Robles winemaker SATB Chorus Piano Quartet (piano, violin, viola, cello) Duration: 60 minutes

Jenni Brandon (composer) is a composer and conductor, creating music in collaboration with other musicians and artists. She writes music that is beautiful and lyrical, telling stories through memorable musical lines often influenced by the collaborator’s story, nature, and poetry. She has been commissioned to write music for soloists, chamber ensembles, concertos, opera and orchestra and her works are performed internationally. Her music appears on over 20 albums, and has been awarded the Sorel Medallion, American Prize, Paderewski Cycle, Women Composers Festival of Hartford International Composition Competition, and Bassoon Chamber Music Composition Competition among others. Her works are published and distributed by Boosey & Hawkes, Santa Barbara Music Publishing, Graphite Publishing, TrevCo Music Publishing, Imagine Music, J.W. Pepper, and June Emerson. She also runs her own publishing company, Jenni Brandon Music, which publishes and distributes her works.

As a conductor she often conducts her own works and works by living composers. She conducted her one-act opera 3 PADEREWSKIS in the Terrace Theater at the Kennedy Center, at the University of Southern California, and at the Aula Nova Akademii Muzycznej in Poznan, Poland. She also recently conducted her work America Belongs to Us for SATB choir and Flute Orchestra with the Congressional Chorus of Washington, D.C. Both works feature libretto and poetry by Oliver Mayer, with whom she collaborates regularly. She also presents workshops and talks on the art of collaboration and the business of music, striving to create a supportive environment where collaboration leads to an exploration of ideas.

When she is not making music, Jenni is often on her yoga mat, either practicing or teaching yoga. Jenni also loves walking her dog and travelling with her husband to snorkel in tropical waters. Visit jennibrandon.com to learn more.

Oliver Mayer (librettist) is a playwright, poet, librettist and tenured professor of dramatic writing at the University of Southern California’s School of Dramatic Arts. His opera 3 Paderewskis, composed by Jenni Brandon and directed by David Bridel, received its world premiere at Washington D.C.’s Kennedy Center in November 2019, after presentations in Poznan, Poland and on the USC campus, and was the winner of The American Prize for opera composition in 2019. With Jenni, he has also written America Belongs to Us (most recently performed by Washington D.C.’s Congressional Chorus), and We Are Joy. Oliver wrote the libretto for the opera America Tropical, composed by David Conte, and the book for Blue House with music and lyrics by Perla Batalla and David Batteau. Oliver is the author of more than 30 plays, including his ground-breaking Blade to the Heat to its longawaited sequel Members Only. His newest play The Dragon Tree is being developed for production in 2021 by The Wallis Annenberg Center for Performing Arts. Other produced plays include Blood Match and Yerma in the Desert (both inspired by the plays of Federico Garcia Lorca), Fortune is a Woman, The Wallowa Project, Dias y Flores, Dark Matters, Conjunto, The Wiggle Room, Young Valiant, Joy of the Desolate, The Sinner from Toledo (adapted from a short story by Chekhov), Laws of Sympathy, Joe Louis Blues, Rocio! In Spite of It All, The Road to Los Angeles, Gog, and Ragged Time. Along with assorted publications, Mayer wrote the children’s books Big Dog on Campus Learns to be a Trojan, and its follow-ups Big Dog on Campus Goes to the Library and Big Dog on Campus Goes on Patrol (now available as a box set). His book of poetry Body Languages was published in 2016. Other publications include The Hurt Business: The Early Works of Oliver Mayer; Oliver Mayer Collected Plays; Blood Match and Other Plays; and Dark Matters and Other Plays. On campus, he has received several university honors, including the USC Associates Award for Excellence in Teaching and a Mellon Mentoring Award for mentoring undergraduates. He is one of the creators of the current USC MFA program in Dramatic Writing, where he serves not only as core instructor but mentor to both students and other faculty. olivermayer.com.

3 Paderewkis: An Opera in One Act