JAVS Spring 2013

ferent way. The opera was about how Durham was trying to transform itself from its tobacco past, and Golden Belt was the perfect venue because it was a very prominent symbol of the gradual gen trification that’s happening to East Durham. 20 Although operatic works have been a focal point in the development of Lam’s career as a composer, his background as a violinist has allowed him to focus his energies toward writing pieces for strings. During the summer of 2011, George Lam completed his Suite for Cello, which was premiered by cellist Sara Sitzer as part of the inaugural season of the Gesher Music Festival of Emerging Artists in St. Louis, Missouri. Sitzer notes, “We had talked about him writing a cello suite for years, and when I started this festival, which builds bridges between chamber music and Jewish music, I wanted [the festival] to be a little bit more inclusive. Every movement is inspired by Jewish traditions and melodies . . . [with] some influence from the Britten solo Cello Suites.” 21 One of Lam’s more recent works is a piece per formed by Rhymes with Opera in June 2012, titled The Love Song for Mary Flagler Cary , which features two sopranos, baritone, two violas, and piano. This work, premiered in the Mary Flagler Cary Hall at the DiMenna Center for Classical Music, is an hom age to the life of the heiress of Standard Oil and to her work as a philanthropist. The first viola takes on a significant role, often supporting the soprano who plays the role of one rendition of Mary. 22 There are instances where the ranges of the violas go beyond that of their vocal counterparts, which can be seen in measure 81. Perhaps this can be seen as Mary Flagler Cary’s philanthropy going a step beyond what she accomplished on her own (ex. 6). One of George’s more intriguing projects is still a work in progress. Titled The Emigrants , the work is being designed as a piece for the new music ensem ble New Morse Code, which is comprised of cellist Hannah Collins and percussionist Michael Compitello, as well as for violist Anne Lanzilotti. The piece will be centered on the experiences of immigrants to this country as well as American

George Tsz-Kwan Lam

Eastern Seaboard of the united States. 19 Now living in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, George Lam also serves as Producing Associate for the Gotham Chamber Opera and the Music-Theatre Group. While completing his PhD in Composition at Duke university in 2011, George Lam collaborated with North Carolina playwright John Justice to create a one-act opera, The Persistence of Smoke , to chronicle the experiences of workers in the tobacco industry. When Lam and Justice staged the opera in April 2011, they selected a former cotton mill where Bull Durham bags were produced—Golden Belt—as the site of the premiere. George Lam notes: From the inception of my idea for the dissertation, I wanted to write a piece that was explicitly about Durham, since there weren’t a lot of pieces coming out of Duke that acknowledged the location and its rich and conflicted history. And, it was impor tant to me to stage the new opera in a place that was intimately connected to the subject of the work, because I think there’s something quite magical about being in a place with a piece of art that makes you see that space in a completely dif

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