American Mother: Opera by Charlotte Bray
American Mother: Opera by Charlotte Bray
American Mother is a story of grief, loss, terror, war, motherhood, faith, and forgiveness.
Based on the book of the same name, American Mother tells the true story of Diane Foley, the mother of murdered American war correspondent James Foley, as she sits down to talk to the man convicted of brutally imprisoning and beheading her son. The 80-minute opera takes place in one day (in 2021), yet moves back and forth over the years, alternating between scenes of Diane and her son’s killer, Alexander Kotey, and scenes of James held captive, 7 years earlier.
The opera features a libretto by author Colum McCann, who, in addition to receiving multiple literary awards and an Oscar nomination, turned Diane Foley’s emotional and spiritual journey into a book that“will shake your soul out” (Sting).
American Mother is a deeply human exploration of a mother’s journey to comprehend the loss of her son. Diane’s strength and grace unveils not just a story of grief — it’s a story of forgiveness, compassion, and the power of a mother’s love.
American Mother was commissioned by Theater Hagen,
with support from The James W. Foley Foundation.
Gallery
Duration
80 minutes
Instrumentation
2.2.2.2 — 4.3.2.1 – Perc(3) — Harp — Strings (98543)
Cast
Diane (mezzo-soprano)
Kotey (baritone)
James (tenor)
Guard (bass)
Mrs Kotey (soprano)
Chorus (SATB with divisi)
To hire the opera or obtain a quote, please follow the link to Zinfonia.
Charlotte Bray: Composer
British-German composer Charlotte Bray is an esteemed and in-demand composer, exhibiting uninhibited ambition and desire to communicate. Her music is inherently vivid and richly expressive with lyrical intensity. An Ivor Novello Award winner (2019), she uses her voice to spotlight global issues, including the refugee crisis, unification, terrorism, and humanity’s impact on nature. She is currently the Composer-in-Residence with L’Orchestre de Chambre de Genève.
“Her output…conveys a conceptual scope and an expressive variety surely comparable to that of any of her peers.” – Gramophone
Colum McCann: Librettist
Born and raised in Dublin, Ireland, Colum McCann has been the recipient of many international honours, including the U.S National Book Award, the International Dublin Literary Prize, a Chevalier des Arts et Lettres from the French government, election to the Irish arts academy, several European awards, the 2010 Best Foreign Novel Award in China, and an Oscar nomination. In 2017 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts. American Mother, his first major work of non-fiction, was published to great acclaim in 2024, and won the Transfuge Literary Prize.
“The book is, at times, terribly difficult to read, but it needs to be… As a book, it is incredibly moving, and as a journalistic exercise it is gold standard.” – The Standard
Watch the trailer
Press
“Haunting, deeply moving… Bray’s ‘American Mother’ is a work that touches the heart with a theme that moves us all: the rejection of violence, revenge, and hatred.” — Der Opernfreund
“Charlotte Bray’s music is compelling: for long stretches, quiet, flat sounds… occasionally soaring dramatically, but very colourful and sensual.”
NMZ
“Many people who experience the work will have a touching thought-provoking experience and — as with many other productions before them — will be grateful that this is possible here.”
Süddeutsche Zeitung
“At American Mother’s premiere…the audience was on its feet, a rarity for Germany. Reviews were enthusiastic too, praising the strong performances and Travis Preston’s tight direction in “an outstanding opera evening”.
The Irish Times
“Bray’s opera could have what it takes to establish itself in the repertoire…
a dramatically rigorous plot… a score that is as unmistakable as it is multifaceted… Charlotte Bray has written an impressive opera that is both moving and thought-provoking.”
Die Deutsche Bühne
“American Mother is a rousing, shaking, all-round glittering piece of musical theatre“
Opernwelt
Related works for Orchestra
Across 2024 and 2025, Charlotte Bray has written three works which share the theme and sound world of American Mother.
A Dark Doorway
Commissioned by Deutsches Symphonieorchester Berlin, conducted by Robin Ticciati.
Premiere: 17 February 2024
Duration: 7 minutes
Instrumentation: 2222 — 4321 — perc(2) — harp — strings
“The sound-world is quiet yet intense, unison string tremolos quiver through the ensemble. She longs for her son. Woodwind and brass make a gradual entry, shining through the texture. Shivering whispers represent the isolation of her loss, pain and vulnerability.” — Charlotte Bray
A Sky Too Small
Commissioned by Aix-en-Provence and Orchestre de Paris, conducted by Klaus Mäkelä.
Premiere: 13 July 2024
Duration: 6 minutes
Instrumentation: 2222 — 4321 — perc(3) — strings
“Beginning softly, yet urgently, coldness grows. A whisper, passing uncomfortably round a room, turns harsh and cold, like a shiver down the spine. Low and expressive, the music conveys the darker sides of human nature: how is so much hate and terror possible?” — Charlotte Bray
Nothing Ever Truly Ends
Commissioned by Ensemble intercontemporain, conducted by Pierre Bleuse.
Premiere: 6 January 2025
Duration: 10 minutes
Instrumentation: 2121 — 2111 — perc(3) — harp — celeste — strings (3221)
‘The title ‘Nothing Ever Truly Ends’ is the very last line of the book ‘American Mother’. Diane stretches out her to Kotey in a gesture of peace:
“…she shook his hand. She made that gesture. And he received it. Everything good, since begun, lasts. Nothing ever truly ends.”’ — Charlotte Bray