Opera Kansas Presents "Staggerwing"

Staggerwing

Music by Lisa DeSpain
Libretto by Rachel J. Peters
Winner of the 2020 Zepick Modern Opera Commission (Opera Kansas)

STAGGERWING celebrates the historic flight of Louise Thaden and Blanche Noyes as they compete in - and win - the 1936 Bendix Trophy Air Race - the first-year female piloting teams are allowed to compete. Their plane: a Beechcraft Staggerwing Model C-17.

The opera also highlights the contributions of Olive Ann Beech, co-founder and president of Beech Aircraft (later known as “The First Lady of Aviation”) and her husband Walter Beech, fierce advocates for women’s acceptance and equality in the skies.

STAGGERWING celebrates the community of Wichita, Kansas, in both story and sound. During the 1930s, Wichita was the center of aviation innovation and musical innovation. The score of STAGGERWING celebrates the unique sound of the territory jazz bands of the 1930s; Walter Page, Bennie Moten, and Count Basie.