John Coolidge Adams is an American composer of classical music and opera whose first opera was inspired by U.S. President Richard Nixon's visit to China in what year?
Nixon in China Nixon in China is an opera in three acts by John Adams, with a libretto by Alice Goodman. Adams' first opera, it was inspired by U.S. President Richard Nixon's visit to China in 1972. The work premiered at the Houston Grand Opera on October 22, 1987, in a production by Peter Sellars with choreography by Mark Morris. When Sellars approached Adams with the idea for the opera in 1985, Adams was initially reluctant, but eventually decided that the work could be a study in how myths come to be, and accepted the project. Goodman's libretto was the result of considerable research into Nixon's visit, though she disregarded most sources published after the 1972 trip.
Ancient Voices of Children Ancient Voices of Children is a composition by the American composer George Crumb. Written in 1970, the work is scored for soprano, boy soprano, oboe, mandolin, harp, amplified piano (and toy piano), and percussion (three players), and was commissioned by the Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge Foundation. "Ancient Voices of Children" is subtitled “A Cycle of Songs on Texts by Federico García Lorca.” The piece was premiered at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C, on October 31, 1970, as part of the Coolidge Foundation's 14th Festival of Chamber Music. The initial performers of the "Ancient Voices of Children" are the Contemporary Chamber Ensemble, which featured Gilbert Kalish (piano), Jan DeGaetani (mezzo-soprano), and Michael Dash (boy soprano).