Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

New Concept Album Boils Down Mueller Report to Eight-Song Opera

14/10/2020

Jammed with legalese, the Mueller report might seem unlikely inspiration for art, but for musician Henry Bloomfield '13, buried in the tome was the stuff of a great album. About a year ago, he began mining songs from the report, finding rhythm between the redactions and lyrics within the citations.

The result is his 29-minute operatic concept album Ongoing Matter, in which he sets the report to music over the course of eight songs that tell a story of loyalty and deception. Nearly all the lyrics are drawn from the Mueller report, but the original text is taken apart and reassembled to form a reconstituted version of the story, as though Bloomfield were working with a Mueller report edition of Magnetic Poetry.

So many of the lines, you don't have to dress them up. Your jaw can drop just reading them.

-Henry Bloomfield 13

I wanted to create not a new narrative, but a new narrative storyline emerged from the mixing and matching, Bloomfield said in a recent online interview from his home in New York City. It's not about the Mueller report, it is the Mueller report.

And though the songs contain lines such as The standard set forth in the Justice Manual, and The office transferred responsibility for remaining issues, they're not dull. So many of the lines, you don't have to dress them up. Your jaw can drop just reading them, he says. I was going for the juicy, juicy from the beginning.

Setting the document to music, Bloomfield says, makes it a bit more palatable since it's otherwise quite disheartening. He punches up the lyrics with angular music full of twists and turns, a blend of what he calls upbeat-offbeat pop and industrial funk. Throughout the opera, the listener can never get too comfortable. There might just be a diversion. Any sorts of buzzes and slams and hard-right turns in some ways might reflect just the onslaught of the news cycle or just all these insane details, he says. At times, however, the music takes the edge off the otherwise dreary nature of the subject material.

Watch the music video for the song Somebody Sitting in a Bed Some Place, which shows how Bloomfield drafted the song from the Mueller report:

Video of Somebody Sitting in a Bed Some Place (Footnote Video)

Behind the political maneuverings, and at the core of Ongoing Matter, Bloomfield sees a human story of devotion and betrayal. The characters in the opera correspond to their real-life counterparts but also live in the uncanny valley of a dramatization. The protagonist is Michael (Cohen), who starts the apologue as a loyalist to the character called Prez, and ends it as Prez's fall guy.

[Michael] was kind of an interesting vessel through which to view the tornadoes and hurricanes that were just enveloping around him, Bloomfield says, adding that he wanted the morality tale to go a bit beyond the outlines of Cohen himself. I didn't want to use any of their proper full names, because who in some ways can't relate to just wanting to please someone, and at times even doing things or saying things that you think later, Was I really just trying to get on their good side? How far am I going to go with this?'

Bloomfield had been working on the music that landed on Ongoing Matter for a couple of years but didn't really have a home for it until he started writing the project last fall, beginning with reading the Mueller report twice. By the winter, he was recording the album, vocalizing all of it and performing most of the instrumentalization. He released it on all major streaming platforms on September 16.

He says he'd like to see Ongoing Matter end up on the stage, but can't really imagine when that could next happen. So if there was more of a kind of video/film manifestation of it, that would be incredible. I'm quite open to another sort of direction that someone would be inspired to take it. I would be all ears about that sort of thing, he says.

Listen to Ongoing Matter on Spotify:

From Orientation to a Career Path Bloomfield's background makes him well-prepared to adapt the opera to film, if that's the direction it goes. After leaving Berklee, where he majored in contemporary writing and production, he moved to Seoul, South Korea, to be in a band with musicians he met during his first day of orientation. Everything that came after that day, including Ongoing Matter, he says, wouldn't have happened without that encounter.

During his two years in Seoul, in addition to experimenting with music videos and playing with his band, Bloomfield met people with whom he would later collaborate to create the musical film They Say It's Wonderful. It was a showing of this film that led Bloomfield to a meeting with Baz Luhrmann, who was adapting his movie Moulin Rouge to Broadway and needed new music for a promotional piece for the show. Bloomfield created this piece, which wasn't released because of the cost of acquiring recording rights to all the tracks used. Still, Bloomfield says, it was an amazing experience to work on the project.

One thing Bloomfield says he's learned from the various projects he's worked on is to not judge his initial ideas harshly or be too quick to dismiss them. For example, he started making the music for Ongoing Matter well before he had the idea to create an unconventional opera based on the Mueller report. These seedlings, they should never be thrown out because you just never know where its going to be even six months or, for me, on one of these tracks, a year and a half later, he says.

Related categories:

News

Berklee Today

Related Reading

Berklees Student Newspaper Finds a New Groove The relaunched Berklee Groove website highlights student music and provides industry wisdom, album reviews, wellness advice, and fashion tips.

They Keep Saying: Keira
LINK: https://www.berklee.edu/news/berklee-now/henry-bloomfield-ongoing-matt...
See more stories from berklee

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

04/08/2026

Dalet Announces Commercial Availability of Dalia, Bringing Media-Aware Agentic AI to Enterprise Productions

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

04/07/2026

Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in Dolby Cinemas Across Japan, Presented in Dolby Atmos and Dolby ...

April 7 2026, 19:00 (PDT) Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway Opens in...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026

January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026 Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...

08/05/2026

Nine Alumni Nominated for Tony Awards

Nine Alumni Nominated for Tony Awards More than 20 alumni contributed to this year's Tony-nominated productions. May 7, 2026 By Tori Donahue Boston Co...

08/05/2026

Report: Rise of Video Podcasts Prompts Hybrid Approach

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

08/05/2026

U.K. Military Broadcaster Taps Synamedia for Digital Platform

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

08/05/2026

Gayle Benson To Receive NAB Leadership Foundation Leadership Award

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

08/05/2026

Dems Blast FCC Disney Probe As 'Egregious Abuse of Power'

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

08/05/2026

Liberty University on why broadcast technology isn't just a technical investment, it's a human one

Liberty University on why broadcast technology isn't just a technical invest...

08/05/2026

COW Jobs: UGC, On-Camera Video Content

COW Jobs: UGC, On-Camera Video Content Brie Clayton May 7, 2026 0 Comments UGC, On-Camera Video Content April 17, 2026Documentary Editor - US,......

07/05/2026

Sudan Digital Investigation Hub launches to support journalists navigating disinformation in conflict

Journalists reporting on Sudan are working in one of the most complex and fast-m...

07/05/2026

Victory+ CEO Neil Gruninger on the Impact of the Dallas Cowboys Deal, Creator-Led Content, and Free In-Market Access for Fans

Multi-year partnership positions Victory+ as a free home for Dallas Cowboys orig...

07/05/2026

SVG Students To Watch: Ella Peterson, University of Illinois

From sideline reporting to directing and producing, the talented sophomore is building a well-rounded foundation for a career in live sports production In the ...

07/05/2026

NAB 2026: Cobalt Digital Wins Two Future Best of Show Awards

Cobalt Digital has received two Future Best of Show awards at NAB Show 2026. The COBALT blueCORE platform was recognized by TV Tech, and the COBALT PACIFIC ULL-...

07/05/2026

Scripps National Spelling Bee Revamps Broadcast; Mina Kimes to Host, Embassy Rows Michael Davies to Produce

ESPN analyst Mina Kimes will host the televised semifinals and finals of the 202...

07/05/2026

MUBI Selects Bitmovin as Cloud VOD Encoding Partner

Bitmovin has announced that MUBI, the global film streaming platform, has selected Bitmovin as its cloud VOD encoding partner. Bitmovin's encoding infrastru...

07/05/2026

NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises and U.S. Soccer Extend Spanish-Language Media Rights Through 2030

NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises and the U.S. Soccer Federation have announced...

07/05/2026

Angel City Football Club and Victory+ Announce Regional Broadcast Partnership

Angel City Football Club (ACFC) and Victory have announced a regional broadcast partnership bringing live match coverage to fans across the greater Los Angeles...

07/05/2026

Spiideo Launches AI Highlights for Automated Highlight and Clip Creation

Spiideo has announced the launch of AI Highlights inside Spiideo Play, its automated sports production platform. AI Highlights combines video, event data, audio...

07/05/2026

Leostream Announces Unified HPC Remote Access Ecosystem for Post-Production and Enterprise Workflows

Leostream Corporation has announced a unified remote access ecosystem for high-p...

07/05/2026

Victory+ Adds Atlanta Dream Local Broadcasts to Free Streaming Platform

The Atlanta Dream has partnered with Victory to stream all locally broadcast Dream games for free, expanding the team's digital distribution strategy and g...

07/05/2026

Riedel Communications Appoints Marc Engroff as CFO; Frank Eischet Moves to Group COO Role

Riedel Communications has announced the appointment of Marc Engroff as Chief Fin...

07/05/2026

ARD Extends SES Satellite Distribution Agreement Through 2039

SES and ARD, Germany's largest public broadcasting network, have announced a long-term extension of their satellite distribution partnership through 2039. U...

07/05/2026

Case Study: How Pro Cheer League Built a Broadcast-First Arena Production

UpLight Technologies delivers a flexible video and lighting system for a new televised sportLaunching the Pro Cheer League required more than creating a compell...

07/05/2026

Full Day Productions and GSE Worldwide Launch Womens College Volleyball Showcase at AT&T Stadium

Full Day Productions and GSE Worldwide have announced Spikes Under the Lights, a...

07/05/2026

Deine persnliche Spotify DJ Experience ist jetzt in vier neuen Sprachen und weiteren Mrkten verfgbar

Seit dem Start im Jahr 2023 hat DJ (Beta) das personalisierte H rerlebnis von 94...

07/05/2026

Il DJ personalizzato di Spotify ora disponibile in 4 nuove lingue e in pi Paesi

Da quando stata presentata nel 2023, DJ (beta) ha aiutato a definire un'esperienza d'ascolto pi personalizzata per 94 milioni di utenti Spotify Premi...

07/05/2026

Your Personalized DJ Experience Is Expanding With 4 New Languages and More Markets

Since launching in 2023, DJ (beta) has helped shape a more personalized listenin...

07/05/2026

Seu DJ personalizado do Spotify t chegando em mais lugares - agora em 4 novos idiomas

Desde o lan amento em 2023, o DJ (beta) j ajudou a deixar a experi ncia de ouvi...

07/05/2026

Save Your Personal Podcast to Spotify and Listen Anywhere

From our earliest days, Spotify has been built on a simple principle: Great audio should be easy to reach. It's what's driven us to expand from music to...

07/05/2026

Spotify Celebrates API Heritage Month With New Music and Artist Spotlights

Asian and Pacific Islander artists continue to shape the global soundscape, pushing creative boundaries and connecting with fans worldwide. This Asian & Pacific...

07/05/2026

Symphonic Elements Chooir by UJAM

Company announce long-requested choir instrument In the latest expansion of their Symphonic Elements series, UJAM have introduced an all-new vocal instrumen...

07/05/2026

Buchla debut Ziggy synthesizer

Modular-inspired sound generation with digital control Buchla have introduced Ziggy, a new compact synthesizer built around the company's complex oscill...

07/05/2026

Polyend Drums hybrid drum machine

Combines analogue voices with digital synthesis and sequencing Polyend have announced Drums, a new hybrid analogue and digital drum machine that combines sy...

07/05/2026

Nektar Panorama CS12: Reaper & Fender Studio Pro support

Control surface now officially supports four DAWs When Nektar launched the Panorama CS12 control surface, it worked exclusively with Apple's Logic Pro, ...

07/05/2026

SGL Carbon: Expected lower sales, but EBITDA margin improved. Forecast confirmed

In the first quarter 2026, SGL Carbon generated consolidated sales of 184.5 million, which was 49.8 million, or 21.3%, lower than in the prior year (Q1 2025: ...

07/05/2026

Rohde & Schwarz and Greenerwave achieve precise and fast ESA antenna characterization using near-field technology

Rohde & Schwarz and Greenerwave achieve precise and fast ESA antenna characteriz...

07/05/2026

L3Harris Red Wolf + SKY RAIDER II INTERNATIONAL: Unmatched Flexibility for Kinetic Strike, EW, ISR and Support Missions

Two multi-role L3Harris products - the Red Wolf launched effects vehicle and SK...

07/05/2026

US Air Force Selects L3Harris to Develop Digital Infrastructure for its Advanced Battle Management System Network

L3Harris will be developing key features of a secure and resilient digital infra...

07/05/2026

New Nielsen Report Shows The Profound Impact of Asian Influence on Sports and Pop Culture

Alysa Liu and Shohei Ohtani Help Drive Viewership as 91 of the Top 100 Broadcast...

07/05/2026

IAB Tech Lab Introduces Standardized Signals For CTV Ad Portfolio

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

07/05/2026

Cobalt Digital Wins Two Future Best of Show Awards at 202...

Cobalt Digital Wins Two Future Best of Show Awards at 2026 NAB Show Manufacturer Recognized by TV Tech and TVBEurope for Innovation in signal processing Cobal...

07/05/2026

FOR-A delivers creativity practicality and technical exce...

Software and hardware platforms, AI power and user-friendliness on show...

07/05/2026

Intinor brings advanced IP transport diagnostics and HDR...

Intinor will demonstrate its latest technical enhancements for the Direkt series at BroadcastAsia 2026. With a continued focus on reliable contribution and remo...

07/05/2026

Bitmovin Powers Global Film Streaming Platform MUBI

Bitmovin has announced that MUBI has chosen Bitmovin as its cloud VOD encoding partner, replacing MUBI's legacy on premises encoding setup to improve scalab...

07/05/2026

Meet Graduates from Berklees Class of 2026

Meet Graduates from Berklees Class of 2026 Members of this years graduating class reflect on their proudest moments at Berklee and look ahead to whats next. ...

07/05/2026

Convergence is Now Established Reality,' Says NAB 2026 Report

Share Copy link Facebook X Linkedin Bluesky Email...

07/05/2026

Interra Systems to Showcase Best in Class QC Monitoring a...

At BroadcastAsia 2026, Interra Systems will demonstrate its latest innovations in automated quality control (QC), real-time monitoring, and captioning. The comp...