SearchMr. Scheer’s work is noted for its scope and versatility. With the composer Jake Heggie, he has collaborated on many projects, including the critically acclaimed 2010 Dallas Opera world premiere, Moby-Dick, and Three Decembers (Houston Grand Opera), which starred Frederica von Stade. Their other works include Camille Claudel: Into the Fire, a song cycle premiered by Joyce DiDonato and the Alexander String Quartet. Mr. Scheer worked with Tobias Picker on An American Tragedy, which premiered in 2005 at the Metropolitan Opera. Other collaborations include the lyrics for Wynton Marsalis’s It Never Goes Away, featured in Congo Square. With the composer Steven Stucky, Mr. Scheer wrote the Grammy-nominated August 4, 1964, for The Dallas Symphony Orchestra. In 2015, Mr. Scheer collaborated with Joby Talbot on the opera Everest, based on a doomed expedition. With Jennifer Higdon, Mr. Scheer wrote an operatic adaptation of Cold Mountain for Santa Fe Opera, also nominated for a Grammy for best classical composition. In 2016, Mr. Scheer and Jake Heggie premiered an operatic adaptation of It’s a Wonderful Life for the Houston Grand Opera. A composer in his own right, Mr. Scheer has written songs for singers such as Renée Fleming, Sylvia McNair, Denyce Graves, and Nathan Gunn. The distinguished documentary filmmaker, Ken Burns, prominently featured Mr. Scheer’s song “American Anthem” (sung by Norah Jones) in his Emmy Award-winning PBS documentary, The War. President Joe Biden quoted a verse in his 2021 Inaugural Address.
