ADMISSIONS - chamber opera in one act - 20''- SATB/versions for chamber orch. and small ensemble. 2020 world premiere - Kennedy Center- Washington National Opera- American Opera Initiative Composed by Michael Lanci Libretto by Kim Davies
Synopsis: They’re the perfect American family: Mother, a TV star... Father, a business tycoon... their kids on track to go to the best colleges. But one night Mother and Father must explain to their kids that there’s been a little misunderstanding, maybe a little money laundering, maybe an indictment, and now their plans aren’t quite so on-track after all.
Reviews: "Admissions generated more laughter in its twenty minutes than most film comedies can squeeze out in ninety." Abeastinajungle
"It was the most ambitious of the three pieces on the program, and also the most skillful. Lanci and Davies, expertly exposed the price of having it all with hilarity, and with music and words that matched precisely how so many celebrities talk."DCMetrotheaterarts
"Though full-length new comedic operas are in short supply relative to dramas, they are frequently a highlight of the American Opera Initiative evenings, and Admissions makes a strong case for the genre." "Admissions benefits from a tight structure and brisk pacing that never allows a single joke or scenario to overstay its welcome. It is always enjoyable to see where these short works could serve as the seed for something longer, and one could easily see this as the raucous opening to a longer work." WashingtonClassicalReview
"Judging by the happy whooping of the younger audience members who could hang onto the topic but even more could lean into the over-the-top sitcom comedy of the approach, I may be quite wrong." DCTheaterScene
Crude Capital - chamber opera in one act - 30'' - STBB/ chamber ensemble. 2019 world premiere - National Sawdust - Beth Morrison Projects - Next Generation Composed by Michael Lanci Libretto by Ajax Phillips
Synopsis: Set in 2028, during a hurricane that levels an unnamed southern city, Crude Capitalfollows the crisis of conscience of congresswoman, Grace Hennessy, as she realizes the policies she’s been paid to support have led to the city’s destruction.
