“[Sylvie Davenport’s] evolution from naïve student to hopeful protester proved compelling, thanks to the poetry of Shore’s score, which elegantly merged high-flown operatic melody with gospel-tinged ensemble writing.”

-Chicago Tribune review, 2020 Chicago Opera Theater premiere

“In its airtight, fervent, emotionally riveting 90 minutes, Freedom Ride vividly captures a pivotal moment in American history and the civil rights movement of the early 1960s in the most sophisticated yet accessible way.”

-WTTW review, 2020 Chicago Opera Theater premiere

“Shore has brought an epic social conflict down to human scale, as we see characters struggling to decide whether to join the battle, to fight for a heroic cause, to put their lives on the line.”

-Chicago Tribune preview, 2020 Chicago Opera Theater premiere

“Freedom Ride asks audiences to think critically about their role in today’s increasingly multicultural society, and to consider whether we truly promote liberty and justice for all.”

-Opera News preview, 2020 Chicago Opera Theater premiere

“It’s a wonderful piece, and the process of doing it here in Boston I think is very instrumental as well.”

-Director Tazewell Thompson, WCVB interview

“Dan is a superb dramatist, sets text impeccably, and has a deep understanding of the voice. The drama and the singing are one, and the vocal lines are lyrical and organic. I’ve been wanting to perform his work for some time.”

-Lidiya Yankovskaya, The Arts Fuse interview

More Press for Freedom Ride

Schmopera Interview
The Boston Musical Intelligencer Interview
MassLive Preview
The New Orleans Advocate Preview
The Louisiana Weekly Preview

“Wigs to trills, it’s everything one hopes from Figaro packed into 50 minutes.”

-The New England Theatre Geek review, 2018 MetroWest Opera

“his own absolutely hilarious libretto[…] gleefully sends up the operatic settings of the Beaumarchais plays in ways I never knew I wanted to see”

-Schmopera review, 2018 MetroWest Opera

“the sort of breezy, clever one-act opera Mozart could have written”

-Worcester Telegram preview, 2008 Worcester Opera Works

“An utterly charming little comedy, Shore’s one-act opera does something that few contemporary classical pieces do - it sends the audience out humming the tunes!”

-The New Orleans Times-Picayune review, 2013 Marginy Opera House

“The music is enchanting, with one memorable song after another, in the style of Franz Lehar and Victor Herbert.”

- St. Bernard Voice review, 2010 Xavier Opera Workshop

“Shore’s variations are by no means trivial or easy to follow: each one showcases the sections of the orchestra, using the melody as a loose guideline and traverse a surprisingly complex and, at times, dystopic landscape, at points verging on atonality, at others, reminiscing some lost folk heritage.”

-The Boston Musical Intelligencer review, 2012 Freisinger Chamber Orchestra premiere