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North American Works Directory Listing
| Composer: |
Damjan Rakonjac
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| Composer Bio: |
Damjan Rakonjac is an active composer and conductor whose music has been called “haunting” by The British Theatre Guide. His opera The Other Wise Man, on a libretto by David Wisehart, had its premiere in Los Angeles in December 2010. His most recent work, the Vocalise Concertante for woodwind quartet, was commissioned by the Midnight Winds. Damjan has written works in a wide variety of genres: including incidental music for several plays (Necessary Targets by Eve Ensler and Uncle Vanya by Anton Checkov, both performed at the Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland; The Kentucky Cycle and The Laramie Project, both performed at Pepperdine University); a string trio (The Friendly Woods, recorded by the Luther Trio); an extended-length, sacred vocal piece (Devica Kerkyra, for three female voices, harp, and percussion; premiered at Pepperdine University); and a piece for unaccompanied flute (Passacaglia, recorded by Grace Lai).
Damjan began his music studies in Belgrade, Serbia, where he was a violin and theory pupil at the Josip Slavenski Music Conservatory. He received his B.A. in composition from Pepperdine University in 2008, where he studied with Dr.Lincoln Hanks. Damjan is currently studying composition with William Kraft. He is the Music Director of Music On Argyle, a concert series dedicated to performing new music by living composers.
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| Librettist: |
David Wisehart
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| Librettist Bio: |
David Wisehart wrote, produced, and directed Valentino: a play in verse at the 2010 Hollywood Fringe Festival. He is the author of a novel, Devil’s Lair, and co-wrote an animated short film, Bushwacker, starring Ed Asner. He served as dramaturge for the Santa Clarita “Shakespeare in the Park” production of Pericles, Prince of Tyre. His theater acting credits include Frank in All My Sons, Renfield in Dracula, Glenn Cooper in Rumors, Leonardo da Vinci in Valentino: a play in verse, the title role in Tartuffe, Baptista Minola in The Taming of the Shrew, and Captain Brackett in South Pacific. He is making his feature film acting debut in the upcoming indie thriller, SafeWord. For Fox Interactive he produced James Cameron’s Peanuts characters. He wrote several art history documentaries for Philips Media.
He received his B.A. in Film and Television from UCLA, and was the Review Editor for the Daily Bruin. He served as a research assistant for The Aerospace Corporation. During high school he programmed computers for NASA.
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| Original Cast: |
Mark Mustol (Artaban)
Argenta Walter (Tabitha)
Maggie Lane (Rachel)
Christopher Ordonez (Servius/Achimelech)
Roksana Zeinapur (Azadeh)
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| Premiere Date: |
December 10, 2010
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| Producing Company: |
Music on Argyle
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| Description: |
When Artaban, a rich Persian Magi, sees a sign in the heavens, he sets out to join the three wise men in Babylon and travel with them to greet the newborn King of the
Hebrews. Pausing to help a dying widow by the side of the road, he misses his caravan and must embark on his pilgrimage alone—a lifelong journey that will lead him, through trials and tribulations, from false hopes to true wisdom.
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| Character List (Major): |
Artaban (baritone)
Tabitha (mezzo-soprano)
Rachel (soprano)
Servius/Achimelech (tenor)
Azadeh (soprano)
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| Length: |
Length is not available.
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| Total Acts: |
Not Available
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| Orchestration: |
clarinet, piano, percussion, contra bass
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What is OPERAAmerica.org?
Spring 2013 Magazine Issue
- Letter from the President/CEO
- Of One: The Quest for Asian Fusion in the Opera House
- Vancouver: Where Nature Nurtures Art
- Inheriting the Wind
- My First Time
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