Unmasked: An Opera in 1 Act - The Creative Process

Abstract

The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic inspired a new opera called Unmasked: An Opera in 1 Act. The process of writing and composing music and libretto are the subjects of this critical essay. The musical composition is by Dr. Zachary Bramble, and the libretto is written by the author of this paper, Rebeckah Resare. Unmasked is an opera about the lives of eight characters during the pandemic. The libretto describes these characters' hardships in five vignettes and follows a family struggling with school, dating, isolation, hospitalizations, and lost loved ones. The librettist takes influence from professional librettists and composers such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Charles Gounod, Mark Adamo, Ricky Ian Gordon, Edgar Estel, Hector Armienta, and Joshua McGuire. The composer, Dr. Bramble, took inspiration from operas by Richard Wagner, Giacomo Puccini, Erich Korngold, and Leonard Bernstein. The composer and librettist plan to expand the Unmasked storyline with additional material; arias, trios, set designs, and possibly a second act to create more depth of character and development. The goal of this opera is to bring relevant material that speaks effectively to a multi-generational audience, specifically to a younger generation, by addressing current aspects of modern society.