The American Composers Orchestra (ACO) is set to release the world premiere recording of composer Huang Ruo and librettist David Henry Hwang’s moving and timely opera An American Soldier digitally via Platoon on Friday, May 23, 2025. This world premiere recording lands just before Memorial Day in the United States, May 26, which is also Danny Chen’s birthday. Chen would have been thirty-three years old this year.
The first single, “I’m Sorry Ama,” and an accompanying music video will be available on all streaming platforms May 9, and the second single, “Moon Duet,” will be out May 16. This release marks the first of a series of albums planned by the American Composers Orchestra via a new partnership with Platoon.
Described as "taut and haunting" by The Wall Street Journal and "clearheaded" and "touching" by The New York Times, the opera is based on the true story of Chinese-American Army Pvt. Danny Chen, who was found dead in a guard tower at his base in Afghanistan in 2011, and the ensuing courts-martial of Chen’s fellow soldiers. The New York premiere of An American Soldier in May 2024 was co-produced by Perelman Performing Arts Center | PAC NYC, Boston Lyric Opera, and American Composers Orchestra, and co-commissioned by PAC NYC and Boston Lyric Opera.