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The opera opens in a tavern where Elmer Gantry, captain of the
Terwillinger College and Seminary football team, is regaling his friends, including roommate Frank Shallard, with tales of sexual exploits. A young man approaches and taunts Elmer, saying that he "plays football for a sissy bible school".
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During the lively grand opening of the tabernacle, Eddie and Lulu come forward and expose Elmer's philandering. Elmer admits his guilt and asks Sharon for forgiveness as chaos erupts in the tabernacle. The electric cross shorts cut and the tabernacle catches fire. Horrified by Elmer's deceit, Sharon
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and Boston Music
Theatre Project put on a workshop production of the first act in 1992. An agreement was made to move forward on a full production which Boston Lyric later dropped. John Hoomes, the artistic director of the Nashville Opera, picked up production in 2003 after previewing the opera at a
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Eighteen months later while still in seminary, Elmer is hocking farm implements in a nearby town and having an affair with Lulu. He decides to attend a revival meeting held by the famous traveling evangelist, Sharon
Falconer. At this meeting he becomes entranced by Falconer. Lulu arrives with Frank
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The next day, Elmer is called to a prayer meeting by
Reverend Baines, the president of Terwillinger. He is offered a full scholarship to seminary for his supposed defense of Jesus, and is invited to convert. Elmer is distracted by Baines' beautiful daughter Lulu, who is engaged to Eddie Fislinger,
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Construction begins on the grand tabernacle, financed by TJ Rigg, a local businessman. Eddie, Lulu and Rev. and Mrs. Baines visit the site and privately express their disapproval of the commercial nature of the tabernacle, while Lulu shows renewed romantic interest in Elmer. Frank also visits and
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Some time later, Elmer is a successful business man in Zenith, Missouri. He encounters Sharon
Falconer again whilst she is in Zenith campaigning the Elks' club to help build a "grand tabernacle". With a rousing speech he influences the Elks' club vote and wins Sharon's favor.
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Elmer has asked Sharon to marry him and she agrees, despite her recognition of his faults. The night before the tabernacle's opening, she prays for guidance. As a final touch on the tabernacle, a giant cross of electric lights is suspended above the stage.
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Some time after the tabernacle fire, Elmer embarks on a new career peddling the platitudes of the "New
Thought" movement and meets with Dr. Binch, the founder of the movement. Binch consoles Elmer, but he is haunted by his memory of the tragedy.
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A year later, the affair between Elmer and Lulu is reignited with a secret plan by Eddie and Lulu to expose Elmer's deceit. Elmer meets Lulu for a tryst in the nearly completed tabernacle while Eddie looks on in hiding.
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Six months later Eddie and Lulu are married and living in Cato, Missouri. Eddie learns of Elmer's endeavor with
Falconer to build a tabernacle in Zenith and becomes overwhelmed with hatred and envy.
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to convince him to come clean about their affair, but Elmer chases her away. He approaches Sharon, but is treated with indifference. After she leaves he becomes angry at this rejection.
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the head of the campus YMCA. With persuasion from Eddie and lustful thoughts toward Lulu, Elmer decides to accept the scholarship and fakes his conversion.
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Elmer becomes a business partner to Sharon
Falconer and confesses his love to her. She reciprocates, but affirms commitment to her religious calling.
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expresses his concern about the price of Elmer's success. A debate about old and new practices in religion follows.
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of
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Elmer responds by accusing him of insulting Jesus, and sucker punches him. A chaotic fight ensues.
337:(awarded to Byeong-Joon Hwang & John Newton, engineers; Jesse Lewis, mastering engineer), and
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refuses his help in escaping from the fire; she and her followers burn to death as Elmer escapes.
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The Naxos recording of the
Florentine Opera Company's March 2010 production won two 2011
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premiered in 2007 at the Nashville Opera, with a subsequent performance at
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502:. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Florentine Opera Company. Archived from
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in November 2010. The opera was performed in March 2014 at the
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on February 12, 2012, the recording was awarded Grammys for
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was conceived almost two decades before its première. The
425:"58th Annual Grammy Awards Winners & Nominees"
52:presented the world première in November 2007.
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86:. A third production was completed at the
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339:Best Contemporary Classical Composition
538:Preview of Florentine Opera production
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170:Roles, voice types, premiere cast
366:Green, Jesse (20 January 2008).
335:Best Engineered Album, Classical
578:Operas set in the United States
558:Compositions by Robert Aldridge
500:to be recorded on Naxos label"
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368:"Behold! An Operatic Miracle"
16:2007 opera by Robert Aldridge
40:based on the 1927 novel by
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76:Montclair State University
331:54th Annual Grammy Awards
325:has been released on the
528:Promotional website for
321:March 2010 recording of
80:Florentine Opera Company
568:English-language operas
88:University of Minnesota
583:Operas based on novels
475:Elmergantryopera.com
63:new works showcase.
282:Kristopher Irmiter
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24:is a 2007 American
435:on 1 December 2011
373:The New York Times
319:Florentine Opera's
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60:Boston Lyric Opera
456:, 2005, 1st ed.,
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347:Herschel Garfein
306:Chauncey Packer
261:Reverend Baines
256:Malinda Haslett
235:Eddie Fislinger
207:Sharon Falconer
189:: William Boggs
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38:Herschel Garfein
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471:"Performances"
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242:Frank Kelley
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563:2007 operas
460:, New York.
429:The Grammys
294:Olivia Ward
92:Tulsa Opera
552:Categories
533:(archived)
510:2010-10-31
353:References
313:Recordings
180:Voice type
303:baritone
187:Conductor
46:same name
409:17 April
379:12 April
274:TJ Rigg
198:baritone
105:Synopsis
34:libretto
543:YouTube
480:2 April
439:2 April
252:soprano
44:of the
573:Operas
238:tenor
48:. The
327:Naxos
226:tenor
176:Role
164:Roles
136:Act 2
112:Act 1
32:to a
26:opera
482:2016
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411:2018
381:2023
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