Feb 15, 2020
Daniel Schnyder and Bridgette Wimberly, composer and librettist of CHARLIE PARKER’S YARDBIRD, talked about this exciting new opera the other night with Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean and Abe Beeson of radio station KNKX, Seattle’s connection to jazz and blues. An edited version of that interview, this podcast offers windows into how Wimberly found the story of several women who loved a musican, how Schnyder bridged the worlds of ‘classical’ music and jazz, and how their opera evolved. You’ll hear brief excerpts from the opera (including a special example of Schnyder playing the role of Charlie on a soprano sax), a clip from Schnyder’s oratorio “SUNDIATA KEITA,” a snatch of Charlie & Dizzy jamming, and the voice of the real-life Charlie Parker.