Sophie and Minnie (Chamber Opera)
$30.00
$30.00
per item
PDF Piano Vocal Score for Sophie and Minnie, a chamber opera
Music by Lisa Neher
Libretto by Kathryn Walat
Based on Sophia's Song by Jill Kandel
Performing forces:
4 Singers:
Sophie: Soprano or Mezzo-Soprano
Minnie: Soprano or Mezzo-Soprano
SA Chorus of 2 or more singers total
1 piano
Length: 15 minutes
This purchase permits the purchaser to distribute copies for all members of their production. If charging admission, royalties are 5% of ticket sales. If this presents a hardship, please contact us to discuss your situation.
No royalties are charged for concert performance of excerpts (such as arias, duets, etc). Please submit a program to the composer for our records.
SKU:
Program Note
Sophie and Minnie draws on the real experiences of award-winning author Jill Kandel's grandmother and great aunt. The daughters of Danish immigrants, Sophie and Minnie navigate cultural assimilation in the United States, marriage, childbirth, the loss of their mother, and, perhaps most poignantly, loss of connection to one another as they age. They find joy in small victories such as feeding farm workers sixty pancakes a day, raising a healthy flock of chickens, and watching sunsets over the hills of North Dakota. In spite of their different paths, they continue to reach out to connect with one another and make sense of what it is to be a "Midwestern Woman" in the 1800s. The chorus in the opera, which may be sung by as few as 2 singers, or expanded to a full choir, takes on a variety of roles, from evoking the powerful waves of an Atlantic crossing to the boisterous energy of homestead life to keening over the death of a loved one. In all facets, Sophie and Minnie centers women and treble voices as bearers of history.
Sophie and Minnie was commissioned by SALT: Sylvia Stoner, Sharon O'Connell Campbell, Anne Jennifer Nash, Suna Gunther, and Young Kim and was premiered at the No Limits Conference in Kearney, Nebraska in March 2026. The opera was subsequently performed at the Scheherazade Music Festival in Kansas City, Missouri, in May 2026.
Sophie and Minnie was commissioned by SALT: Sylvia Stoner, Sharon O'Connell Campbell, Anne Jennifer Nash, Suna Gunther, and Young Kim and was premiered at the No Limits Conference in Kearney, Nebraska in March 2026. The opera was subsequently performed at the Scheherazade Music Festival in Kansas City, Missouri, in May 2026.
Performing Forces
Minimum of 4 Singers, with Flexible Chorus Size
Sophie: Soprano or Mezzo-Soprano, Range: (ossia B-flat 3) C4 - G5 (ossia A5)
Minnie: Soprano or Mezzo-Soprano, Range: B-flat 3 - A5
SA Chorus of 2 or more singers. Additional divisi options are provided for larger choruses. S Range: C4 - F5; A Range: G3 - D5
Piano
Sophie: Soprano or Mezzo-Soprano, Range: (ossia B-flat 3) C4 - G5 (ossia A5)
Minnie: Soprano or Mezzo-Soprano, Range: B-flat 3 - A5
SA Chorus of 2 or more singers. Additional divisi options are provided for larger choruses. S Range: C4 - F5; A Range: G3 - D5
Piano
Musical Numbers
1. They crossed an ocean (Minnie, Sophie, SA Chorus)
2. Dialogue: You said 'yes'--just like that? (Minnie, Sophie, SA Chorus)
3. Aria: The first year, I nearly die for loneliness (Sophie, SA Chorus)
4. Dialogue: Dear Sophie (Minnie, Sophie, SA Chorus)
5. Aria: She crosses the land by train (Minnie, SA Chorus)
6. Dialogue: You are my dear (Minnie, Sophie)
7. Finale: We cross an ocean (Minnie, Sophie, SA Chorus)
2. Dialogue: You said 'yes'--just like that? (Minnie, Sophie, SA Chorus)
3. Aria: The first year, I nearly die for loneliness (Sophie, SA Chorus)
4. Dialogue: Dear Sophie (Minnie, Sophie, SA Chorus)
5. Aria: She crosses the land by train (Minnie, SA Chorus)
6. Dialogue: You are my dear (Minnie, Sophie)
7. Finale: We cross an ocean (Minnie, Sophie, SA Chorus)