Mark Campbell (librettist)

Mark Campbell is a New York-based librettist and lyricist whose operas have received both a Pulitzer Prize in Music and a GRAMMY Award. Mark began writing for the stage as a musical theatre lyricist, but turned to libretto-writing after he premiered Volpone, his first full-length opera in 2004 at Wolf Trap Opera Company.
Mark has written 40 opera librettos, lyrics for 7 musicals and text for 6 song cycles and 4 oratorios. His best-known works are Silent Night, The Shining, The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, As One, Later the Same Evening, Stonewall, Elizabeth Cree and the musical Songs from an Unmade Bed. His operas have been produced by most of the prominent opera companies in the U.S., including Atlanta Opera, Arizona Opera, Austin Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Central City Opera, Chicago Opera Theatre, Cincinnati Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Ft. Worth Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Hawaii Opera Theatre, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Michigan Opera Theatre, Minnesota Opera, New Orleans Opera, New York City Opera, Opera Colorado, Opera Memphis, Opera Parallèle, Opera Philadelphia, Pensacola Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Portland Opera, San Diego Opera, San Francisco Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Seattle Opera, Urban Arias, Utah Opera, Virginia Opera, Washington National Opera and West Edge Opera.
As an educator, Mark has established libretto-writing programs at the American Opera Project, Washington National Opera's American Opera Initiative, American Lyric Theatre and the University of Colorado's New Opera Workshop. In 2022, he created the, the first and only award for opera librettists in the history of the art form. In 2022, he co-created, with his As One collaborators, the to help with the training of transgender and non-binary singers.]

WWW markcampbellwords.com

Song cycles (lyrics)

Thoroughfare
Music by Conrad CummingsEight Phases of Luna
Music by Kamala SankaramDear Mayor
Music by Mark BaechleAnd Another Song Comes On
Music by Ben MooreSix Christmas Traditions
Music by Jake HeggieSome Favored Nook
Music by

The Nothing Lamp Music by A Year to the DayA dramatic song cycle for tenor, violin, cello and piano

Awards and nominations

2019 GRAMMY Award for Best Opera Recording
2012 Pulitzer Prize in Music for Silent Night
Dominic J. Peliciotti Opera Award, A Letter to East 11th Street
New York State Council on the Arts Award, Today It Rains
Hewlett Foundation Award, Today It Rains
First recipient of the Kleban Foundation Award for Lyricist
2007 GRAMMY Award nomination for Best Opera Recording for Volpone
Three Drama Desk Award nominations
Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Foundation Award
New York Foundation for the Arts Playwriting Fellowship
Two Richard Rodgers Awards from the American Academy of Arts and Letters
Multi-Arts Production (MAP) Fund Grant
Sundance Institute Theatre Lab Alumnus, Sundance Institute at Ucross Writer's Retreat, MacDowell Colony Fellow, Hermitage Artists Retreat Fellow

Libretto mentorship programs

Mark Campbell has created or helped create opera libretto-writing programs with the following organizations

The American Opera Project Composers & The Voice

American Lyric Theatre The American Opera Initiative
University of Colorado New Opera Workshop Opera Philadelphia's Composer in Residence Program The John Duffy Institute for New Opera

Recordings

Volpone
Wolf Trap RecordingsMusic Awake! Choral Music of Paul Moravec
Bach Festival of Winter Park RecordingsThe Inspector
Wolf Trap RecordingsLater the Same Evening
Albany RecordsBastianello/Lucrezia
Bridge RecordsSongs from an Unmade Bed
Ghostlight Records/Sh-k-boom RecordsRappahannock County
NaxosThe evolution of Steve Jobs
PentatoneAs One
Bright Shiny ThingsSanctuary Road
Naxos

Silent Night New Words

Cabaret RecordsGreenwich Time
PS ClassicsKiss Me While We Have the Chance
Yellow SoundIn Celebration of Life
Abrams Gentile Broadway Bound
Varèse Sarabande