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World Premiere Opera – World Class Author

Author and art history professor at Wheaton College in Massachusetts, Tripp Evans, will be joining the Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre in a pre-opera talk before each performance of The Grant Wood Operas. Dr. Evans is the author of Grant Wood: A Life, a 2010 biography of Grant Wood. Dr. Evans will provide pre-show talks prior to each performance, discussing Grant Wood’s life.

Composed and with lyrics by Robert Lindsey-Nassif, Jean-Francois Charles, and Michael Ching, The Grant Wood Operas: Strokes of Genius was inspired by the work and life of Iowa native, artist Grant Wood. Robert Lindsey-Nassif, Jean-Francois Charles, and Michael Ching are all Iowa-based composers with each of their unique acts making up the opera. The opera explores three different aspects of Grant Wood’s life in three one-act works.

The Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre’s world-premiere of The Grant Wood Operas: Strokes of Genius will be presented on April 12-14th.

Tripp Evans joined IPR to share insight into Grant Wood’s life.

Dr. Evans has written one other book in addition to his Grant Wood biography, entitled Romancing the Maya: Mexican Antiquity in the American Imagination, 1820-1915. In addition, Dr. Evans serves on many boards, including the Grant Wood Art Colony at the University of Iowa.

Dr. Evans’ Grant Wood: A Life biography received the 2010 National Award for Arts Writing.

For more information on the CROT’s upcoming world-premiere and to buy tickets, visit www.theatrecr.org , go to the Theatre Cedar Rapids box office, or call 319-366-8591.

Jacqueline Halbloom is a Sr. Music Producer and Classical Music Host