OUT OF THE RAIN

Music by Michael Ching
Text by Hugh Moffatt
OperaDelaware 1998

scene i:    present, diner- Beth, Sarah, customer
Beth and Sarah meet six years after high school (Old Friends).  Sarah has come for the funeral for Ben, who died in a one-car wreck.

OUT OF THE RAIN 1 (opera in one act SATB)

scene ii:    past, diner- Beth, Sarah, Ben, Josh
Beth and Sarah congratulate Ben on his game winning hit in the ninth inning as it was beginning to rain.  Ben is very quiet.  He asks to talk with Beth alone, but Josh enters. Josh tells the game story using racist and sexist comments.  Ben provokes Josh, who explodes and hits Ben.  Ben finds that his mouth is bleeding and bolts out into the rain.

Out of the Rain 2

Scene iii:    present, diner- Beth, Sarah, Josh, customer
Beth and Sarah are still at the table.  Josh enters.  He comments rudely about Ben and lets out that Ben died from AIDS.  Beth remarks that Ben may have saved Joshs life that night.  Josh scoffs then leaves.  Sarah asks Beth about Ben and AIDS.

Out of the Rain 3

Scene iv:    past, city park- Ben, Beth
Beth finds Ben sitting on a bench in the rain.  At first he wont talk to her.  Then he asks why people don't care about each other (Why cant we feel the rain?).  Finally he says, I have AIDS.  Beth tries to comfort him

Out of the Rain 4

Scene v:    present, diner- Beth, Sarah
Beth tells Sarah of Bens and her struggle.  He was drunk when he died, but that wasn't all.  He just couldn't accept what he couldn't control.   Sarah asks what she can do to help.  Beth says, "care" (Why Cant We Feel the Rain?).  They walk to the church.

Out of the Rain 5

Out of the Rain 6

Out of the Rain 7

Out of the Rain 8

Scene vi: Church, present - Beth, Sarah, Josh, customer/Ben (spirit), optional choir
As the service begins, Josh realizes that Ben could have given him AIDS during the fight.  Josh says whatever he was, he didn't deserve this.  All sing, No One is an Island.

Out of the Rain 9

Michael Ching is an opera composer/librettist, songwriter, and conductor. His opera SPEED DATING TONIGHT! has had over a hundred forty productions since its 2013 premiere. It is constantly being expanded and this is the place to hear the demos of new dater songs. This summer, Savannah Voice Festival will premiere his opera CINDERELLA'S ROYAL FEAST, a sequel to Rossini's opera. In 2024, the University of South Dakota-Vermillion premiered his opera, NOTES ON VIARDOT. It has subsequently been performed by Arizona State University and On Site Opera. His other sequel--to Puccini's GIANNI SCHICCHI is BUOSO'S GHOST. BUOSO is published by E.C. Schirmer Classical and has been performed by the Florida Grand Opera, Detroit Opera, OperaDelaware and several other companies. In 2020, the University of Alabama commissioned and premiered his opera RSBE. It is now on its sixth production. In 2018-19 high school students in Palm Springs premiered his opera, THRIVERS. His opera about Grant Wood, EIGHT WOODS AND A VAN, premiered at Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre.  Michael has written four one act operas for Savannah Voice Festival, including ALICE RYLEY and ANNA HUNTER, both about Savannah. Michael developed confidence in his ability to write words by trying to write songs. His favorite composer is George Gershwin. 

Most of these files are working files here for reference by the commissioning and producing organizations that Michael works with. There are also some singer-songwriter songs.