Intelligence
Composer
Jake Heggie
Premiere
Houston Grand OPERA • 2023
Commissioned by
Houston Grand Opera
Inspired by the little-known true story of two unlikely spies. Who would guess that Elizabeth Van Lew, from a prominent Confederate family, is running a secret pro-Union spy ring? That Mary Jane Bowser, born into slavery in the Van Lew household, not only has been taught to read and write, but is also possessed of a photographic memory? The opera unfolds as Elizabeth sends Mary Jane to live in the Confederate White House. As Mary Jane uncovers the secrets of the Confederacy to share with Union military commanders, she also uncovers the secrets of her own history and identity.
Houston Chronicle
“Houston Grand Opera has a hit with Intelligence. Heggie, Scheer, Zollar and their superb team of collaborators have delivered a gorgeous, nuanced, layered and suspenseful masterpiece that deftly balances drama and wit.”
Photos by Michael Bishop (Houston Grand Opera)
Critical ACCLAIM
— OperaWire
Houston Grand Opera • 2023
“Not just another opera to take in – it’s an experience to be absorbed. It masterfully fulfills art’s big-picture role: sparking dialogues and bridging emotional divides, even when the discussions are challenging and the ties seem broken. This riveting work is realized through the collective genius of Heggie, Scheer, and Zollar. The piece explores a fascinating chapter of American history. And, instead of handing out conclusions, it invites introspection. The narrative challenges the characters and the audience with existential questions: Who am I? How do personal and grand historical narratives shape me? And, what if the stories I’ve been told are skewed or incomplete? As the audience is drawn into the opera, they are simultaneously prompted to reflect on its themes in their lives and our contemporary world. Faced with the responsibility of narrating this story, Scheer perceived it as quintessentially American and relevant to modern conversations about race and the nation’s intricate past.”
— San Francisco Chronicle
Houston Grand Opera • 2023
“An ambitious new opera tackles the legacy of slavery… ‘The past is never dead,’ William Faulkner famously wrote. ‘It’s not even past.’ Those themes course through Intelligence, the powerful and often unpredictable new opera by Jake Heggie and his longtime collaborator, librettist Gene Scheer. In its world premiere, this richly imagined work picked up a little-known stray thread from Civil War history and wove it into a theatrical tapestry with resonances far beyond its ostensible subject matter. What’s compelling about Intelligence is the way its period setting compels the listener’s attention both forward and backward in time. Yes, the creators tell us, this is a story of long ago — but look around you and ask whether its urgency has faded.”
— Houston Press
Houston Grand Opera • 2023
“Intelligence arrives with a superlative pedigree. It hangs its story upon an intriguing, true-life story that has been buried since the Civil War and cries out to be unearthed. Heggie and his collaborators have done that job with professionalism… Long-time Heggie librettist Gene Scheer has filled in the lacunae that kept this tale hidden for so long.”
— Texas Classical Review
Houston Grand Opera • 2023
“Heggie, librettist Gene Scheer, and stage director Jawole Willa Jo Zollar built out the scenario – the result is an opera that unfolds and delivers powerful dramatic outpourings.”
— San Francisco Classical Voice
Houston Grand Opera • 2023
“A night of big sounds, big movements, and big emotions. The plot proceeds at a thrilling pace. If its contents are sometimes absurd, isn’t that the prerogative of opera? Scheer’s writing sparkles in conversational exchanges. Very little of the opera is historical truth; its most searing moments are pure invention. But Heggie, Scheer, and Zollar’s powerful storytelling ensures that this tale will unfold on opera stages for years to come.”
— Dallas Morning News
Houston Grand Opera • 2023
“As one expects of Heggie and Scheer, Intelligence evinces theatrical and musical experience and skill.”
Feature Coverage
— The New York Times
In an Opera About Civil War Spies, Dancers Help Drive the Drama
“In a theater at the Guggenheim Museum in Manhattan one recent afternoon, a rehearsal for the coming opera Intelligence, about Civil War-era spies, was about to begin. But as the stage lights came on and the music blared, there were no singers in sight. Instead, six dancers from Urban Bush Women, a dance troupe in Brooklyn, were front and center, locking arms, jumping into the air and improvising movements inspired by African traditions. The opera, with music by Jake Heggie and a libretto by Gene Scheer, offers a meditation on the legacy of slavery and the overlooked role of women in the war.”
— Opera Now
Secrets Unearthed
“From slavery to a spy ring, Intelligence is a new work about two women in the American Civil War. Jawole Willa Jo Zollar was ‘kind of flabbergasted’ when she was approached to direct a new opera by composer Jake Heggie and librettist Gene Scheer. ‘For one thing,’ she says, as a dance choreographer, she didn’t know anything about opera. For another, Zollar wondered, with an opera about women in the American Civil War, ‘Do they just need a Black woman as a token? But then when I talked and met with the team, I realised that this was something far more powerful and rich.’”