Staggerwing
Music by Lisa DeSpain
Libretto by Rachel J. Peters
Winner of the 2020 Zepick Modern Opera Commission
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.
During the 1930s, Wichita, Kansas was the center of both aviation and musical innovation. Staggerwing brings to life the story of home-town heroes with a score steeped in the unique sound of the territory jazz bands; Walter Page, Bennie Moten, and Count Basie.