Sunset with Pink Pastoral - Biographies

Christian Asplund, Composer (American)

Evoking such responses from critics as "ethereal," "mesmerizing," "creepy," "toothy," "perfect," and "just plain absolutely beautiful," Asplund has performed and conducted his music in jazz, rock, and classical venues in the United States and Canada. He has also made numerous live radio and festival appearances.

His teachers have included Alvin Curran, Stuart Dempster, and Thea Musgrave. His CDs on several independent labels have been broadcast on radio stations throughout the world. His scores are published by Frog Peak.

In addition to his activities as a composer and performer, Asplund is cofounder and musical director of Seattle Experimental Opera, which has premiered five of his operas. He has also conceived/produced/curated concert series including the Seattle Composers Salon, and the Seattle Experimental Opera Cabaret.

A recipient of several awards and grants, Asplund has published two articles in Perspectives of New Music. He has fulfilled commissions from theatre and dance companies, orchestras, choirs, and bands, as well as touring virtuosos such as Marilyn Crispell, Francois Houle, Eyvind Kang, and Liz Falconner.

Asplund teaches at the University of Oklahoma, where he is Chair of the Composition Department.

Lara Candland, Librettist (American)

Lara Candland is a poet, playwright, and librettist based in Norman, Oklahoma. She has published poetry and fiction in numerous literary journals in the U.S., including The Quarterly, Fine Madness, hipMama,The Santa Barbara Review and others.

The Palanquin/TDM Press, at the University of South Carolina/Aiken has produced a chapbook of her poems, and her manuscript, Pink Desert Trailer, is currently under submission. Candland has had five operas produced by Seattle Experimental Opera, has been a winner in the Plays by Poets series and the Nine Holes new playwright series in Seattle.

She has been the poetry editor for hipMama since 1994 and is currently the Eleanor Lou Carrithers Visiting Writer-in-Residence at Oklahoma City University.