AC Petersen
Opera & Musical Theatre
Librettist
Lyricist
Playwright
AC Petersen | photo: Stephanie Guerrero
Upcoming Events
Sat, Jan 17Centerstage Theatre, Federal Way, WASouthsound Festival of New Works presents Currents, a chamber operetta.Composer: Jeremy Berdin, Librettist: AC Petersen. The 40-minute sung-through work follows the Nakata family from Bainbridge Island from 1941 through WWII, in Minidoka and Japan, culminating in the family re-uniting on Bainbridge.
About Me
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is Nisei (second-generation Japanese American) and fourth-generation Danish-Scot-Irish, and grew up in Seattle and on Tachikawa Air Base on the fringes of Tokyo
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Is a member of the Dramatists Guild, and is on DG Opera Committee
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studied voice with Phyllis Petersen (no relation) of Mercer Island, Washington
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as been awarded grants from 4Culture King County, Seattle Arts Commission, Bothell Arts Commission and the Bossak/Heilbron Foundation; and residencies at the Whiteley Center at Friday Harbor on San Juan Island.
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has a B.A. in architecture from the University of Washington, apprenticed with an architect and interior designer renovating historic theaters in Seattle, Tacoma, LA and Pasadena; and an engineer who designed the often-photographed “Rainbow Bridge” in La Conner, Washington
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studied modern dance with Daniel Chick at Dance Center Seattle, ballet with Hannah C. Wiley at the University of Washington, and Louise Nikitins; and jazz with Mark Kane, Bill Monroe and Suzanne Duckworth
Excerpts from Reviews
“Petersen wields understatement the way other choreographers do pyrotechnic movement. And in an age dominated by bombast and self-importance, such modesty yields an eloquence that often speaks louder than the loud.”
-- David Lyman, Seattle P-I
“The first part of Petersen's piece (OZEKI) clearly evokes Japanese traditions, in part identified by the insistent drums of the Kokon Taiko. The second part, set to Western music, serves as intelligent and contemporary counterpoint. Her work is concise, well-crafted and compelling.”
-- R.M. Campbell, Seattle P-I
“Silk Road (at Consolidated Works) : "the music in this performance is dramatic and beautiful, particularly the song 'Fashion' performed by a dazzling soprano named Ellaina Lewis . . . lift the performance into the air and carry it to its shimmering conclusion."
-- Charles Mudede, The Stranger
