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Out Now! 20th Anniversary Stream of David T. Little's Soldier Songs, Hosted by Opera Philadelphia
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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Opera Philadelphia Celebrates the 20th Anniversary of
David T. Little’s Soldier Songs with Digital Broadcast,
Out Today in Honor of Veterans Day
GRAMMY®-nominated film is now available to stream for free on YouTube,
accompanied by an in-depth panel discussion with David T. Little and
baritone/director Johnathan McCullough, moderated by Beth Morrison
Watch the Soldier Songs Trailer
Watch the Film and Panel Discussion Now
“… episodes of crushing sonic violence coexist with oases of serene lyrical beauty
for an overall sense of smoldering, luxuriant noise…” – The New York Times
“… a hope for the future of opera…” – The Washington Post
“Daring brilliance… unforgettable…” – Opera Magazine
“A composer at the top of his game.” – Musical America
New York, NY (November 11, 2026) – Opera Philadelphia today released a new digital broadcast of composer David T. Little’s Soldier Songs – the GRAMMY®-nominated film adaptation of his critically acclaimed opera – free to stream worldwide. The release, which marks the work’s 20th anniversary and falls on Veterans Day, is paired with a brand-new, in-depth panel discussion with Little and the film’s star and director, baritone Johnathan McCullough, moderated by Beth Morrison. Watch now for free on Opera Philadelphia’s YouTube Channel.
Blending opera, theater, and rock-infused concert music, Little’s work explores the ways popular culture can shape perceptions of war—and the profound psychological consequences of experiencing it firsthand. Premiered in 2006 by the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble, the opera is based on extensive interviews with friends and family who served in the military and has been presented by Los Angeles Opera, Atlanta Opera, San Diego Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, PROTOTYPE Festival, Beth Morrison Projects, and the Holland Festival in Amsterdam, among others.
Directed by and starring McCullough, the 2022 film for the Opera Philadelphia Channel offers audiences an intimate, cinematic encounter with Little’s powerful examination of war, memory, and trauma. The film went on to earn a GRAMMY® Award nomination for Best Opera Recording, an International Opera Award nomination, and an OPERA America Award.
“Soldier Songs remains as urgent and resonant today as when David first created it 20 years ago,” said Anthony Roth Costanzo, General Director & President of Opera Philadelphia. “Making this extraordinary film available for free gives audiences everywhere a chance to experience this work that weaves a complex narrative about war, the people who fight it, and the ways its effects continue long after the battlefield.”
Acclaim for Soldier Songs
“Driven, slashing figures juxtaposed with moments of melodic calm.”
— The New York Times
“That filmic conception puts a fresh — even revelatory — gloss on Soldier Songs… this production of Soldier Songs ranks with some of the best vintage work in filmed opera.”
— The New York Times
“The film makes this 2006 monodrama even more powerful than it was as staged theater.”
— The Wall Street Journal
“The fearless Soldier Songs is a standout achievement among COVID-19-era shows.”
— The Philadelphia Inquirer
“A trenchant, often moving and unsettling exploration of the myths, realities and challenges of military service and its often debilitating aftermath.”
— Opera News
“Soldier Songs remains a thoughtful and important work that in its cinematic garb loses none of its presence and power to disturb.”
— Musical America
“At its best, Soldier Songs gets inside the head.”
— Financial Times
“Oh, this is cool, a piece by a younger composer named David T. Little about soldiers listening to hip-hop on their iPods… It’s kind of an anti-war song cycle, and he’s one of a group of composers based around New York that I find really interesting.”
— Alex Ross, The A.V. Club
“Soldier Songs is not a loosely connected cycle, but a dramatic, theatrical solo cantata that builds to a heartrending climax.”
— Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
“Soldier Songs has the force of emotions tossed around, allowed to bruise each other and then served up raw.”
— MusicWeb International
“Composer David T. Little avoids many of the problems associated with political art in his one-hour Soldier Songs … masterful.”
— Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
“David T. Little brilliantly expounds upon the life of the soldier through three archetypal phases of life… His music is both complex and simple.”
— Houston Chronicle
“A compelling antiwar piece”
— Houston Press
More About David T. Little
The 2026-2027 season features several major milestones for Little’s opera catalog in addition to the 20th anniversary of Soldier Songs (2006). Dog Days (2012) marks its 15th anniversary with its Canadian premiere in a new production by Tapestry Opera and Against the Grain Theatre, directed by Michael Hidetoshi Mori, with new productions to follow in Bremen, Germany, and Melbourne, Australia, as part of the anniversary in 2027, as well as a special 15th-anniversary concert presented by the PROTOTYPE Festival and BRIC Arts Media in NYC. Among his newest works, SIN-EATER (2023) will be performed by The Crossing as part of The Crossing’s annual Month of Moderns, and What Belongs to You (2024), winner of the 2025 MCANA Award, will receive its New York premiere presented by NYU Skirball in spring 2027.
Additional season highlights include Vinkensport (2010) at Boston University, his GRAMMY®-nominated Black Lodge (2019) preceded by Dark Hymnal (2024) at Carolina Performing Arts, Hellhound (2013) at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, a portrait concert of Canadian premieres by Adam Sherkin with Piano Lunaire in Toronto, Little’s complete piano works performed by James Johnston at the Ruckus412 New Music Festival in Pittsburgh, and the premieres of new film scores for Pentimento (2026) and You Were Never Alone (2026).
Little’s Black Lodge was nominated for the 2024 GRAMMY® Award for Best Opera Recording and received a Music Theater Now international prize. The metal-infused opera, with a libretto by poet Anne Waldman, was premiered by Beth Morrison Projects at Opera Philadelphia, with a soundtrack released by Cantaloupe Music, and was presented at Carolina Performing Arts in October 2026 after outings in Los Angeles, New York, Rotterdam, Stockholm, and Malmö.
In September 2024, Little unveiled What Belongs to You, an opera that “shakes your world” (Musical America), based on the celebrated novel by Garth Greenwell, developed for GRAMMY®-winners tenor Karim Sulayman and Alarm Will Sound, and directed by Mark Morris. Its world-premiere recording, featuring Sulayman and Alarm Will Sound under Alan Pierson, was released on Bright Shiny Things in June 2026. The opera followed another major work, the searching theatrical choral piece SIN-EATER, premiered in Philadelphia by The Crossing and Bergamot Quartet in the fall of 2023, conducted by Donald Nally. Based on the ancient practice of paying the poor to ritualistically “eat” the sins of the rich, allowing the privileged to move on to the next life cleansed of their guilty deeds, the work drew praise from The Wall Street Journal for its “shattering impact.”
Little has been commissioned by institutions and performers including The Kennedy Center, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, New World Symphony, London Sinfonietta, The Crossing, Kronos Quartet, and Beth Morrison Projects. His music has been presented by Carnegie Hall, Holland Festival, Venice Biennale, LA Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Opera Philadelphia, Opéra de Montréal, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and LA Philharmonic.
Little’s recorded catalog includes nearly 30 commercial releases on such labels as New Amsterdam Records, PENTATONE, Sono Luminus, Bright Shiny Things, and Cantaloupe Music, including the recently released Hang Together, recorded by James Johnston and released just ahead of the recent election.
Little is the founding artistic director and former drummer of the amplified chamber ensemble Newspeak, which explores the relationship of music and politics, while confronting head-on the boundaries between the classical and rock traditions. It has released four commercial recordings, with a fifth on the way.
Little received a 2023 fellowship from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts and is a recipient of the Copland House Residency Award. Since 2015, Little has served on the composition faculty at Mannes-The New School in New York City, where he is currently program chair. His music is published by Boosey & Hawkes. Learn more at www.davidtlittle.com.
*Photo Credit: Opera Philadelphia
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