Opera (originally Opera without Words, just to avoid any confusion) was my masters thesis project for the Master of Music at BYU.  The piece is intensely Partch-inspired (particularly And on the Seventh Day Petals Fell in Petaluma), though not as well executed compositionally.  For the most part, it is an awkward, lopsided attempt at coalescing many small pieces (mostly miniatures) into one large form.  Still, some things about it ring true to me.  Maybe someday I’ll revise it.  While I cannot now credit all of the performers, my thanks to Art Moore, who conducted. Much of the material in Telemarketer, 8:57 p.m. was later incorporated into Traptalk. Titles for each movement are as follows:

I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. IX. X. XI. XII. XIII. XIV. XV. XVI. XVII. XVIII. XIX. XX.

Patent Ritual Box of Chocolates Lightbulb Shoelaces Dark Basement Hallway Mousehole Annex Dog Telemarketer, 8:57 p.m. Cobwebs Blue Marble Mushrooms and the Galaxy: Alternate Paradise Mayonnaise Fred 1977 Mazda GLC, Pale Yellow with No AC Lightbulb and Dog Fred’s Shoelaces Blue Marble with Box of Chocolates Cobwebs and Mayonnaise Fred’s Shoelaces with Plum Toy Factory Moondirt