Laughter in Jericho – a chamber opera in one act (excerpt)

Laughter in Jericho is my fifth opera and was commissioned in 1997 by Lou Rodgers for Golden Fleece, Ltd., the Composer’s Chamber Theatre. This work is a fictional account of the confrontation at Ruby Ridge in 1993. Scored for voices, tape, viola and piano, the composition of this work was supported, in part, by a Summer Fellowship from the University of Northern Iowa Graduate College and by the Millay Colony for the Arts, New York.

Laughter in Jericho was premiered 20-23 November 1997 by Golden Fleece at The Sanford Meisner Theater in New York City. This excerpt features Mark Peters (Ray); Anne Jacobs (Sarah); and Thais Schaller-Thomas (Melody). Ray’s wife has just been killed; he comforts his daughter, revealing both his anger and his loss.