An opera for those who love as well as for those who hate opera, The Curious Affair of the Count of Monte Blotto takes pleasure in poking fun at nearly everything — including opera. Outrageous and biting in its wit and badinage, it is a humorous pastiche of everything schmaltzy in the operatic genre. Highly accessible (yet at times abstruse), the work is certain to have the audience befuddled if not utterly benumbed by the final curtain.

Self-described as a “chamber-pot opéra gouffre in three pointless acts,” Monte Blotto features four principal singers and 13 secondary roles (including one silent) that could be filled by members of the chorus. It is scored for 2 flutes/piccolo, oboe/English horn, Bb clarinet, bassoon, piano/harpsichord, harp, strings, mandolin, and percussion. The music is tonal and largely traditional opera fare, with a few surprises thrown in for good measure. The Curious Affair of the Count of Monte Blotto is dedicated to the late Dr. Gerald Moore, former professor of music theory at Lipscomb University.

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