The Domenic J. Pellicciotti Opera Composition Prize

The Domenic J. Pellicciotti Composition Prize was founded by Dr. Gary C. Jaquay to honor his life partner Dominic J. Pellicciotti, an ardent fan of opera. The award seeks to encourage and acknowledge the creation of new opera works that explore themes related to social justice, diversity, equity and/or inclusion. 

Domenic J. Pellicciotti Biography

This fall, the Crane Opera Ensemble will premiere the winning work of the Domenic Pellicciotti Opera Composition Competition. Composer Timothy Takach and librettist Caitlin Vincent were awarded the commission prize for their opera, Computing Venus, which provides a fascinating glimpse into the life of astronomer Maria Mitchell, one of the earliest champions of women in STEM. The opera follows Mitchell’s efforts to cultivate the next generation of women astronomers, even as growing movements threatened to close the world of science to women forever.

This opera is a collaboration between the Crane Opera Ensemble and Opera Orchestra, conducted by Professor Andrew Voelker. The Crane School of Music is proud to welcome the nationally acclaimed director Cindy Oxberry to this production, with projection design by Camilla Tassi, and lighting design by Tonry Lathroum.

Computing Venus will run November 1-3, 2024 at the Sara M. Snell Music Theater on the campus of SUNY Potsdam.

Biographies

Timothy C. Takach (Composer)

Inspired by captivating narrative, speculative fiction and making humans better through art, the music of Timothy C. Takach has risen fast in the concert world. Applauded for his melodic lines, thoughtful text choices and rich, intriguing harmonies, Takach has received commissions and performances from GRAMMY Award-winning ensembles Roomful of Teeth and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the St. Olaf Band, Cantus, Lorelei Ensemble, VocalEssence, the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, and numerous other organizations. His compositions have been performed on A Prairie Home Companion, The Boston Pops holiday tour, numerous All-State and festival programs and at venues such as the Library of Congress, Kennedy Center and Royal Opera House Muscat.

Takach is a co-creator of the theatrical production of All is Calm: the Christmas Truce of 1914, by Peter Rothstein. The critically adored show has had over 120 performances since its premiere in 2006. Takach and librettist Caitlin Vincent won the 2024 Domenic J. Pellicciotti Opera Composition Prize for ComputingVenus, an opera based on the life of astronomer Maria Mitchell, which will premiere at SUNY Potsdam in Fall 2024. In 2018 his oratorio We, the Unknown premiered at the Folly Theatre in Kansas City featuring the Heartland Men’s Chorus. Takach’s a cappella choral symphony Helios is “larger than life, as if the piece were accompanied by an orchestra” and is “complemented with brilliant visuals created by CandyStations” (Tucson.com). In 2023 his ballet with choreographer Penelope Freeh Unfashioned Creature was premiered in St. Paul, MN by the James Sewell Ballet. Takach was a co-founder, singer and Artistic Co-Director of the vocal ensemble Cantus and has frequent national work as a composer-in-residence, presenter, clinician and lecturer. He lives in Minneapolis with his wife and two sons.

Caitlin Vincent (Librettist)

Caitlin Vincent is an award-winning librettist and lyricist whose writing has been praised as “nuanced and honest” (DC Theatre Scene), “intriguing” (The Baltimore Sun), and “luminous” (The Huffington Post). Vincent’s works have been performed by Washington National Opera, Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, the University of Connecticut, the Schubert Club of Minnesota, the Melbourne Fringe Festival, and Semperoper Dresden, among others. In 2017, Vincent and composer Douglas Buchanan won the 2017-19 Sackler Music Composition Prize for Bessie and Ma, an opera about aviator Bessie Coleman and Governor Miriam “Ma” Ferguson. In 2022, Vincent and composer Timothy C. Takach won the Domenic J. Pellicciotti Opera Composition Prize for Computing Venus, an opera based on the life of astronomer Maria Mitchell, which will premiere at SUNY Potsdam in Fall 2024.  Other operatic works include Beyond (2023) and Honeyed Voices (2023), both with composer Lisa Neher; The Blood Vote (2023) with composer Jenny Game; Tienda (2019) with composer Reinaldo Moya; Nullipara (2018) with composer D. J. Sparr; Prix Fixe (2015) with composer Kevin Wilt; and Camelot Requiem (2013) with composer Joshua Bornfield.

Also noted for her work in song repertoire, Vincent has had works premiered at the Oxford Lieder Festival, Wigmore Hall, and Carnegie Hall, including Godiva (2019) with composer Juliana Hall and Little Black Book (2019) with composer Susan LaBarr. Other song works include Modern Muse (2017), Sentiment (2017), and Thanks a Latte (2022), which is included on the GRAMMY-nominated vocal album 40@40. In December 2020, bass-baritone Zachary James premiered AHAB, another collaboration with Juliana Hall, as part of his award-winning visual album Call Out. A classically-trained ballet dancer and former professional opera singer, Vincent is on faculty at the University of Melbourne.

Cori Ellison (Dramaturg)

Cori Ellison, a leading creative figure in the opera world, has served as staff Dramaturg at Santa Fe Opera, the Glyndebourne Festival, and New York City Opera. Active in developing contemporary opera, she is a founding faculty member and mentor at American Lyric Theater’s Composer Librettist Development Program and has developed new operatic works for companies including Glyndebourne, Icelandic Opera, Canadian Opera, Norwegian Opera, Opera Philadelphia, Chicago Opera Theater, Arizona Opera, Opera Birmingham, Pittsburgh Opera, Beth Morrison Projects, On Site Opera, the Miller Theater, Indiana University Opera Theater, and Crane School of Music. She has served as production dramaturg for projects including L'incoronazione di Poppea at Cincinnati Opera; Orphic Moments at the Salzburg Landestheater, National Sawdust, and Master Voices; Aci, Galatea, e Polifemo at National Sawdust and Philharmonia Baroque; Washington National Opera’s Ring cycle, Opera Boston’s The Nose, Offenbach!!! at Bard Summerscape, and La finta giardiniera at Indiana University. 

At The Juilliard School, she serves on the Vocal Arts faculty and is also a faculty member at the Ravinia Steans Music Institute Program for Singers. She has coached and taught master classes for singers at schools including Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, University of Toronto, University of Texas at Austin, University of Michigan, Boston University, Boston Conservatory, Michigan State University, Mannes College, DePaul University, University of Illinois, Loyola University, Montclair State University, University of Utah, University of Nebraska at Lincoln, Florida International University, and Oklahoma State University, as well as the Crested Butte Opera Studio and Martina Arroyo’s Prelude to Performance program. She regularly serves as a judge for the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, Concurso San Miguel in Mexico, and many other vocal competitions. She creates supertitles for opera companies worldwide and helped launch Met Titles, the Met’s simultaneous translation system. Her English singing translations include Hansel and Gretel (NYCO), La vestale (English National Opera), and Shostakovich’s Cherry Tree Towers (Bard Summerscape). She has often written for the New York Times and has contributed to books including The New Grove Dictionary of Opera and The Compleat Mozart.