Welcome to the website of composer and writer Derrick Wang.
Welcome to the website of composer and writer Derrick Wang.
inspired by the life of American aviator Hazel Ying Lee
Fearless, a new musical drama by Derrick Wang inspired by trailblazing aviator Hazel Ying Lee of the Women Airforce Service Pilots, receives its world premiere production at Opera Delaware in May 2025. Image courtesy of Opera Delaware.
Fearless is a new musical drama by composer-librettist Derrick Wang, inspired by the life and times of trailblazing aviator Hazel Ying Lee of the Women Airforce Service Pilots of World War II.
The world premiere of Fearless will take place on May 16 & 18, 2025, in a production by Opera Delaware.
Performances will take place at The Grand Opera House, 818 N. Market Street, Wilmington, DE, 19801, at the following times:
Friday, May 16, 2025 | 7:30pm ET
Sunday, May 18, 2025 | 2pm ET
Fearless is a full-length English-language musical drama suitable for operatic and theatrical mainstages.
Written on a topic of worldwide relevance [World War II], and composed in a highly accessible musical language, Fearless is intended to engage first-time and long-time opera- and theatergoers alike.
Genre — Musical drama
Acts — Two (2) acts
Language — English
Duration — ca. 135 min.
Cast — 9 principals (6w, 3m: 3S, 3M, 1T, 2Bar) + women’s chorus
Orchestra — min. 38 players:
*These specifications are provided for information only and may be subject to change in future versions.
The following is the program note from the 2025 world premiere production.
Welcome to Fearless!
Fearless is inspired by the adventures of Hazel Ying Lee, her family, and the Women Airforce Service Pilots.
In this musical drama, our heroes, faced with challenge after challenge, find themselves going back (in many different ways) in order to move forward.
To reflect their journeys, the music and words of Fearless also go back in order to move forward.
You’ll hear musical themes—simple, tuneful melodies, sung or played when characters say or do certain things.
When our heroes go back, we too will go back—to these musical themes and the words that go with them.
Then, as our heroes move forward, these once-simple tunes can (I hope) take on a greater meaning for us all.
Fearless is dedicated to my family—past, present, and future.
My thanks to OperaDelaware for bringing Fearless to the stage. Thank you, too, for being a part of this world premiere: I’m excited to share this story with you, and I hope you enjoy the show.
—Derrick Wang
