Based on the memoir of Dr. Abraham Verghese, a physician of South-Asian descent who chronicled his work caring for HIV/AIDS patients.
Kamala Sankaram, Composer
Praised as “strikingly original” (NY Times) and “new voice from whom we will surely be hearing more” (LA Times), Kamala Sankaram writes highly theatrical music that defies categorization.
My Own Country • The Proposal
Mark Campell, Librettist
The work of Pulitzer Prize and Grammy Award winning librettist/lyricist Mark Campbell is at the forefront of the contemporary opera scene in this country. Mark has written 38 opera librettos, lyrics for 7 musicals and text for 6 song cycles and 2 oratorios.
Curator discussion
Mark Streshinsky, Mary Chun & Brian Rosen
Artist Interviews: My Own Country
Creators Journal
Selvies
Sessions
Mini Doc
Libretto Reading
Sing Sample
Get to know them: First Opera Stories
previous work samples
Composer Kamala Sankaram introduces The Chukar Song
Composer Kamala Sankaram introduces Interrogation
Librettist Mark Campbell introduces
"Heading Home" from My Own country
Audio of The Chukar Song
Audio of Interrogation
Audio of
Heading home
Kamala Sankaram Bio:
Praised as “strikingly original” (NY Times) and “new voice from whom we will surely be hearing more” (LA Times), Kamala Sankaram writes highly theatrical music that defies categorization. Recent commissions include the Glimmerglass Festival, Washington National Opera, Houston Grand Opera, and Shakespeare Theatre Company, among others. Awards, grants and residencies include: Jonathan Larson Award, NEA ArtWorks, MAP Fund, Opera America, NY IT Award for Outstanding Production of a Musical, the Civilians, HERE, the MacDowell Colony, and the Watermill Center. Known for her work with emerging technologies, her recent genre-defying hit Looking at You (with librettist Rob Handel) featured live data mining of the audience and a chorus of 25 singing tablet computers. Sankaram and Handel also created all decicions will be made by consensus, a short absurdist opera performed live over Zoom and featured on NBC and the BBC3. With librettist Jerre Dye, she created The Parksville Murders, the world’s first virtual reality opera (Samsung VR, Jaunt VR, Kennedy Center Reach Festival, “Best Virtual Reality Video” NY Independent Film Festival, Salem Horror Festival and the Topanga Film Festival.) Dr. Sankaram holds a PhD from th New School and is currently a member of the composition faculty at SUNY Purchase.
mark campbell Bio:
The work of Pulitzer Prize and Grammy Award winning librettist/lyricist Mark Campbell is at the forefront of the contemporary opera scene in this country. Mark has written 38 opera librettos, lyrics for 7 musicals and text for 6 song cycles and 2 oratorios. His best known works are Silent Night, The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, As One, The Shining, Elizabeth Cree, Sanctuary Road, Stonewall, Later the Same Evening, The Nefarious, Immoral but Highly Profitable Enterprise of Mr. Burke & Mr. Hare, Volpone, Rappahannock County, Bastianello/Lucrezia, and Songs from an Unmade Bed. Other awards include: the first Kleban Foundation Award for Lyricist, two Richard Rodgers Awards from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, three Drama Desk nominations, a Jonathan Larson Foundation Award, a NYFA Playwriting Fellowship, and the first Dominic J. Pelliciotti Award.