REVIEW: Brightwork performs A Prayer for my Daughter

Excited to share this review from San Francisco Classical Voice of Brightwork’s December 9th performance at Monk Space in LA. This concert coincided with the launch of their record label.

About A Prayer for my Daughter:

Why Women Went West is an Opera America and NEA Award winning multi-media chamber opera which tells the unfolding narrative of a sole woman protagonist’s journey west. Fourteen songs comprise the two-part narrative; with empathy, ritual, and passion they trace Mary’s experiences from her youth in a Midwest small town in late 19th century to her pioneer days in California, and finally to her wild west days in New Mexico where she eventually confronts death and overcomes the challenges that have plagued her throughout her life. “Prayer for My Daughter” reveals Mary’s plight as a mother alone in the wild west, her heartbreaking decision to abandon her disabled daughter Ruth and place her in an institution, to save both their lives. This work leads to the decisive move in the opera-Mary’s quest to write, and to go further into the West alone.

Vocalist Stacey Fraser | Photo Credit: Will Smart