You are the bravest warrior in the Yakama Nation and deeply in love with Whist-alks but your romance is threatened by the outbreak of war against American Settlers and the US Army. Would you be a brave hero and resist if a foreign power came to your neighborhood and told you that they were now in charge, you would have to move to a very small camp, change your language, your religion, your work, your music… every aspect of your way of life?
I am submitting my new opera entitled Qualchan, a true history of The Yakama Nation based on the 1917 public domain book Kamiakin, The Last Hero of the Yakimas, by A.J. Splawn and my instrumental music CD entitled Qualchan. This epic story tells of Qualchan, the “bravest of all the warriors” whose Uncle Kamiakin formed the Yakama Nation’s Confederation of Tribes. These people waged a three year war from 1855 to 1858 against the US Army’s takeover of the land and native people of the Pacific Northwest. This is relevant because the untold story of the way the US subjugated the native peoples of the United States needs to be told to prevent history from repeating itself. This project is available for live and/or film production.
Qualchan is a tragic, epic dramatic opera in the same vein as Les Miz and Evita in that there is no spoken dialogue. I have orchestrated this piece for piano, some strings, melody, and lyrics. I would like to orchestrate the work to fit your needs and budget. The Qualchan Opera is a full-length, 29 cast member (with six doubling possibilities) production. You can hear an instrumental version of all 27 pieces of music at my website EdwardsMusicSite.com
My music degree is from the Indiana University School of Music. I have written 8 musicals and hundreds of other works relating to music. For more information about me please check out my website at EdwardsMusicSite.com.
Please contact me at gedward@roadrunner.com with any questions you may have about this project.