Hear Cincinnati Opera's world premiere of 'Fellow Travelers' on WGUC this weekend

Cincinnati classical public radio station 90.9 WGUC is celebrating Cincinnati Opera's 100th anniversary with a series of special encore performances broadcast every Saturday at 1 p.m. through July. This Saturday, July 18, tune in to hear a broadcast of Cincinnati Opera's 2016 world premiere of Fellow Travelers, featuring UC College-Conservatory of Music faculty and alumni.

Listen live on radio station WGUC 90.9 or stream it on WGUC's website.

Presented in partnership with CCM, Fellow Travelers features music by Gregory Spears and a libretto by Greg Pierce; it is based on the 2007 novel by Thomas Mallon. The performance was conducted by CCM Director of Orchestral Studies Mark Gibson, and featured alumnus Joseph Lattanzi  (MM Voice, 2015; AD Opera, 2015) singing the role of the opera's co-lead, Hawkins Fuller. The cast also included alumni Christian Pursell (MM Voice, '17), Paul Scholten (MM Voice, '09), Alexandra Schoeny (DMA Voice, '19) and Talya Lieberman (AD Opera, '16) as well as CCM Visiting Assistant Professor of Opera Vernon Hartman.

The story is set at the height of the McCarthy era, when young Timothy Laughlin is eager to join the crusade against Communism. A chance encouter with a handsome, profligate State Department official, Hawkins Fuller, leads to Laughlin's first job in Washington, D.C., and his first love affair. Drawn into maelstrom of deceit and intrigue, Laughlin stuggles to reconcile his political convictions, his love for God and his love for Fuller — an entanglement that will end in a stunning act of betrayal. 

Fellow Travelers was originally workshopped in 2013 as part of CCM and Cincinnati Opera's joint Opera Fusion: New Works initiative, which Lattanzi participated in as a CCM student. The opera and Lattanzi earned glowing reviews during performances in Cincinnati, at the Lyric Opera in Chicago and the Prototype Festival in New York. 

Opera Fusion: New Works is a dynamic partnership between Cincinnati Opera and CCM which offers composer/librettist teams the opportunity to workshop an opera during a 10-day residency in Cincinnati.

Residencies utilize the facilities, personnel, and talent of both Cincinnati Opera and CCM. The workshops are cast with a combination of CCM students and professional artists, and each workshop concludes with a free public presentation of excerpts followed by an audience Q&A session, all of which is streamed online.

Created in 2011 to foster the development of new American operas and currently led by co-artistic directors Robin Guarino and Evans Mirageas, Opera Fusion: New Works has grown into a nationally recognized collaboration that is not only advancing the repertoire, but also serving as an inspiring example of a successful joint venture between an educational institution and a professional performing arts organization.

Opera Fusion: New Works has fostered the development of twelve new American operas to date.