Hat Trunk

Hat Trunk is the second scene from the opera Hopper's Wife which premiered at Long Beach Opera in 1998 directed by Christopher Alden and conducted by Michael Barrett. Hopper's Wife imagines a marriage between American Scene painter Edward Hopper and Hollywood Gossip Columnist Hedda Hopper with Ava Gardner as the artist's model. The characters in the opera are Hopper, Mrs. Hopper and Ava performed in the original production by Christopher Trakas, Juliana Gondek and Lucy Schauffer. Hat Trunk is a cycle of four songs sung by Mrs. Hopper and tells the history of the relationship between Hopper and Mrs. Hopper. Each song is inspired by a Hopper painting and includes a specific hat in which Mrs. Hopper posed for the painting: Automat (Cloche Hat) Summertime (Sunhat) The Sea Watchers (Bathing Cap) Girlie Show (Red Wig)