Amy Scurria, ALICE

March hare

Opera at the U! performance of A.L.I.C.E.

Alice

Opera at the U! performance of A.L.I.C.E.

Alice & Flowers

Opera at the U! performance of A.L.I.C.E.

March hare

Opera at the U! performance of A.L.I.C.E.

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photography by Robert Breault

Audio selections from live performances at University of Utah, Mo. Robert Baldwin, conducting (*Queen's Aria, Mo. Oswaldo Machado, conducting)

"Curious, I Observe" (Alice)

Meg Steele and Utah Symphony

00:00 / 01:03

"Who Are You?" (Alice and Caterpillar)

Meg Steele, John Knight Allen, and Utah Symphony

00:00 / 00:49

An Opera in Two Acts ~ 2 hours

CAST:

ALICE

soprano

SISTER, DUCHESS, QUEEN OF HEARTS

1-3 mezzo sopranos

CATERPILLAR & KING

1-2 bass baritones

CHESHIRE CAT

mezzo soprano

WHITE RABBIT

tenor

MAD HATTER

tenor

MARCH HARE

baritone or countertenor

CARDS / JURY

SATB choir or SAB choir (min. 4 on a part)

INSTRUMENTATION:

piano/vocal

chamber orchestra

(1,1,1,1; 1,0,0,0; pno; timp; strings)

full orchestra

(2,1,1,1; 3,2,2,0; harp; timp; strings)

Order Score

List of Scenes

Duchess Scene (Alice and Duchess)

Meg Steele, Sage Madsen, and Utah Symphony

00:00 / 00:29

Duchess Lullaby (Duchess)

Sage Madsen and Utah Symphony

00:00 / 00:41

"Nonsense Trio" (Alice, Mad Hatter, March Hare)

Meg Steele, Alex Harrelson, Matthew Tang, and Utah Symphony

00:00 / 00:46

"Lost and Alone" (Alice)

Meg Steele and Utah Symphony

00:00 / 01:00

"You're Not Ready" (Cheshire Cat and Alice)

Mara Davis, Meg Steele, and Utah Symphony

00:00 / 01:13

"Queen's Processional" (Ensemble)

Opera at the U and Utah Symphony

00:00 / 01:30

"Queen's Aria" (Queen)

Karley Swallow and Utah Symphony

00:00 / 01:31

"King's Aria" (King)

Porter Hiatt and Utah Symphony

00:00 / 01:19

The Trial (Mad Hatter)

Sam Plumb and Utah Symphony

00:00 / 00:34

AWARDS:

2024 AMERICAN PRIZE (3rd place)

2024 DEE ENDOWMENT GRANT

2022 & 2024 NC ARTS COUNCIL Artist Development Grant

PRESENTED AT:

2023 WTF CONFERENCE in Raleigh, NC

2024 NATIONAL OPERA ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE in Tempe, AZ

2024 SETC CONVENTION in Mobile, AL

There have been countless adaptations of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, but none quite like this new opera. This semi-autobiographical opera metaphorically reflects the experiences of the composer as a late-diagnosed autistic woman.

Alice, connecting deeply to nature, struggles to find her place in this world. Following the song of the trees, she falls into Wonderland, set as a Jungian dive deep into her psyche. Wonderland is filled with awe, mystery, cruelty, friendship, and just enough questions that force Alice to continue to discover exactly who she is as she discovers that it is in finding this out that she will set herself and all of Wonderland free.

Salt Lake City Weekly

"For those who are most familiar with Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderlandfrom Disney movies, the story might seem to be all about fantastical absurdity. For composer Amy Scurria, who decided to turn the story into the opera A.L.I.C.E., it provides a unique connection to her real-world experience."

U Opera's 'A.L.I.C.E.'

“I took the opportunity to go back to my hotel room and listen to some of her music, and I got that feeling when you hear something, and it just touches you,” Breault said.

The Daily Utah Chronicle (1)

“A.L.I.C.E.” is an adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland,” but it’s also a story of self-discovery and self-acceptance, said the opera’s composer Amy Scurria and her partner and librettist Zane Corriher.

The Daily Utah Chronicle (2)

“It really comes to life when this whole team comes together, and that’s what I love about it,” Scurria told me in a conversation we had earlier that week.