Author and opera singer Vivien Shotwell will discuss her newly released debut novel, Vienna Nocturne, on Thursday, April 10 at noon, at Fairfield's Main Library, 1080 Old Post Road.
Featured in the New York Times Book Review Shortlist (March 23), reviewer Abigail Meisel said, "occasionally borders on the outrageous, but it's a lusciously frothy confection . . ." Shotwell's talk will be followed by a luncheon in the Rotary Room, generously sponsored by the Friends of the Fairfield Public Library. Books will be available for purchase and signing. Advanced registration is required due to limited space.
As an undergraduate voice student, Shotwell first sang "Non temer, amato bene" (Don't fear, greatly beloved) which Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote for English soprano Anna Storace, and she knew she had to tell their story. Vienna Nocturne is a moving historical novel that brings to life two extraordinary figures—a thirty-year-old Mozart and the young woman who was his muse.
A graduate of Williams College and the Iowa Writers' Workshop, Vivien is also a classically-trained singer. She recently received an Artist Diploma in opera performance from Yale University, where in February 2013 she sang the role of Romeo in Bellini's I Capuleti e i Montecchi. She was a 2011 and 2009 Regional Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions; and the recipient of the 2013 Phyllis Curtin Career Entry Prize and the 2012 David L. Kasdon Memorial Prize from the Yale School of Music. She has received grants from the Canada Council for the Arts and the Nova Scotia Talent Trust, and has performed as a soloist with the Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra, the Aradia Ensemble, the Orchestra of New England, and The New Opera. A daughter of independent booksellers, Vivien was born in Colorado and raised in Nova Scotia. She now divides her time between Halifax, Nova Scotia and New Haven, Connecticut.