Working with My Heroes

“DeMain’s extraordinary creative journey is truly the stuff of legend; he has blazed an indelible and enviable path in American music. This beautifully crafted memoir gives us special insight into the full span of his life and career—and affords clear perspective on the many doorways he has opened for others, including me. The music world is a richer and better place thanks to John DeMain.” - Jake Heggie, American composer of opera and song “John DeMain is a natural storyteller. From an elephant going rogue in Omaha to ‘gale-force winds’ threatening a half-built stage in Rio to flu-ridden tour buses in Texas, DeMain’s epic career is full of fantastic tales. Go behind the music with the maestro of a boundary-pushing Porgy and Bess and chart the Madison Symphony Orchestra’s growth into a world-class ensemble in this detailed, big-hearted memoir.”- Lindsay Christians, Capital Times food and culture editor “Enlivened by anecdotes and sparkling with remembered conversations with DeMain’s heroes (among them Bernstein, Domingo, and Floyd), this book is an amazing description of how operas are and have been created in contemporary America. DeMain engages, illuminates, and always entertains. Bravo, Maestro!” - Kate Emery Pogue, librettist and stage director “There is so much more in these pages than I ever imagined. DeMain’s career is celebrated here with the care and attention it deserves, but the book also reveals the man himself. For all his amazing musical prowess on the podium, above all else I’ve come to admire his generosity with his colleagues, his warmth, and especially his genuineness. This is a great and entertaining read, and a testament to DeMain’s remarkable, and completely original, life in music.” - Kyle Knox, music director, Wisconsin Youth Symphony Orchestras, and associate conductor, Madison Symphony Orchestra