Music
Swedish/American composer Matthew Peterson is an independent, vital voice in the new opera world. He studied at Gotland School of Music Composition, Indiana University School of Music, and St. Olaf College. As his varied education, the music of this composer too defies categorization and reaches many different genres. His dynamic socially relevant true-crime opera Voir Dire (French - to speak the truth) was in the making for many years and went through a series of rejections and rewrites due to it’s a straightforward portray of today’s justice system, unequipped to account for the human element. The opera is based on real court cases, witnessed by lyricist Jason Zencka. Therefore Voir Dire drills into the real tragedies of ordinary people, presenting a bitter critique of the situation. Themes of drug abuse, fractured families, economic precarity, and sexual violence are openly explored on stage, causing mild and diverse reactions from the public. Therefore opera is raising major societal debates of the present day. After many years, in 2020, opera once again changes its skin as an audio recording of it is being made and released publicly. On this occasion, in an interview, opera’s composer Matthew Peterson discusses public reactions to the Voir Dire and challenges as well as creative opportunities while fitting opera into an audio recording format.