''Cold Sassy Tree'' is an opera composed by Carlisle Floyd, based on the 1984 novel by

Olive Ann Burns Olive Ann Burns (July 17, 1924 – July 4, 1990) was an American writer from Georgia best known for her single completed novel, ''Cold Sassy Tree'', published in 1984. Background Olive Ann Burns was born in Banks County, Georgia. Her father was ...

. ''Cold Sassy Tree'' was Floyd's tenth opera. It had its world premiere on April 14, 2000, at the

Houston Grand Opera Houston Grand Opera (HGO) is an American opera company located in Houston, Texas. Founded in 1955 by German-born impresario Walter Herbert and three local Houstonians,Giesberg, Robert I., Carl Cunningham, and Alan Rich. ''Houston Grand Opera at ...

, with a production staged by Australian filmmaker Bruce Beresford and conducted by Patrick Summers. The original cast included Dean Peterson, Patricia Racette, Diane Alexander, Beth Clayton,

Margaret Lloyd Margaret Lloyd (born 1973) is an American soprano who is particularly known for her performances in contemporary operas and concert works. She has sung in the world premieres of several operas, most notably portraying the role of Lightfoot McClend ...

and John McVeigh. The production was the Houston Grand Opera's 25th new opera, and was created in a co-commission between the company and opera companies in Austin, Baltimore, North Carolina and San Diego. Floyd came to the project by way of a sibling. "The book was given to me by my sister, because she thought that somebody from this part of the world, the southeast, would probably fully appreciate it,” he said in an interview following the Houston premiere. “But, everywhere I have traveled in this country, people have read ''Cold Sassy Tree'' and the standard reaction from everybody, male and female, is 'I loved it.' Obviously, its appeal goes far beyond regional boundaries. What appealed to me most about it in terms of its operatic possibilities were the very vivid, rich characters. And it is also rich in comic incidents.” ''Cold Sassy Tree'' has been staged by regional opera countries around the United States. A two-disk CD recording featuring the original Houston Grand Opera cast was released in 2005 by Albany Records. The Houston performance was videotaped for television, but it was never broadcast or released on DVD.

Roles

References

External links

Opera's southern gentlemanSan Diego OperaTalk! with Nick Reveles: Floyd's Cold Sassy Tree
{{Authority control Operas Operas by Carlisle Floyd English-language operas 2000 operas Operas set in the United States Opera world premieres at Houston Grand Opera Operas based on novels