
Encore
Carlisle Floyd's Valedictory to American Opera
Thomas Holliday(Author)
Syracuse University Press
Published on 15. April 2026
Book
Hardback
204 pages
978-0-8156-1205-6 (ISBN)
Description
In 2010, Carlisle Floyd, one of American opera's most titanic talents, found himself at an impasse. Caring for family and with few leads as to his next project, he unexpectedly found a spark of inspiration in the story of Edward Kynaston. This seventeenth-century British actor had his star turn on the stage unceremoniously ended by a ban on male actors performing women's roles. Centuries later, his misfortune gave this brilliant composer a way back onto the stage he valued so much.
In this companion to Falling Up: The Days and Nights of Carlisle Floyd, author Thomas Holliday follows Floyd through his creatively fruitful final decade, focusing on his relationship with family and the production of his final opera, Prince of Players, inspired by the life and work of Kynaston. Told through reminiscences from those closest to him, the book is an intimate portrait of the composer's creative process. Encore is a testament to Floyd's work and enduring influence, a portrait of an icon still innovating and creating until the end.
In this companion to Falling Up: The Days and Nights of Carlisle Floyd, author Thomas Holliday follows Floyd through his creatively fruitful final decade, focusing on his relationship with family and the production of his final opera, Prince of Players, inspired by the life and work of Kynaston. Told through reminiscences from those closest to him, the book is an intimate portrait of the composer's creative process. Encore is a testament to Floyd's work and enduring influence, a portrait of an icon still innovating and creating until the end.
Reviews / Votes
"It is always a treat to get an insider perspective on the life of a great composer. . . . This book is written throughout in a very captivating and eminently readable fashion; we really get an idea of Carlisle Floyd, the man" -Colleen Renihan, musicologist and author of The Operatic Archive: American Opera as HistoryMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
13 Illustrations, black and white
Dimensions
Height: 239 mm
Width: 163 mm
Thickness: 21 mm
Weight
488 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-8156-1205-6 (9780815612056)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Thomas Holliday is an opera stage director and writer who has worked with companies in New York, New Jersey, Colorado, Tennessee, and elsewhere. He is the author of Falling Up: The Days and Nights of Carlisle Floyd.