A Bilingual Children's Opera
Music and libretto by: Héctor Armienta
Duration: 40 mins
Commissioned by: The Music Theater Collective, 1999
Produced by: Forth Worth Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Tulsa Opera, Ópera Cultura, and others
Meet Scrawny, a young coyote on an adventure learning to read – something no decent coyote would do – and his cousin, Loco, aiming to set him on the right path. Guiding us through their misadventures are the mischievous rabbits Chiquita and Banana, having their own fun with Loco and his lack of learning.
FORCES
Singers:
Chiquita; sassy, fun, and mischievous. Her favorite past time is playing tricks on others - Soprano
Banana; she’s like her sister Chiquita and is always her accomplice - Mezzo-soprano
Scrawny; a young coyote who is eager to learn to read and write, unlike other coyotes - Tenor
Loco; Scrawny’s older cousin, a coyote who has no interest in being educated and tries to persuade his younger cousin to follow in his footsteps - Baritone
Orchestration:
Piano
Project Statement
Hector Armienta was inspired by a book he read called, “The Coyote and Rabbit”. He took a suggestion given to him by a colleague - she thought it would be a great idea to have the sort of characters you would find in an old Warner Brothers cartoon. Therefore, he based the villain on a coyote character from a Bugs Bunny cartoon. The Chiquita— Banana Sisters are the Mexican version of Chip and Dale. Scrawny is your typical hero.
MEDIA
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