Close Encounter of the Hillbilly Kind is a comedic portrayal of a young woman waiting for a bus, who meets a Kentucky Hillbilly hell-bent on taking her to the Hilton.  Setting: A sunny Saturday, 2 p.m. A bus stop on Eastern Parkway in Louisville, Kentucky. There is a bench and a trash can.Close Encounter of the Hillbilly Kind, a pocket opera for soprano, tenor and jazz quintet details an experience I had in September 2011 in Louisville, Kentucky.

Interview by New Fangled Opera about the pocket opera below:

San Francisco, CA. Fresh Voices XIV performance of Close Encounter of the Hillbilly Kind  Cass Panuska and Ross Halper in July 2014

Additional Recording below of performance March 18, 2013 at the University of Louisville, with Claire Divizio, soprano; Patrick MacDevitt, tenor; Matt Williams, conductor; Sam Williams, flute/piccolo; Cambron Little, alto saxophone; Sam Zaccone, double bass; Bruno Gafanhoto-Souza, drums; composer at the piano.  (Comstock Concert Hall)

Performances: 

2014 Fresh Voices XIV Festival in San Francisco, CA
2013 New Fangled Opera, New Orleans, LA
2013 Thompson Street Opera Company, Louisville, KY
2012 Brevard Music Center Institute, Brevard, NC

© 2012 by Yvonne Freckmann

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