Tag: text by Nell Shaw Cohen

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The Fire Tower (2023)

An opera in one act for soprano, mezzo-soprano, and cello. 24 mins.

Black & white photograph of a fire tower on a mountain summit

Two intrepid women develop a bond of friendship during a trek deep into the wilderness. June, a first-time fire lookout, is radically reinventing herself following the unexpected death of her life partner. Ray is an experienced mule packer with a life-long love for the land, who struggles with hopelessness in the face of ecological crises.

Accompanied by pack mules, Ray guides June to her seasonal post at a rustic fire tower on a mountain summit in a non-motorized wilderness. During their journey the women are awed by vast landscapes, find moments of levity, and share their experiences with grief.

Set against a backdrop of climate crisis in the American West, The Fire Tower is an intimate portrait of two people in a pivotal moment searching for purpose.

Music & libretto by Nell Shaw Cohen.

Perusal Score

Available for workshop productions. Perusal score provided on request. Please direct inquiries to Nell Shaw Cohen at nell@nellshawcohen.com.

Upcoming Performances

Friday, November 17 & Sunday, November 19, 2023
UTSA Lyric Theatre – The Fire Tower
The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX
UTSA Lyric Theatre presents a staged workshop production of The Fire Tower on an evening of short one-act operas. Details forthcoming.

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Trespassing (2023)

Tenor, flute, and piano. 4 mins.

Selection from Sauntering Songs: a concert-length cantata on the theme of walking, commissioned by Skylark Vocal Ensemble.

Lyrics by Nell Shaw Cohen.

Watercolor painting of British countryside behind stone wall with gate.
“Trespassing” by Nell Shaw Cohen, 2023. Watercolor on paper.
Perusal Score

View perusal score.

Performance score available for purchase. Please direct inquiries to Nell Shaw Cohen at nell@nellshawcohen.com.

Program Note

A man rambles through a countryside of contested ownership, reclaiming his ancestral landscape.

“Trespassing” is a selection from Sauntering Songs: a concert-length cantata on the theme of walking, commissioned by Skylark Vocal Ensemble. My lyrics for this song were inuenced by historical and contemporary “right to roam” movements in Britain (captured in Ewan MacColl’s folk song “Manchester Rambler”); as well as Raja Shehadeh’s book Palestinian Walks: Notes on a Vanishing Landscape, a heartbreaking tribute to the Arab sarha (which means “to roam freely, at will, without restraint”).

This song is dedicated to walkers whose homelands have become someone else’s property.

Performance History

Visit the Sauntering Songs page for performance history.

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Rare Bird (2023)

Tenor, baritone, electric guitar, and piano. 4 1/2 mins.

Selection from Sauntering Songs: a concert-length cantata on the theme of walking, commissioned by Skylark Vocal Ensemble.

Lyrics by Nell Shaw Cohen.

Sensitivity Consultant: Dr. Kassandra Ford (Website).

Watercolor painting of an Indigo Bunting perched on a branch with yellow background
Painting by Nell Shaw Cohen
Perusal Score

View perusal score.

Performance score available for purchase. Please direct inquiries to Nell Shaw Cohen at nell@nellshawcohen.com.

Program Note

Two friends stroll in a suburb, identifying birds together.

“Rare Bird” is a selection from Sauntering Songs: a concert-length cantata on the theme of walking, commissioned by Skylark Vocal Ensemble. The lyrical works of author, poet, and wildlife biologist J. Drew Lanham were the animating inspiration behind this duet, including my use of the title phrase; alongside essays by Carolyn Finney and Evelyn C. White, among others, about their experiences of being Black outdoors.

This duet is dedicated to walkers for whom being outdoors alone isn’t always safe.

Performance History

Visit the Sauntering Songs page for performance history.

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Just Because (2023)

Mezzo-soprano, flute, electric guitar, and cello. 3 1/2 mins.

Selection from Sauntering Songs: a concert-length cantata on the theme of walking, commissioned by Skylark Vocal Ensemble.

Lyrics by Nell Shaw Cohen.

Perusal Score

View perusal score.

Performance score available for purchase. Please direct inquiries to Nell Shaw Cohen at nell@nellshawcohen.com.

Program Note
Watercolor painting of Appalachian mountain view from the point of a view of a hiker resting, with a pair of feet wearing Converse sneakers in the foreground
Painting by Nell Shaw Cohen

Having spent decades as a wife and mother, a woman redefines herself by thru-hiking a long distance trail alone.

“Just Because” is a selection from Sauntering Songs: a concert-length cantata on the theme of walking, commissioned by Skylark Vocal Ensemble. The life of Emma Gatewood, who in 1955 became the first solo female thru-hiker of the Appalachian Trail at the age of 67, (very) loosely inspired my lyrics.

This song is dedicated to those who venture down new paths late in life.

Performance History

Visit the Sauntering Songs page for performance history.

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First Footsteps (2023)

Soprano, flute, and classical guitar. 5 1/2 mins.

Selection from Sauntering Songs: a concert-length cantata on the theme of walking, commissioned by Skylark Vocal Ensemble.

Lyrics by Nell Shaw Cohen.

Perusal Score

View perusal score.

Performance score available for purchase. Please direct inquiries to Nell Shaw Cohen at nell@nellshawcohen.com.

Program Note
Watercolor painting of a stone wall covered in ivy
Painting by Nell Shaw Cohen

A young woman walks in a lush garden growing within high walls. Confined at home, she awaits a future that has been planned for her.

“First Footsteps” is a selection from Sauntering Songs: a concert-length cantata on the theme of walking, commissioned by Skylark Vocal Ensemble.

My lyrics for this song were sparked in part by Rebecca Solnit’s writing in Wanderlust: A History of Walking on the ways in which women have historically been confined to domestic environments, and how past literary depictions of women walking take place in private gardens rather than public spaces.

This song is dedicated to women and girls who walk beyond the boundaries they are given.

Performance History

Visit the Sauntering Songs page for performance history.

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Best Friend (2023)

Tenor, acoustic guitar, and cello. 3 1/2 mins.

Selection from Sauntering Songs: a concert-length cantata on the theme of walking, commissioned by Skylark Vocal Ensemble.

Lyrics by Nell Shaw Cohen.

Sensitivity Consultant: Laura Elliott (Twitter).

Perusal Score

View perusal score.

Performance score available for purchase. Please direct inquiries to Nell Shaw Cohen at nell@nellshawcohen.com.

Program Note
Watercolor painting of a border collie wearing a red service dog vest.
Painting by Nell Shaw Cohen

A disabled hiker and their service dog, named Stickeen, are out on a mountain trail.

“Best Friend” is a selection from Sauntering Songs: a concert-length cantata on the theme of walking, commissioned by Skylark Vocal Ensemble.

My lyrics were informed by the work of writers and advocates in the disability community, notably Coast Guard veteran Tenley Lozano’s essay “Submerged” (Crab Orchard Review) and interview “Hiking with a Service Dog”, Cascade Hiker podcast; Syren Nagakyrie’s work with DisabledHikers.com; and Bill Irwin’s hiking memoir Blind Courage.

This song is dedicated to walkers who are tough in ways others don’t always understand.

Performance History

Visit the Sauntering Songs page for performance history.