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Calvin Ray Shawler

@insertcalvinihere

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In the spring, I had the privilege of being the production stage manager for The Answer as part of Oberlin Theater Department’s Lab series. I learned so much about stage managing new works, musicals, and shows with ensemble casts. Along the way, I had so much fun working with the absolute dream team of production team and cast! I’m incredibly grateful to Rylan Dean Hefner and the Oberlin Theater Department for bringing me on, Ruby McKeever for her freakishly good music direction, my stage management team (Sarina Mih and Margot Freudenheim) for their amazing spreadsheet skills, and everyone who brought this incredible show to life.

Director/Writer: @rylandeanhefner
Music Director: @rubymckeevermusic
Assistant Stage Managers: @sarinamih, Margot Freudenheim
Lighting Designer: @emilyzinnerdesign
Set Designer: @zivia.avelin
Costume Designer: @briarsheartheater
Props Designer: Aryeh Simon
Puppet Designer: @quincydmiller, assisted by Audrey O'Donnell
Sound Designer: @orionkuciej

Kander Theater, April 9-12, 2026. Produced by @oberlin.theater.
Production photos by @isabellamossphoto

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@vivocolumbus season 12 was hair-raising… 🥁 Thank you to the artists, team, board, supporters, partners, audiences and our inspiring VIVO Next Fellows for a week I won’t soon forget! #vivofest

Some mantras from the week:
“Treat others the way you would like to be treated.”
“Quality over quantity.”
“Music is by humans for humans.”

📸 @fishervc

#chambermusic #classicalmusic #musicfestival #columbus

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grateful for miss summer ‘26 🥰
PC: @toddrphoto

VIVO music festival performance with @e.a.cavanac
PC: Victor Fisher @fishervc

KAIA love <3

Tallgrass Festival hang~

Tallgrass performance w/ @fishercello
PC: @grittanicreative

Fam time

우리 이쁜 모치

Caroga love with Eva

Long lost brothers

First time with St Paul Chamber Orchestra!! With legendary Gabor Takacs

James squared

Arianators assemble

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Many thanks to our supporters at @ohioartscouncil, @gcac_cbus and @colsfoundation for making another season of world-class chamber music and community outreach possible!

Thanks also to our partners at @myohioliving, @ohiostateschoolofmusic, @cmcolumbus, @capacolumbus and @nataliesgrandview for giving us the opportunity to perform, serve our community, and provide open rehearsals to seniors and students.

We're going to take a well-earned rest, but you'll hear from us soon! 🎻💛

#vivofest #chambermusic #musicfestival #classicalmusic #artmakescbus

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VIVO Season 12 left it all on stage with Appalachian Spring 💪🌸🎻

Shoutout to our wonderful partners @cmcolumbus!

#vivofest #chambermusic #classicalmusicians #americanmusic #artmakescbus @b.ride.music

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In the early planning of my opera “This Cold But Golden Morning” with librettist Calvin Ray Shawler, I encountered Paul Hindemith’s last opera “The Long Christmas Dinner.” The Thorton Wilder libretto stages one family’s Christmas dinners for nearly a century. Characters are born as they enter from stage right and die as they exit to stage left. As a holiday story of family, time, and space, it became a key influence for the tone of my own work.

Hindemith’s piece opens with a spectacular instrumental arrangement of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman.” I went looking for a Norwegian carol to reimagine as my overture. The prior year, a cousin had given me a little book of Norwegian carols that once belonged to Anna Eilertsen, my great grandmother and the main character of the opera. Inside I found “I denne søte juletid" or “In this sweet Christmas-time.” The third verse was particularly resonant with our Depression-era story: “Our thankfulness we will display as meager as it may be.” (This is the line Anna sings to herself at the end of the overture). I quote the tune throughout the opera as a motif for home, and the singers join in for a crucial duet in Scene 6. But the actual opening instrumental is one of the last things I wrote–about 10 days before the premiere.

We pulled another bit of story from the carol book. Its back cover bears a handwritten letter to Anna. My sister translated for me:

[Dear Anna and your dear ones,

With these dear songs, I want to wish you all a very good Christmas and a blessed new year. I want to wish you peace and everything good for you all.

We are all doing well. Everyone at home is in good health, and I hope that all of you are also healthy. You have to greet (two illegible names) for me.

I will say hello to all of you from here at home, and I want to send you, Anna, these dear greetings.

"Hev vel" siblings! (literally: have it well)

(PS in margin) I was at the cemetery and everything was decorated for Christmas.]

In Scene 5, Anna and Hyalmer are mourning the loss of their youngest brother, Ole, who died of Tuberculosis in 1938. Anna sings, “Just last week, I visited his grave and left a wreath for Christmas.”

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tokyo dump 🏙️

new dress !! feel like a vintage doll

yaoi dungeon !

polka dots & matcha :p

yumm

:D

lesbian at the yaoi dungeon

princess mononoke kabuki !!

POKÉMON CENTER

friends !!!

guys this was the coolest show i’ve ever seen

totoro !!!!

pokémon heaven

yay!

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When I got into the second half of my undergrad degree and I was spending most of my time working hard on composing, writing, and ensemble singing, my solo work fell almost entirely to the backburner. But I missed it quite a bit as I got to the end of my fourth year, so I did what any completely insane person does: I pulled out an extremely rusty piece of rep from my lessons in 2023 and performed it on my senior recital, with maybe three or four sessions in the practice room on my own and just one session with my lovely accompanist, Calvin. Sure, I cracked once or twice, but belting out this gorgeous piece of music that means so much to me into Fairchild Chapel for my friends and family is an experience I will never forget. :))

Hero, from "Ghost Quartet" by Dave Malloy

🎥: Michael Frazier

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lake nojiri u have my heart!!🏔️

so so so grateful to get to study abroad in nagano with @oyltheaterco! it was amazing to make theatre in the most beautiful place with the most wonderful people. will literally never shut up about how cool it was to experience Noh, Kabuki, Taiko & Nihon-buyō !!

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and the journey continues! we spent most of the past two weeks at lake nojiri, learning, playing, eating delicious food, and enjoying the unreal nature. to all of our wonderful hosts, mentors, and guides, and to @oyltheaterco : ありがとございました. it’s been amazing.

next up, greece!

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In the tradition of uploading a year's worth of recordings over the summer, I wanted to share this excerpt of the final quartet from my new chamber opera, This Cold But Golden Morning. Shoutouts to librettist @insertcalvinihere and soloists @rebekah.grande, Will Sulkow, Isaiah Gallegos, and @samanthalewissoprano. Full audio forthcoming.

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i am beyond grateful that i got to spend the past two weeks in karnataka with so many brilliant artists - thank you @oyltheaterco and @infinitesouls_farm for making this all happen! and now onwards to japan! :)

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