Joshua Whitener (left) and Robin Federici will play a couple tying the knot in "A Wedding," a comic opera by William Bolcom that Indiana University Opera Theater is presenting tonight through Feb. 9 at the Musical Arts Center in Bloomington. (Photos provided by Indiana University Opera Theater)

For the third time in a dozen years, Indiana University Opera Theater will present the collegiate premiere of an opera by internationally known American composer William Bolcom.

Previously, he brought Bloomington his tragic operas -- "McTeague" based on the 1899 Frank Norris novel of the same title, and Arthur Miller's "A View From the Bridge," in which a married Italian-American dockworker's affection for his young niece ruins his life.

"McTeague," "A View From the Bridge" and now "A Wedding" all began with commissions and professional productions at Chicago Lyric Opera.

".'McTeague' was the very first one, and the only other performance was at IU," Bolcom said in an interview, "but it will now be revived at Washington National Opera in 2009-10. 'A View From the Bridge' has just gone through its sixth production at Washington National."

Three years ago, Bolcom attended the premiere of "A View From the Bridge" in Bloomington. In remarks before the opera, he said he intended for the text to have equal emphasis with the music.

"A Wedding," which was based on the 1978 movie written and directed by Robert Altman, will be by far the lightest of Bolcom's three operas presented at IU.

"I thought it was time for a comedy, especially today, when everyone is so sober-sided," said Bolcom, 69, who said he will retire from the University of Michigan this spring.

Bolcom said he considers "A Wedding" "an American 'Marriage of Figaro.' Talk about the servant class versus royalty! It's a clash between two monied classes -- the one, nouveau riche, and the other, what passes for old money in America."

Bolcom said the groom's family made its fortune in meat packing and lives in a suburban Chicago mansion. Meanwhile, the bride's father had driven a truck and made his fortune selling parts.

"The tension between two kinds of monied American classes was the part that really interested me," he said.

The movie version had a cast of about 48, including Desi Arnaz Jr., Carol Burnett, Howard Duff, Vittorio Gassman, Mia Farrow, Lauren Hutton and Lillian Gish. Bolcom said the opera was pared down to about 16 characters. They include a controlling wedding planner, a morphine addict, an interpretive dancer and an aunt with leftist political leanings.

"It was a big job to knock it down to 16," the composer said. "As with 'McTeague,' Bob (Altman) worked out the scenario. In opera, 16 was already a huge cast for the average opera house and at a school like IU (which has double casts), there would be 32 students in the performance."

Bolcom plans to be at tonight's premiere.

Because the opera is in English, the composer said, he hopes the audience "will be able to listen to singers and not put their eyes up there (on the 8Surtitles) all the time. Maybe the most important thing about it is that I want people to be free to enjoy themselves, and have a good laugh if they feel like it."