Score

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Recording

MIDI realization coming soon. 

Par for the course

A micro-opera for unaccompanied soprano or mezzo-soprano
3 minutes
​2020

Music by Lisa Neher
Libretto by Kendra Leonard

Soprano Version Range: Bb3 - A5
Mezzo Version Range: Ab3 - G5
Additional Transpositions available by request.

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Program note

One of the greatest athletes of all time, Mildred Ella “Babe” Didrikson Zaharias excelled at every sport she tried. She won two gold medals in track and field at the 1932 summer Olympics and later turned to golf, winning 10 Ladies Professional Golf major championships. She often faced sexism in her work and from reporters who criticized her involvement in athletics and her unladylike personality. Known for her brash confidence, she would often say at competitions, “Okay, Babe’s here! Now who’s gonna finish second?”

Sport has played an important role in both of our lives and we are passionate about representing women in sport on the opera stage. We were drawn to Babe by her confidence, her passion for sport, and her example of excellence in spite of a society that was often against her. This micro-opera envisions the moment in which Babe learns that her attempt to qualify for the U.S. Open has been rejected. 

Par for the Course was written for soprano Elisabeth Halliday-Quan for Rhymes With Opera’s 2020 Pocket Opera Workshop.