Dillinger

An American Oratorio

Matthew Heap composer

Darren Canady librettist

Release Date: June 23, 2023
Catalog #: NV6525
Format: Digital
21st Century
Vocal Music
Large Ensemble
Voice

DILLINGER: AN AMERICAN ORATORIO from composer Matthew Heap in collaboration with librettist Darren Canady dramatizes the life of notorious Great Depression-era bank robber John Dillinger. Seen alternately as both an enemy of the state and a folk hero, Dillinger’s story is a fitting backdrop to Heap’s nuanced exploration of class warfare and the American Dream. The oratorio focuses on Dillinger’s final days and is presented in a quasi-oratorio setting, much like the opera-oratorio form that Stravinsky used in Oedipus Rex. Despite its historical source material, the music is more relevant than ever, bringing to life the struggles of Americans feeling caught between social strictures and larger economic forces.

Listen

Hear the full album on YouTube

Track Listing & Credits

# Title Composer Performer
01 Stranger, Stop! Matthew Heap Kym Scott, conductor; Choir; Ensemble; Caryn Alexis Crozier, soprano solo; Leigh Usilton, alto solo; George Milosh, tenor solo; Juwan Johnson, baritone solo 5:21
02 Polly Makes Eggs Matthew Heap Kym Scott, conductor; Choir; Ensemble; Caryn Alexis Crozier, soprano solo; Leigh Usilton, alto solo; George Milosh, tenor solo; Juwan Johnson, baritone solo 2:25
03 You’re My Man, Jimmy Matthew Heap Kym Scott, conductor; Choir; Ensemble; Caryn Alexis Crozier, soprano solo; Leigh Usilton, alto solo; George Milosh, tenor solo; Juwan Johnson, baritone solo 1:21
04 Unpack Your Bags Matthew Heap Kym Scott, conductor; Choir; Ensemble; Caryn Alexis Crozier, soprano solo; Leigh Usilton, alto solo; George Milosh, tenor solo; Juwan Johnson, baritone solo 2:37
05 My Good Girl Matthew Heap Kym Scott, conductor; Choir; Ensemble; Caryn Alexis Crozier, soprano solo; Leigh Usilton, alto solo; George Milosh, tenor solo; Juwan Johnson, baritone solo 1:52
06 People Gotta Be What They Really Are Matthew Heap Kym Scott, conductor; Choir; Ensemble; Caryn Alexis Crozier, soprano solo; Leigh Usilton, alto solo; George Milosh, tenor solo; Juwan Johnson, baritone solo 1:18
07 Chorale 1: I Ain’t Shamed Matthew Heap Kym Scott, conductor; Choir; Ensemble; Caryn Alexis Crozier, soprano solo; Leigh Usilton, alto solo; George Milosh, tenor solo; Juwan Johnson, baritone solo 2:04
08 I Got Plans Matthew Heap Kym Scott, conductor; Choir; Ensemble; Caryn Alexis Crozier, soprano solo; Leigh Usilton, alto solo; George Milosh, tenor solo; Juwan Johnson, baritone solo 3:42
09 Waiting for the Hero Matthew Heap Kym Scott, conductor; Choir; Ensemble; Caryn Alexis Crozier, soprano solo; Leigh Usilton, alto solo; George Milosh, tenor solo; Juwan Johnson, baritone solo 4:29
10 Ready to Ride Matthew Heap Kym Scott, conductor; Choir; Ensemble; Caryn Alexis Crozier, soprano solo; Leigh Usilton, alto solo; George Milosh, tenor solo; Juwan Johnson, baritone solo 3:01
11 The Robbery Matthew Heap Kym Scott, conductor; Choir; Ensemble; Caryn Alexis Crozier, soprano solo; Leigh Usilton, alto solo; George Milosh, tenor solo; Juwan Johnson, baritone solo 2:23
12 Chorale 2: Blood of a Man Like Me Matthew Heap Kym Scott, conductor; Choir; Ensemble; Caryn Alexis Crozier, soprano solo; Leigh Usilton, alto solo; George Milosh, tenor solo; Juwan Johnson, baritone solo 4:12
13 Wanna Know Matthew Heap Kym Scott, conductor; Choir; Ensemble; Caryn Alexis Crozier, soprano solo; Leigh Usilton, alto solo; George Milosh, tenor solo; Juwan Johnson, baritone solo 3:50
14 Wanna Know (Quartet) Matthew Heap Kym Scott, conductor; Choir; Ensemble; Caryn Alexis Crozier, soprano solo; Leigh Usilton, alto solo; George Milosh, tenor solo; Juwan Johnson, baritone solo 2:19
15 Let’s Go to the Movies Matthew Heap Kym Scott, conductor; Choir; Ensemble; Caryn Alexis Crozier, soprano solo; Leigh Usilton, alto solo; George Milosh, tenor solo; Juwan Johnson, baritone solo 3:03
16 Manhattan Melodrama Matthew Heap Kym Scott, conductor; Choir; Ensemble; Caryn Alexis Crozier, soprano solo; Leigh Usilton, alto solo; George Milosh, tenor solo; Juwan Johnson, baritone solo 4:25
17 Stranger, Stop! (Reprise) Matthew Heap Kym Scott, conductor; Choir; Ensemble; Caryn Alexis Crozier, soprano solo; Leigh Usilton, alto solo; George Milosh, tenor solo; Juwan Johnson, baritone solo 1:21
18 Chorale 3: For That They Shot Him Down Matthew Heap Kym Scott, conductor; Choir; Ensemble; Caryn Alexis Crozier, soprano solo; Leigh Usilton, alto solo; George Milosh, tenor solo; Juwan Johnson, baritone solo 3:00

Polly performed by Caryn Alexis Crozier
Anna performed by Leigh Usilton
John performed by George Milosh
J. Edgar Hoover performed by Juwan Johnson

Choir
Julia Pinn • Trinity Gray • Leigh Usilton • Briana York • George Milosh • Colin Farley • Ben Filippone • Juwan Johnson

Ensemble
Eftihia Arkoudis flute
Nicholas Schlie clarinet
Lynn Hileman bassoon
Jonas Thoms horn
Robert Sears trumpet
George Willis percussion
Lucas Barkley piano
Ellen-Maria Willis violin
Gerardo Pastrana Sanchez cello
Andrew Kohn bass

Recorded June/July, 2022 at Blues Alley Studio in Morgantown WV
Recording Session Producers Mark A. Benincosa II, Matthew Heap
Recording Session Engineer Mark A. Benincosa II

Executive Producer Bob Lord

A&R Director Brandon MacNeil
A&R Chris Robinson

VP of Production Jan Košulič
Audio Director Lucas Paquette

VP, Design & Marketing Brett Picknell
Art Director Ryan Harrison
Design Edward A. Fleming
Publicity Aidan Curran

Artist Information

Matthew Heap

Composer

Matthew Heap, born in 1981, is an internationally-performed composer whose music has been featured in several American and English cities and on WQED and WCLV radio. He is also very involved in the theater community as an actor, director, and writer. Matthew received his B.F.A. from Carnegie Mellon University, M.M. from the Royal College of Music in London, and  Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh. He has studied with Leonardo Balada, Eric Moe,  Nancy Galbraith, Mathew Rosenblum, Amy Williams, and Timothy Salter.

Darren Canady

Darren Canady

Librettist

Darren Canady hails from Topeka KS. His work has been produced at the Alliance Theatre, American Conservatory Theatre, Aurora Theater, Congo Square Theater, Horizon Theatre, London’s the Old Vic Theatre, M Ensemble, Milwaukee Repertory Theater, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, American Blues Theater, and others. His awards include the Alliance Theater’s Kendeda Graduate Playwriting Award, Chicago’s Black Excellence Award, the Black Theatre Alliance Award, and the American Theatre Critics Association’s Osborn Award. His work has been developed at numerous festivals including the O’Neill Theater Center’s National Playwright’s Conference. His play You’re Invited appeared in The Best American Short Plays 2010-2011. His work has been seen or developed at the Quo Vadimus Arts’ ID America Festival, the Fremont Centre Theatre, Premiere Stages, the BE Company, Penumbra Theatre, and American Blues Theater. Darren is an alum of Carnegie Mellon University, New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, and the Juilliard School. He is a current member of the Core Writers Program at the Playwrights’ Center and Midwest Dramatists Center. He is an artistic associate with American Blues Theater and Congo Square Theatre. He currently teaches playwriting at the University of Kansas.

Caryn Alexis Crozier

Caryn Alexis Crozier

Soprano

Dr. Caryn Alexis Crozier is hailed as having “a lush voice with a sparkling bloom in its upper register.” Greco has had the privilege to perform all over North America in leading roles with ViVace Opera in Vancouver BC, Toronto Summer Opera, Finger Lakes Opera, Portland Summer Opera, Pittsburgh Festival Opera, Bloomington Summer Opera, Undercroft Opera, Pittsburgh Savoyards, and Steel City Opera — her favorites being Rusalka, Manon, Le Nozze di Figaro, Don Giovanni, and Yeoman of the Guard. She has also been featured as a soloist with the Appalachian Symphony Orchestra, Finger Lakes Opera Symphony Orchestra, and the West Virginia Symphony. She is a huge advocate for new music and has had the immense pleasure to premiere roles in three large works within the past couple of years; Helen Martin: An American Moment, Five Haiku, and DILLINGER: AN AMERICAN ORATORIO. Greco is currently an Assistant Professor of Voice at Point Park University, Voice Area Coordinator at Saint Vincent College, and is the Managing Director/Co-Founder of Steel City Opera. Thank you to Matt, Darren, and Kym for involving me in this project and for entrusting us with your music and words!

Leigh Usilton

Leigh Usilton

Alto

Leigh Usilton, D.M.A. is a voice teacher, performer, and proud “recovering academic” originally from Salisbury MD and now making her home in Pittsburgh PA. She owns Northside Voice Pittsburgh, a private voice studio that exists to encourage and embolden adult learners seeking to explore and unearth their unique voice.

Her true joy is in exploring popular music styles. She is currently working on an album of pop/rock covers, and has performed professionally with The Auburn Knights Swing Orchestra in Auburn AL, and was signed to MCA Nashville as a member of the pop-country group McAlyster.

Favorite music theater roles include The Pirates of Penzance (Mabel), Urinetown (Hope), The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Olive), Ragtime (Evelyn Nesbit), Cabaret (Sally Bowles), Jekyll and Hyde (Emma), 1776 (Martha Jefferson) and Thoroughly Modern Millie (Miss Dorothy). She has also directed and music directed productions for students from elementary to college.

She holds an D.M.A. in vocal pedagogy and performance from West Virginia University, an M.A. in vocal performance (music theater concentration) from New York University, and a B.A. in vocal performance from Salisbury University.

George Milosh

George Milosh

Tenor

George Milosh is a singer, teacher, and conductor based in Aliquippa PA. Milosh has been seen onstage as John Adams in 1776 (Center Theatre Players), Hero in A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum (Center Theatre Players), Prince Charming in Pauline Viardot’s Cendrillon (Pittsburgh Festival Opera), Tamino in The Magic Flute (West Virginia University), and Acis in Acis and Galatea (Central City Opera).

In concert, Milosh has sung solos in Bach’s St. John Passion with Resonance Works Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Bach’s Magnificat and Handel’s Messiah and Chandos Anthems with the Pittsburgh Camarata and Chatham Baroque. Other concert solo credits include Carmina Burana with the Butler Symphony Orchestra and Beethoven’s Mass in C and Rossini’s Petite Messe Solennelle, both with the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh.

Milosh currently serves as Music Director at Saint Elijah Serbian Orthodox Church in Aliquippa PA, as well as Tsar Lazar Men’s Choir, a group of singers from around the Tri-State Area who specialize in Slavic music written for men’s voices. Both groups have performed to great acclaim in concert and in worship throughout the United States and Canada.

Juwan Johnson

Juwan Johnson

Baritone

Juwan Johnson is a baritone currently based in Tulsa OK. He has competed regionally and nationally in the NATS and Classical Singer competitions and consistently placed in both the semifinals and within the top three placements. In 2019 he competed as a national finalist in the Hall Johnson Spiritual Competition in Las Vegas NV. In 2022 he was invited to Roanoke Opera to premier Songs Of Death, a song cycle by renowned composer, Tyshawn Sorey. He looks forward to his debut as the baritone soloist in Mathew Heap’s Oratorio, DILLINGER: AN AMERICAN ORATORIO.

Kym Scott

Kym Scott

Conductor

Dr. Kym Scott is the Director of Choral Activities at West Virginia University where she conducts the WVU Chamber Singers, Mountaineer Singers, Mountaineer Chorus, and Community Choir. She also teaches conducting, choral techniques, and choral literature, and oversees the choral conducting graduate program. She has directed choirs in Australia, Asia, Europe, the United Kingdom, and the United States, including several performances by the USC Chamber Singers with The Rolling Stones in Los Angeles and Anaheim during their “50 and counting” world tour. In June 2022 she directed the WVU Chamber Singers in a performance at New York City’s Carnegie Hall.

Scott regularly presents at state, regional, national, and international conferences and has conducted All-State and Festival Choirs. She recently presented at the World Choir Expo in Portugal and the World Symposium on Choral Music in Turkey. Scott is the Artistic Director of the Renaissance City Choir of Pittsburgh, and is currently the collegiate honor choir chair for the West Virginia chapter of the American Choral Directors Association.

An Australian native, Scott received her undergraduate degree in piano performance from the Queensland Conservatorium of Music and her Master of Music degree in aural pedagogy from the University of Queensland. In 2011 she relocated to the United States to complete her doctoral studies at the University of Southern California.

Having worked with all age groups, Scott is particularly passionate about choral music in the community. She has conducted community choirs for over twenty years, and has worked with choirs for the homeless, disadvantaged, and incarcerated.

When faced with the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, Scott combined her professional past as a couture fashion designer and seamstress with the newfound needs of her choral singers and designed the sing-safe performer’s mask. During the height of the pandemic, the mask was used by students and performers throughout the United States and Canada as well as in the United Kingdom and Europe.

Mark A Benincosa II

Mark A. Benincosa II

Producer & Engineer

Mark A. Benincosa II is an eclectic audio engineer, producer, composer, and musician. As a recording engineer, he prefers a hybrid approach that combines techniques common in classical music, in conjunction with methods that are more at home in a rock or EDM environment. He has engineered, mixed, produced, and/or mastered a variety of rock, electronic, new music, and classical music for independent and label releases. His work has received excellent reviews from publications such as Gramophone Magazine. He is a full voting member with the National Recording Academy of Arts & Sciences. He co-produced, recorded, mixed, and mastered, Mademoiselle: Premiere Audience, which was nominated for a Grammy during the 2018 awards season. Benincosa works alone and with collaborators as a composer, instrumentalist, and vocalist under the name Black Hole Zion where he has written and performed various genres of music for live theater, independent films, video games, and standalone releases. His song, 8-Bit Rage, was featured in the video game, Mutant Football League: Dynasty Edition (PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Steam), as the theme song for the team, Cracksumskull Jugulars. He currently teaches recording technology and music production at West Virginia University where he applies his diverse interests and background to equally diverse groups of students.

Notes

Dillinger: An American Oratorio began as an exploration of peculiarly American themes, in particular, the evolution and dissolution of the American Dream. Great Depression-era bank robber John Dillinger’s controversial status in American history—seen alternately as both an enemy of the state and a folk hero—seemed to us a fitting backdrop to explore how working class Americans feel about the obstacles to achieving their dreams. Some historical research exists to suggest that in his final months, Dillinger may have been attempting to pull out of his life of crime; however, the economic disaster of the Great Depression and a desire for financial stability made his goal of a life on the “right side” of the law seem difficult to attain. By dramatizing the pressures and decisions Dillinger may have been faced with, we hope to give musical voice to a story that brings to life the struggles of any American who feels caught in a vise between social strictures and larger economic forces.

Bank robber and American folk hero John Dillinger’s final days are presented in a quasi-oratorio setting, much like the opera-oratorio form that Stravinsky used in Oedipus Rex. We see the work as a concert opera, although it could very easily be staged in a full production.

— Matthew Heap and Darren Canady

Videos

Dillinger: An American Oratorio Preview