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Brian Wilbur Grundstrom

United States

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Brian Grundstrom

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2023

2022

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A composer equally accustomed to writing for orchestra, opera, film, theater, chorus, piano and chamber ensembles, Brian Wilbur Grundstrom’s voice includes a strong affinity for long melodic lines, distinctive tonal harmonic vocabulary, engaging rhythms, skillfully executed counterpoint, and dramatic imagery.

Audiences take to his compositions immediately, finding in his compositions traces of Aaron Copland, Kurt Weill and Samuel Barber.

Classically trained in piano as well as music theory from Gettysburg College, he has continued orchestration and composition studies with John David Earnest.  His awards include Outstanding Emerging Artist in the 2013 DC Mayor’s Arts Awards, seven artist fellowships from the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, and four Peer Awards from TIVA-DC, including a Gold Peer Award for Children of Zeus – a 46-minute work for chorus and orchestra commissioned by Maestro Jeffrey Dokken.  SONOS Chamber Orchestra Director Erik E. Ochsner writes “Many audiences cringe at the thought of new music. We had such positive feedback from audiences on how much they enjoyed Grundstrom's work.  It is modern, yet tonal.”

Brian is currently working on an opera for Ernest Hemingway’s For Whom The Bell Tolls.  

Details about the opera are at http://www.brianwilbur.com/forwhomthebelltolls

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For Whom the Bell Tolls Opera

Hemingway was a larger-than-life personality.  In his popular novel, "For Whom the Bell Tolls", he sees himself in the character of Robert Jordan, and idealistic young American in 1930's fascist Spain, who accepts a doomed mission to blow up a bridge.  Through his lyrical melody-driven music, Brian Grundstrom brings out the emotional depths of the characters and brings new insight to this Hemmingway classic.  Using the full versatility of opera, Dorsen's libretto and Grundstrom's music are able not only to explore Hemingway's themes of trust, loyalty, honor, love betrayal, fear pain, loss and sacrifice, but add modern insight into the toxic nature of Jordan's (Hemingway's) masculinity, as his notions of honor clash with the reality of the situation.

Although set in the 1930s during the Spanish Civil War, the story remains current today.  In his novel, Hemingway portrays the individual lives of a band of partisans involved in the terrible destruction and violence of war.  The characters are richly drawn and we see lives filled with emotion.  Through opera we will convey to our audience what it might be like to be part of such violence, to choose sacrifice or betrayal, to love, and to survive.

In this early scene, the American Robert Jordan, who has travelled to Spain to fight against the fascists, has just met a band of Guerrilla fighters for the first time. He has been assigned by an allied Russian leader to join this band and blow up a bridge as part of an offensive attack against the fascists.  Robert Jordan takes special notice of Maria, who was recently abused by the fascists, but rescued by this band of fighters.  The two of them flirt, with a bit of twinkle in their eyes as they meet for the first time.

Watch "Robert Jordan Doesn't Teach English", the scene which immediately precedes: https://vimeo.com/brianwilbur/robertjordandoesntteachenglish

Seattle Opera Director Christina Scheppelmann interviews the creatives:
https://vimeo.com/brianwilbur/christinascheppelmanninterview

Brian Wilbur Grundstrom, composer, www.brianwilbur.com 
David M Dorsen, lyricist
Ernest Hemingway, Story
Jeffrey Sean Dokken, Musical Director www.sonovamusic.org/music-director.html
Alan Naylor (Robert Jordan) www.alan-naylor.com
Kelly Curtin (Maria) http://www.kellycurtin.com/
Aurelio Dominguez (Rafael) facebook.com/Aurelio-Dominguez-Opera-Singer-Voiceover-Narrator-Actor-102525081510984/
Jose Sacin (Augustin)

Maria meets Robert Jodan, scene from For Whom the Bell Tolls Opera

Brian Wilbur Grundstrom

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