Dear Friends,
First, thank you for visiting this page and your interest in my recording project. I am the composer and librettist of “Truman and Nancy: A Chamber Opera in One Act,” based on the graphic novel ‘Capote in Kansas’ by Ande Parks and Chris Samnee.
In the early morning hours of November 15, 1959, two intruders broke into the home of Herbert W. Clutter, his wife Bonnie, and their children Nancy and Kenyon. Believing there was a safe with a large sum of money, they found very little and, tragically, murdered the entire family. This horrific crime became the basis of Truman Capote's masterpiece, “In Cold Blood,” regarded as one of the great books of the late 20th century and the first significant book in the true crime genre. But part of the story has never been explored: the effect of the crime on the victims. Ande Parks made this possible in his brilliant 2005 graphic novel, ‘Capote In Kansas.’
In Ande's book, Truman enters the home a few days after the crime and is confronted by the spirit of Nancy Clutter, who is at first infuriated with the idea of Truman capitalizing on her family's tragedy. Over the course of the opera, we see Truman wrestle with his intentions, but Nancy comes to realize that through Capote's writing, her family can be remembered for the lives they lived and the love they had for each other, rather than just the way they died. When they say goodbye, Nancy says, “When the last person who knew us is gone, thanks to you, Truman, the memory of our lives lives on.”
I first read ‘In Cold Blood’ in 1966 when I was 10. The story, and particularly Nancy’s life, have been on my heart for my entire adult life. When I read Ande Parks' book, I realized he had told the part of the story that, for me, always seemed to be missing. So, with his permission, I adapted “Capote in Kansas” as an opera. ‘Truman and Nancy’ was given a beautiful world premiere in 2024 through Vermont State Opera, conducted by Caillin Marcel Manson with tenor Joshua Collier as Truman and soprano Kathleen Echols singing Nancy. Shortly thereafter, we recorded it at PPI Recording Studios in Manhattan, and now we would like to bring it to a wider audience.
Centaur Records will be releasing the recording once we have our funding together for streaming, downloads, and CDs. And this, my friends, is where you come in. We need to raise funds to make the release of this recording possible. This will help honor the memory of Nancy Clutter and her family permanently.
You can watch the world premiere of the opera here at this site, and I certainly hope that you'll join us in making the release of this recording possible. Thank you for considering this.
Please follow the link below to find the full video of the World Premiere, Libretto, and more information:
Sincerely,
Bill Zeffiro
Organizer
