Meet the Composer
American Opera Projects presents Alvin Singleton
American Opera Projects in partnership with Fort Greene Park Conservancy commissioned a work for orchestra and chorus by Brooklyn native composer Alvin Singleton and poet/librettist Patricia Hampl. This original work will be based on the eye-witness reports, letters and diaries of the patriots aboard British prison ships during the Revolutionary War and writings about those prisoners. The prison ships were anchored in the East River, and dead prisoners were thrown overboard causing the remains of over 11,000 dead prisoners to wash up on the shores of Brooklyn. This opera will be created for the 100th anniversary celebration of the Prison Ship Martyrs Monument in Fort Greene Park, Brooklyn in November 2008.
During the summer and fall months leading up to the premiere on November 15, AOP will program the work-in-progress in free performances in inner-borough sites and also will present excerpts at the Brooklyn High School for the Arts. Singleton and Hampl will lead numerous presentations and educational workshops throughout Brooklyn.