Blue Viola

Peter Hilliard, Composer
Matthew Boresi, Librettist

Blue Viola tells the story of a priceless instrument that disappears after its owner, a player in the Chicago Symphony, accidentally leaves it on the street. It winds up in the hands of Vernon Addams, a junk dealer, who sees in it a lost treasure he is meant to rescue and care for. His girlfriend, Arnita Seward, is more practical. Growing up poor in Chicago has left her few options for a bright future; she has narrowly escaped the projects, but her job at a run-down Cookie and Hot Sandwich shop will never provide advancement, and she has to put up with the unwanted advances of her boss to boot. Arnita steals the viola from Vernon, and brings in her boss, Mikey Stearns, as an accomplice in order to get the instrument appraised, and hopefully fenced. Mikey concocts an unlikely story about a rich aunt who willed him the viola, while Arnita dreams of a cushy future “someplace warm”, financed by the proceeds of the instrument sale. Mikey’s story and Arnita’s flirting do not convince Fritz Humboldt, a finicky rare instrument dealer; he immediately recognizes that the instrument in his shop is stolen. He also notices something else about the viola that all its previous owners have missed …

Creative Team

Dirk Meyer, Conductor
Jeffrey Madison, Stage Director
Jason Scorich, Stage Manager

Ann Gumpper, Scenic Designer and Painter
Ora Jewell Busche, Costume Designer
Jon Brophy, Lighting Designer

Cast in order of appearance

Tamás Strasser Viola Soloist	Jorell Williams as Vernon Addams	Alicia Hall Moran as Arnita Seward
Calland Metts as Michael Stearns	David Greenberg as Fritz Humboldt