It’s an opera that Pittsburgh Opera General Director Christopher Hahn has wanted to put on stage for many years. “Fellow Travelers” is set in 1950’s Washington DC during the Eisenhower administration while Joe McCarthy was sifting through the government in the red scare to sort out communists. Fellow Travelers turns up in Thomas Mallon’s novel and several screen adaptations. Now the story is set to the music written by Gregory Spears which has won rave reviews in New York and Chicago with multiple additional performances also winning praise. The story weaves together political intrigue with personal drama, a bit of religious difference and keeping love under the radar in the lavender scare. There are sixteen scenes and a score that is in the minimalist mode but has a strong appeal and Spear has figured out how to capture the cadence of American speech in a special fit.
Christopher Hahn is in his last year as General Director of Pittsburgh Opera. He shares with Jim Cunningham his plans and the search for his successor. Plus, he gives a view of where Opera is today and where Pittsburgh Opera is with bringing back fans following the stay-at-home pandemic. Hahn has kept the quality high with over 800 talented singers applying for any Resident Artist audition. What has he loved lately and which city is the current hotbed of operatic creativity?