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Show TIm' O enstmn0 Santa visits local pets. See Streetbeat, B5 IV irk Ilccortf December 07, 1995 Section B Page Bl : Dreams by LISAANTONUCCI Record staff writer It 's been four years in the making 12 possible plots, 121 versions ver-sions of the libretto, 6,000 hours of music composition and at last, Utah Opera is only five weeks away from premie ring Dreamkeepers, an opera to celebrate Utah s state centennial anniversary. Anne Ewers, general director of Utah Opera and stage director for Dreamkeepers, recalls the summer of 1991 when she realized that 1996 would mark the state's centennial. cen-tennial. She says it immediately occurred to her that this would be the perfect occasion to commission commis-sion a major new operatic work. Utah playwright Dr. Aden Ross was chosen as the librettist, an opportunity she was quick to seize. "I loved the challenge the mixing of poetry with play writing. writ-ing. I did not want to write the expected centennial piece though I thought that the pioneer stories sto-ries had already been done so much and I have always been interested in the Native Americans. They've been around for 10,000 years and we've only been here a few hundred." Ross says she wanted her work to honor some of Utah's first people, peo-ple, the Ute Indians, but she also wanted to create a story with more than local significance. In her artist's statement she says she hoped to create "a story which would touch as many people as possible through universal characters, charac-ters, conflicts and themes. In addition, addi-tion, I wanted to honor Utah's indigenous peoples, to create a strong female protagonist, and to avoid the usual operatic ending." In other words, she didn't want her heroine to die of tuberculosis, poisoning or strangulation. In Dreamkeepers, a young Ute woman named Ela struggles to reconcile her native heritage with life in modern American society. She has returned to the reservation to be with her dying grandmother, a spiritual healer and teacher who embodies the traditional ways of the Ute people. When a tragic accident occurs, Ela must journey into the spirit world, not only to save the Anglo man she loves, but also to resolve her own self-doubt and the enemies which have oppressed her and the American Indian people. The traditional wisdom wis-dom of her grandmother guides Ela through these challenges to the realization of a new harmonious harmo-nious and diverse society. Ross realized the obstacle of and animals both deserve a special With local keep fires writing about a culture cul-ture to which she has no real ties. "Who am I to write about the Native Americans? I believed though that I would not be patron- izing if I wrote about a woman I cared about deeply, and about a universal situation. situ-ation. The story is really her initiation story and is representative represen-tative of any of us who have ever been caught between two cultures." Realizing they needed help, Ross and Ewers consulted several sev-eral Ute Indians for everything from costumes cos-tumes and props to actual story points. Larry Cesspooch, a Ute storyteller, was approached by Ewers who asked him to look at the libretto. Cesspooch says he was very pleased with what he read, and his suggestions were taken seriously. "What better way to celebrate the centennial centen-nial than an opera about the state's original origi-nal people," said Cesspooch. "We can't go back and change the past, but this is a way to tell our story in the present. If you can put yourself in the place of Ela, then you can really receive something." The response from the Utes has been incredibly positive according to Ross. "When I took the libretto to them, they told me this was the first time the white people have come to give them something rather than take something away." Ross says she tried to place the emphasis in Dreamkeepers on the Utes as a spiritual community. She says they respect and value the community as a whole more than just the individual. Ross describes their attitude as "intuitive more than rational, sacred more than secular." What she loves and treasures the most though is the Ute people's sense of humor "a wonderful survival mechanism." As the libretto began to take shape, Ross began sending completed com-pleted sections to composer David Carlson in February of 1993. Carlson, a California native, is an Academy Award winner and has composed another full-length opera for the Opera Theatre of St. Louis in May, 1993. Carlson says this opera presented present-ed a unique challenge as there is virtually no precedent for this ; Park City kick take the wm if ft jTiXm and take over i the show when Park City ; J Performances presents the j lii)4i fueled for new Utah opera v-M-v .v-r J. iV- ret v A- i. - ; . a firs '. Y . kind of opera a thoroughly American subject celebrating Ute and western cultures. In his statement, he explains how his initial attempts to mix Ute melodies and rhythms into his own Euro-American style were definitely not successful. "A Ute Bear Dance song became bad Bartok. A beautiful lullaby became the soundtrack from 'Dances with Wolves.' A traditional tradition-al drumming pattern heralded 'Indians of the Warpath.'" Carlson says he finally found the solution by utilizing only portions of these elements. Ross says the preconceptions she had as to how the opera would sound were no where near Carlson's music, although she is happy with how it has all come together. "His music still surprises me, but that's because I'm much more elementary. The music is carefully attuned to the libretto. He has looked at it and listened Park City Singers ; Mil f; l their choral voices during their first. L itk put together a special holiday program and invite everyone to join them for .0" hard to match every syllable to the music." Just as every note matches every syllable, every movement on stage matches Ross and Ewer's vision of how the opera should be played out. Ross says she has worked closely with Ewers through every step, every meaning and subtlety a collaboration Ross says is extremely rare. "It is absolutely unique. Often times, after you submit a play the director direc-tor wants you out of the picture. Twice directors have completely omitted the stage directions I had written." Ross says she cannot imagine a more tenderly cared-for opera. "The care and love will come through because it has become so much bigger than any of us. It has gone beyond my wildest dreams." Ewers also is overwhelmed by what they have created. She says as a little girl she travelled with her family through several reser vvnuoi u nicy VC vations on their way to California. Seeing the poverty moved her profoundly, pro-foundly, and she knew one day she would somehow respond. She never dreamed it would be by opening a world premiere opera dedicated to Native Americans. Dreamkeepers is a universal story which extends far beyond culture, gender or age. It is more than just the story of a Ute woman jho journeys to save the man she loves. Says Ross, "Like all of us, she must define herself against the forces trying to tell her whom to believe, how to think, and what to feel. Like all of us, she must learn when to rely upon her elders' wisdom wis-dom and when to sing her own song. And like all of us, she must transform hatred into love, gain wisdom from pain, and find her own way home." Dreamkeepers opens Jan. 13, 1996 and will run through Jan. 21. For reservations and more information, infor-mation, call 323-6878. Zl r 0RL ii i mill ii ri iiiiii-i Brooks Local author Tessier says he never dreamed he would finally be published as a playwright, but it's a niche he has found to be quite support, it looks like they will. Find out how you ii , -v can HELP, l jo i J IPXr" 'T" the i .'x Ear 4 y-)0 |