Gallows: A Chamber Opera

Author

Carly Ann Wilburn

Date of Graduation

Spring 2010

Degree

Master of Music

Department

Music

Committee Chair

Michael Murray

Abstract

Gallows is a musical work written for a cast of six vocalists and a chamber orchestra of seven players. Gallows is an adaptation of a dramatic short story which addresses important social issues, including eating disorders, self-image, relationships and suicide in teenagers. The story follows Riley, a fashionable seventeen-year-old girl with a cute boyfriend, a cheerful best friend and good grades. Riley struggles with her self-image, her relationships and possibly an eating disorder. Her internal conflicts are personified as three characters, the cynical Pilot, the coddling Nurse and the innocent Judith. These figments of Riley's imagination interact with each other and Riley as the story unfolds.

Keywords

chamber music, opera, social issues, teenagers, imaginary characters

Subject Categories

Music

Copyright

© Carly Ann Wilburn

Recommended Citation

Wilburn, Carly Ann, "Gallows: A Chamber Opera" (2010). MSU Graduate Theses. 2663.
https://bearworks.missouristate.edu/theses/2663