703 American Composers of Opera
Class | Registration opens 2/9/2026 11:00 AM
The United Sates has a richer history of opera composition than Met subscribers might imagine. We will listen to musical excerpts and discuss works by pioneers such as William Henry Fry and Scott Joplin; 20th century masters, including Howard Hanson, Aaron Copland, Virgil Thomson, Samuel Barber, Gian Carlo Menotti, and Carlisle Floyd; Broadway giants George Gershwin, Richard Rodgers, Kurt Weill, Leonard Bernstein, and Stephen Sondheim; and contemporary composers Philip Glass, John Adams, John Harbison and Jake Heggie...a list that, while extensive, is not exhaustive. You will hear music you have never heard and, perhaps, hear some familiar music in a new way.
There are no required texts for this course.
Gary Boerckel
GARY BOERCKEL grew up in Philadelphia, where he attended concerts and opera at the Academy of Music. He has bachelor’s degrees in music (piano performance) and European history from Oberlin College, and postgraduate degrees in piano performance from Ohio University and the University of Iowa. Gary taught courses in music and music history —including opera – for 33 years at Lycoming College until his retirement in 2012. He has also directed operas, operettas, and musicals at Lycoming and for the Williamsport Symphony Orchestra.