If you remember the 1980s, you remember Ravel’s “Boléro.” Although the work became a fixture on orchestral programs shortly after its premiere in 1928, the ’80s was arguably the decade of peak “Boléro” saturation, bookended by the soundtrack for the 1979 Dudley Moore comedy, “10,” and Frank Zappa’s 1991 album, “The Best Band You Never […]
Author Archives: Melissa Dunphy
Philadelphia-based composer Melissa Dunphy specializes in political, vocal, and theatrical music. Her notable works include the Gonzales Cantata, featured on MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show,” song cycle “Tesla’s Pigeon,” and choral work “What do you think I fought for at Omaha Beach?.” She has been commissioned, performed, and recorded internationally by ensembles including VOCES8, Chanticleer, Cantus, the Singers, and the Saint Louis Chamber Chorus, and is currently working on “Alice Tierney,” a new opera commission by Oberlin Conservatory set to premiere in 2023. When not composing, she is an amateur archaeologist and co-host of the podcast the Boghouse. She is on faculty at Rutgers University.