Official site of composer Andrea Clearfield. Biography, list of works with audio, score samples, reviews and program notes, photographs, upcoming performances.
2 Act Opera on the life of the Tibetan yogi, Milarepa. Libretto by Jean-Claude van Itallie and Lois Walden. Prototype Festival, NYC, January 2019. Commissioned by Gene Kaufman and Terry Eder.
Review by Adrian Dimanlig, MILA, Great Sorcerer: A Fabulous Surprise, January 19, 2019
Folk hero, singer, and spiritual teacher, Milarepa has been venerated for one thousand years. But as a child, at his mother’s behest, he wields black magic against the relatives that stole his inheritance and destroys his entire village. His remorse sends him on a life journey from mass murder to enlightenment. After you’ve killed, how do you redeem your soul? Milarepa’s transformation and redemption into the most revered teacher of Tibetan Buddhism offer hope and spiritual wayfinding to all who regret acts of consequence and seek higher ground.
Opera Works
To order music, contact Trudy Chan, Black Tea Music. For more info contact Andrea Clearfield
MILA, Great Sorcerer (2019)
2 Act Opera on the life of the Tibetan yogi, Milarepa. Libretto by Jean-Claude van Itallie and Lois Walden. Prototype Festival, NYC, January 2019. Commissioned by Gene Kaufman and Terry Eder.
Review by Adrian Dimanlig, MILA, Great Sorcerer: A Fabulous Surprise, January 19, 2019
MILA Review
TRICYCLE:Milarepa Opera offers an Ode to Stillness
MILA, Great Sorcerer – Opera in 2 Acts
Andrea Clearfield, composer
Jean-Claude van Itallie and Lois Walden, librettists
Completed: November, 2018
Duration: Entire work: 2 hours
Scoring: 9 leads, chorus, chamber orchestra
Commissioners: Terry Eder and Gene Kaufman
Recording: First look performance, Prototype Festival, Gerald Lynch Theater, NYC, 1/13/2019
Director: Kevin Newbury
Cast: Aaron Blake (Mila), Lauren Flanigan (Mother), Eve Gigliotti (Aunt), Will Liverman (Sorcerer), Matthew Gamble (Uncle) Tobias Greenhalgh (Father), Susannah Biller (Damema), Musa Ngqungwana (Marpa), Jonathan Blalock (Young Man)
Chorus: New York Virtuoso Singers
Orchestra: The Knights
Philadelphia Inquirer Preview Story
Prototype Festival MILA, Great Sorcerer
Opera Summary:
Folk hero, singer, and spiritual teacher, Milarepa has been venerated for one thousand years. But as a child, at his mother’s behest, he wields black magic against the relatives that stole his inheritance and destroys his entire village. His remorse sends him on a life journey from mass murder to enlightenment. After you’ve killed, how do you redeem your soul? Milarepa’s transformation and redemption into the most revered teacher of Tibetan Buddhism offer hope and spiritual wayfinding to all who regret acts of consequence and seek higher ground.