{"id":{"repo_id":"ku","oai_identifier":"oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/39139"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/ku/oai:kuscholarworks.ku.edu:1808/39139","repository":{"repo_id":"ku","name":"University of Kansas","base_url":"https://kuscholarworks.ku.edu/server/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"The Murderess: A True Crime Chamber Opera","abstract":"The Murderess is a one-act, hour-long chamber opera inspired by true crime. It is a woman-focused story featuring three female singers and one tenor, and it is scored for Pierrot ensemble: flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, and percussion. The original libretto by Trip Venturella tells the story of a nurse, inspired by the nineteenth-century American serial killer Jane Toppan, who plans to poison her elderly patient with strychnine. In a twist ending, Jane’s elderly patient is given agency by revealing that she hired Jane to end her life. Thus, the opera dives into questions of morality and explores the implications of physician-assisted suicide. The Murderess is full of suspenseful music and many bittersweet moments. Recurring motifs are used to create musical foreshadowing, and the opera features several arias suitable for standalone performance.","abstract_html":"The Murderess is a one-act, hour-long chamber opera inspired by true crime. It is a woman-focused story featuring three female singers and one tenor, and it is scored for Pierrot ensemble: flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, and percussion. The original libretto by Trip Venturella tells the story of a nurse, inspired by the nineteenth-century American serial killer Jane Toppan, who plans to poison her elderly patient with strychnine. In a twist ending, Jane’s elderly patient is given agency by revealing that she hired Jane to end her life. Thus, the opera dives into questions of morality and explores the implications of physician-assisted suicide. The Murderess is full of suspenseful music and many bittersweet moments. Recurring motifs are used to create musical foreshadowing, and the opera features several arias suitable for standalone performance.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["McIntosh, Allison June"],"institution":"University of Kansas","degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Stölzel, Ingrid"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2021,"date_issued":"2021-01-01","date_published":"2021-01-01","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:47:27Z","subjects":["Musical composition","chamber opera","Jane Toppan","opera","pierrot","true crime"],"languages":["en"],"rights":["Copyright held by the author."],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.other","label":"Dc Identifier Other","values":["http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:17689"],"render_values":[{"text":"http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:17689","href":"http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:17689","code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/1808/39139","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Stölzel, Ingrid"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["McIntosh, Allison June"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2026-04-25T04:18:28Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2026-04-25T04:18:28Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2021-01-01"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["University of Kansas"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Dissertation"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Musical composition","chamber opera","Jane Toppan","opera","pierrot","true crime"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["en"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright held by the author."]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.other","label":"Dc Identifier Other","values":["http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:17689"]},{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/1808/39139"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The Murderess is a one-act, hour-long chamber opera inspired by true crime. It is a woman-focused story featuring three female singers and one tenor, and it is scored for Pierrot ensemble: flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, and percussion. The original libretto by Trip Venturella tells the story of a nurse, inspired by the nineteenth-century American serial killer Jane Toppan, who plans to poison her elderly patient with strychnine. In a twist ending, Jane’s elderly patient is given agency by revealing that she hired Jane to end her life. Thus, the opera dives into questions of morality and explores the implications of physician-assisted suicide. The Murderess is full of suspenseful music and many bittersweet moments. Recurring motifs are used to create musical foreshadowing, and the opera features several arias suitable for standalone performance."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["The Murderess: A True Crime Chamber Opera"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Stölzel, Ingrid"],"dc:creator":["McIntosh, Allison June"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2026-04-25T04:18:28Z"],"dc:date.available":["2026-04-25T04:18:28Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2021-01-01"],"dc:description.abstract":["The Murderess is a one-act, hour-long chamber opera inspired by true crime. It is a woman-focused story featuring three female singers and one tenor, and it is scored for Pierrot ensemble: flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano, and percussion. The original libretto by Trip Venturella tells the story of a nurse, inspired by the nineteenth-century American serial killer Jane Toppan, who plans to poison her elderly patient with strychnine. In a twist ending, Jane’s elderly patient is given agency by revealing that she hired Jane to end her life. Thus, the opera dives into questions of morality and explores the implications of physician-assisted suicide. The Murderess is full of suspenseful music and many bittersweet moments. Recurring motifs are used to create musical foreshadowing, and the opera features several arias suitable for standalone performance."],"dc:identifier.other":["http://dissertations.umi.com/ku:17689"],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://hdl.handle.net/1808/39139"],"dc:language.iso":["en"],"dc:publisher":["University of Kansas"],"dc:rights":["Copyright held by the author."],"dc:subject":["Musical composition","chamber opera","Jane Toppan","opera","pierrot","true crime"],"dc:title":["The Murderess: A True Crime Chamber Opera"],"dc:type":["Dissertation"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:47:27Z"}