Computing Venus, an opera in one act inspired by the life of astronomer Maria Mitchell. Music by Timothy C. Takach, Libretto by Caitlin Vincent.
Winner of the 2024 Domenic J. Pellicciotti Opera Composition Prize.
Winner of the
2024 Domenic J. Pellicciotti
Opera Composition Prize
Production Information
Duration: 85 minutes / No Intermission
Roles: 6 principals (SSAATB) and SATB ensemble
Chamber Orchestra:1.1.1.1 - 1.0.0.0 - harp - strings
Suitable for staged and semi-staged presentations.
“The vocal roles of this piece have been specifically crafted to sit well for developing voices, while maintaining the beauty and dramatic character of great American lyric opera.”
Audio Excerpts
The Crane Opera Ensemble at SUNY Potsdam, November, 2024.
Computing Venus provides a fascinating glimpse into the life of astronomer Maria Mitchell (1818-1889), a groundbreaking historical figure who paved the way for women in STEM in America.
Mitchell made history at the age of 29 when she discovered a comet from the rooftop of her house in Nantucket. A year later, she was hired as the official Computer of Venus for the United States, becoming the only professional woman astronomer in the country. From 1865 on, Mitchell focused on cultivating the next generation of women astronomers as the first female professor of astronomy at Vassar College. By the 1870s, however, Mitchell saw a growing backlash against women in science. At the center of the debate was Harvard physician Edward Clarke, who claimed that education had a damaging effect on young women.
Focusing on Mitchell’s struggles against shifting public opinion and rumors about her sexuality, Computing Venus highlights one woman’s efforts to ensure a lasting scientific legacy, even as movements outside her classroom threaten to close the world of science to women forever.
Creative Team
Inspired by captivating narrative, speculative fiction and making better humans through art, the music of Timothy C. Takach is a mainstay in the concert world. Applauded for his melodic lines and rich, intriguing harmonies, Takach has received commissions and premieres from GRAMMY Award-winning ensembles Roomful of Teeth and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the St. Olaf Band, Cantus, U.S. Army Field Band and Soldiers’ Chorus, Lorelei Ensemble, VocalEssence, the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center, and numerous other organizations. His compositions have been performed on A Prairie Home Companion, The Boston Pops holiday tour, nationwide on PBS, and at venues such as the Library of Congress, Kennedy Center and Royal Opera House Muscat.
He is a co-creator of the theatrical production of All is Calm: the Christmas Truce of 1914, by Peter Rothstein. The critically adored show has had over 120 performances since its premiere in 2006. Takach and librettist Caitlin Vincent won the 2024 Domenic Pellicciotti Opera Composition Prize, and their opera Computing Venus premiered at the Crane School of Music in 2024. In 2018 his oratorio We, the Unknown premiered at the Folly Theatre in Kansas City featuring the Heartland Men’s Chorus, and in 2019 “Su Rahva Koda (The House of Your Kindred)” was premiered by the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. 2019 also saw the premiere of Helios, Takach’s new 65’ work for a cappella choir inspired by the solar system. His choral ballet Unfashioned Creature, an adaptation of Frankenstein, was created in collaboration with choreographer Penelope Freeh and premiered in 2023 by the James Sewell Ballet. The Minneapolis Star Tribune named it “one of the 10 most memorable dance events in 2023.” He has been a Co-Composer in Residence with Jocelyn Hagen for True Concord Voices and Orchestra since 2022.
Caitlin Vincent is an award-winning librettist and lyricist whose writing has been praised as “nuanced and honest” (DC Theatre Scene), “intriguing” (The Baltimore Sun), and “luminous”
(The Huffington Post). Vincent’s works have been performed by Washington National Opera, Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, the University of Connecticut, the Schubert Club of Minnesota, Semperoper Dresden, the Oxford Lieder Festival, the Melbourne Fringe Festival, and Wigmore Hall, among others.
In 2017, Vincent and composer Douglas Buchanan won the 2017- 19 Sackler Music Composition Prize for Bessie and Ma, an opera about aviator Bessie Coleman and Governor Miriam “Ma” Ferguson, which subsequently won the 2024/25 Dominick Argento Chamber Opera Competition. In 2022, Vincent and composer Timothy C. Takach won the Domenic J. Pellicciotti Opera Composition Prize for Computing Venus, an opera based on the life of astronomer Maria Mitchell which premiered at SUNY Potsdam in 2024. Other operatic works include Beyond (2024) with composer Lisa Neher; Leaving Gatsby (2024) with composer Juliana Hall; The Blood Vote (2023) with composer Jenny Game; Tienda (2019) with composer Reinaldo Moya; Nullipara (2018) with composer D. J. Sparr; Prix Fixe (2015) with composer Kevin Wilt; and Camelot Requiem (2013) and Uncle Alex (2013) with composer Joshua Bornfield.
Vincent is also noted for her work in song repertoire. Recent commissions include Sentiment (2017), Godiva (2019), Ahab (2020), and Paw and Tail (2025) with composer Juliana Hall; Thanks a Latte (2022) with composer Lori Laitman; Love Songs from a Third-Floor Walk-Up (2024) with composer Raphael Fusco; Little Black Book (2019) with composer Susan LaBarr; Honeyed Voices (2023) with composer Lisa Neher; and Night-Time in the Fourth Trimester (2025) with composer Jodi Goble. A classically-trained ballet dancer and former professional opera singer, Vincent is on faculty at the University of Melbourne.
“(The) vocal lines demonstrate Takach’s deep understanding of the human voice, setting Vincent’s engaging text with emotional efficiency and providing an interesting, fun and effective orchestration. The opera presents luscious ensembles, intimate duets, confrontational scenes, and stunning arias.
The numerous roles offer distinct and colorful personalities, both musically and textually. When they sing as an ensemble we are treated to complex and appealing harmonies creating an impressive sound. This opera could be produced with mixed faculty/students or also be an excellent choice for young artist programs.
The story itself was compelling for all our students. Their initial ignorance of this history was soon replaced with righteous indignation. The story deserves to be told, and the music deserves to be heard. ”
Scene Breakdown:
PROLOGUE
1847. Nantucket, Massachusetts.
Gazing at the night sky from the roof of her home in Nantucket, Maria Mitchell discovers a comet.
SCENE ONE
1878. The Observatory at Vassar College, New York.
The newest class of astronomy students at Vassar College anxiously waits for Maria Mitchell to arrive. Comparing bits of gossip about the famous woman astronomer, the girls eagerly anticipate the start of their studies. John Raymond and Maria Mitchell enter, and Maria immediately outlines her expectations for the class. Inspired, Mary, Sarah, and Ida aim to become her top students.
SCENE TWO
Boston, Massachusetts / Vassar College, New York.
In a speech to the New England Women’s Club, Dr. Edward Clarke outlines the dangers of educating young women at college. Back at Vassar, John Raymond shows a copy of Clarke’s speech to Maria Mitchell, who shrugs off Raymond’s concerns. Meanwhile, Mary, Sarah, and Ida work on their latest astronomy assignment.
SCENE THREE
1878. Denver, Colorado.
Maria Mitchell and her astronomy class arrive in Colorado to observe the solar eclipse. Under Maria’s guidance, Mary, Sarah, Ida, and the other Vassar students successfully track the eclipse, despite being the only women among the pool of astronomers. As the others celebrate, Maria and Mary share a moment of vulnerability.
SCENE FOUR
Boston, Massachusetts.
Edward Clarke announces the publication of his new book, which further rails against educating young women, particularly in the sciences. Learning of Maria Mitchell’s influence at Vassar, Clarke decides to target her and publicly insinuates she poses a danger to the young women in her care. Alarmed, a group of parents write letters of concern to John Raymond.
SCENE FIVE
JOHN RAYMOND’s office at Vassar College, New York.
John Raymond informs Maria Mitchell of the complaints he has received from parents who don’t want their daughters in Maria’s astronomy class. Maria offers to resign, but Raymond refuses. Instead, he urges her to publicly respond to Clarke’s claims.
SCENE SIX
The Observatory at Vassar College, New York.
Ida tells Mary and Sarah she has just received a letter from her parents warning her about Maria Mitchell. Maria enters and soon gets into an argument with Mary, who insists on trying to defend her against the rumors. Aware of how her relationship with Mary is being perceived, Maria attempts to separate herself from the younger woman and accept her role as a symbol for women in science.
SCENE SEVEN
Boston, Massachusetts.
Maria Mitchell finally confronts Edward Clarke in a public debate in Boston. While Maria attempts to counteract his claims with facts and science, Clarke expertly manipulates public opinion against her.
SCENE EIGHT
The Observatory at Vassar College, New York.
Maria Mitchell enters her classroom for her daily astronomy lecture but finds a number of empty seats, including those of Sarah and Ida. Mary enters, but only to say goodbye: she is leaving as well. Bereft, Maria finds the strength to continue her work with the students who remain.
EPILOGUE
The Observatory at Vassar College, New York.
Gazing at the night sky from her classroom, Maria Mitchell looks for another comet. In the distance, Mary, Sarah, and Ida search for their own comets as well.
SYNOPSIS:
Computing Venus provides a glimpse into the life of astronomer Maria Mitchell, one of the earliest champions of women in STEM. The opera follows Mitchell’s efforts to cultivate the next generation of women astronomers, even as growing movements threatened to close the world of science to women forever.
CHARACTERS:
MARIA MITCHELL [soprano] – Noted astronomer and professor at Vassar College. Dedicated to the education of young women. Warm, witty, and lonely.
MARY [mezzo-soprano] – One of MARIA’s astronomy students at Vassar College. Serious and intelligent. Unhappy and unsupported at home.
SARAH [soprano] – One of MARIA’s astronomy students at Vassar College. Insecure and doubtful about her abilities. Prone to hypochondria when anxious.
IDA [mezzo-soprano] – One of MARIA’s astronomy students at Vassar College. Wealthy and slightly spoiled by indulgent parents.
EDWARD CLARKE [tenor] – A medical professor at Harvard College and author of Sex in Education, or, A Fair Chance for the Girls. A charismatic showman.
JOHN RAYMOND [baritone] – The President of Vassar College. Well-meaning but patronising.
ENSEMBLE [SATB] – with minor breakout roles including AGNES and other STUDENTS, MARIA’S MOTHER, the ASTRONOMER, and PARENTS #1, #2, and #3.
HISTORICAL CONTEXT:
Born into a Quaker household in Nantucket in 1818, Mitchell grew up observing the stars with her father and excelled in astronomy and advanced mathematics from a young age. At 29, Mitchell made history when she discovered a comet, subsequently known as Miss Mitchell’s Comet, while mapping the stars from the roof of her house. Mitchell was awarded a gold medal by the King of Denmark for her discovery and quickly became the most famous woman in America. A year later, she was hired as the official ‘computer of Venus’ for the United States, one of only 11 professional mathematician astronomers—and the only woman—working in such a capacity in the country. From 1865 on, Mitchell served as the first female professor of astronomy at the newly-founded Vassar College and focused her efforts on cultivating the next generation of woman astronomers.
As a young woman, Mitchell benefited from a largely supportive environment for women in science. In the early decades of the 19th century, the study of science and mathematics was thought to be a womanly activity, consistent with domestic duties and lady-like behaviour. By the 1860s and 1870s, however, women in science saw the tide turn ag ainst them, spurred by the publication of Edward Clarke’s 1873 book, Sex in Education, Or, A Fair Chance for the Girls. Clarke, then a professor at Harvard Medical School, claimed that higher education had a detrimental physiological effect on women, making them sterile, sexually deviant, and hermaphrodites. As a high-profile, unmarried female professor at Vassar, Mitchell was indirectly targeted by Clarke’s claims and became the living embodiment of the fate facing young women who were ‘too’ educated.
As the backlash against educating women gained speed, Mitchell took an active role in attempting to counteract the movement, presenting a series of public speeches and co-founding the Association for the Advancement of Women. Despite her efforts, Mitchell saw public opinion irrevocably shift against the younger generation of women. Students at Vassar were barred from taking her courses by concerned parents, and only a few of her former protégés managed to find employment as astronomers. In the late 1880s, Mitchell retired from her post at Vassar and died shortly afterwards at the age of 70.
Despite her personal accomplishments, Mitchell saw her advancements undermined as the world of science and astronomy became closed to women. More than a century after Mitchell’s death, women still struggle to access STEM fields and achieve the same recognition and acknowledgement as their male peers. As recently as 2005, Lawrence Summers, then President of Harvard College, stated publicly that women were innately unsuited to the sciences.
DIRECTING NOTE:
In the staging of this opera, it is critical that Maria never physically acts on any romantic feelings towards Mary. This would introduce a problematic power dynamic in their relationship and undermine Maria’s efforts to foster the next generation of women astronomers.