Join the Pulitzer Prize-winning team of composer Paul Moravec and librettist Mark Campbell as they discuss the creation of their oratorio, A Nation of Others.

Hailed by Broadway World at its Carnegie Hall premiere as “stunning,” A Nation of Others takes place on a single day in 1921 at the Ellis Island Immigration Station and follows a group of immigrants as they arrive by ship and allowed entry into the U.S. Woven into the narrative of the oratorio are deeply moving and sometimes funny personal stories of immigrants from eight different countries. Moderated by Sarah Meyers, the Artistic Director of On Site Opera. Mr. Moravec and Mr. Campbell will talk about their process for creating this work, how music helps enliven and deepen these stories, and why it’s important to honor the history of Ellis Island. The evening will also feature a few selections from the work, performed by Oratorio Society of New York under the baton of Kent Tritle.

Mark Campbell - The Pulitzer Prize and Grammy Award-winning operas of librettist/lyricist Mark Campbell are among the most successful in the contemporary canon. Mark has written 41 opera librettos, lyrics for 7 musicals and text for 9 song cycles and 5 oratorios. His works include Silent Night, The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, The Shining, Elizabeth Cree, Sanctuary Road, As One, The Manchurian Candidate, Stonewall, Burke & Hare, A Thousand Acres, Edward Tulane, Unruly Sun, Later the Same Evening, The Cook-Off and Songs from an Unmade Bed. Mark mentors future generations of librettists and composers at the American Opera Project, American Lyric Theatre and the American Opera Initiative. He created and funds the Campbell Opera Librettist Prize, the first award for opera librettists in the history of the art form and co-created the True Voice Award to help support transgender singers. (PHOTO CREDIT STEPHEN TRACY) www.markcampbellwords.com

Paul Moravec, recipient of the 2004 Pulitzer Prize in Music, has composed over 200 orchestral, chamber, lyric, choral and operatic works. Frequently commissioned by notable ensembles and music institutions, Mr. Moravec's recent works include the operas The Shining and Sanctuary Road, and the oratorios All Shall Rise, and A Nation of Others (all to libretti by Mark Campbell). His extensive discography spanning three decades includes six albums on Naxos American Classics and three albums on BMOP Sound. A graduate of Harvard and Columbia universities, he holds the special rank of University Professor at Adelphi University, and has served as Artist-in-Residence at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton as well as Composer-in-Residence at the American Academy in Rome. His complete catalog is available at www.subitomusic.com and his website is www.paulmoravec.com. 

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