Opera

Everything For Dawn
Full length episodic opera [Fall 2022]

“As part of its approaching 10th Anniversary in the 2020-2021 season, Experiments in Opera is embarking on its most ambitious project to date.  Inspired by television writers’ rooms, we have assembled a group of playwrights, librettists and storytellers to collaborate on a single large-scale opera.  Over two years, we will develop and produce a three-part opera made up of 10 individual episodes, each written by a different libretto and composer team.  The Writers’ Room project addresses EiO’s mission to rethink the process of creating opera and to nurture new voices as part of a community of artistry and learning.  This group of artists meets monthly to workshop script outlines, story ideas and librettos and will work collaboratively with selected composers as scripts go into production.

The Writers’ Room for the 2019-2020 season includes the writers Jason Cady, Adrienne Danrich, Lauren D’Errico, Krista Knight, Jerry Lieblich, Jerome A. Parker, Kamala Sankaram and Aaron Siegel and the composers Jason Cady, Matthew Welch, Clarice Assad, Paul Kerekes, Phil Kline, Pauline Kim, Melissa Dunphy, Alex Temple,  Aaron Siegel, Kamala Sankaram.”

Sksksksksk
25 Minute Opera | Strange Trace [Fall 2022]

Two snakes, Slivver and Hithh, hunt for food in the hot, hot California hills. A family sets off ill-advised Fourth of July firework during a fire-risk drought. Life-ending flames ensue. Slivver and Hithh must escape the fire, but not before risking it all — and facing off with one another — for the last remnant of food in sight: a hot dog dropped by the fleeing picnic-goers.

The Box Is The Universe: A TableTopera
Installation Opera | Bricolage Production Company [2019]

Performed by Colleen M. McGovern and Daniel Burns
Composed by Joshua Brown
Libretti by Lauren D’Errico, Daniel Burns, and Brandy N. Carie
Scenic Design by Sasha Schwartz

Three micro-immersive operas focused on the creation of the imagined universe inside of a storage pod. Upon entry to the experience, an audience survey determined which two minute opera they would see performed (in voice and with puppets).

Co-Opera (2017-19)

Mel Rides The Bus Alone
Soprano, Mezzo, Tenor, Baritone | 30-Minute Chamber Opera
Pittsburgh Opera [2019]

Filled to the brim with anxiety about a reunion with her family, Mel — a young woman aboard a cross-country bus on an endless ride —  distracts herself by imagining personalities for various quirky passengers. The more she forces the distraction, the more her daydream pushes back to return to the subject of “home.” Mel Rides the Bus Alone explores the complex guilt of loving your family but knowing you’re better off away from them.

Composed by Joshua Brown
Libretto by Lauren D’Errico

Mel Rides the Bus Alone was a commission from Pittsburgh Opera and Carnegie Mellon University. The premiere was directed by Joshua Brown & Lauren D’Errico and conducted by Daniel Curtis.

Scenic design by Dana Weintraub, lighting design by Anirudh Anand, costumes by Jean-Luc DeLadurantaye, and media design by Sean B. Leo.

Mel Rides The But Alone begins at 48:30.
languagemachine begins at 1:22:00.

languagemachine
Soprano (2), Tenor, Baritone | 30-Minute Chamber Opera
Pittsburgh Opera [2019]

In a not-so-distant future, a waste prevention initiative called The Language Machine has been put in place to cut down the time that people spend speaking — but what began as the erasure of “um” and “like” has eliminated almost all of spoken language. As language grows less and less and more and more, a married couple and a pair of co-workers must learn how to navigate the complexities of communication anew.

Composed by Ramin Akhavijou
Libretto by Lauren D’Errico

languagemachine was a commission from Pittsburgh Opera and Carnegie Mellon University. The premiere was directed by Brandy N. Carie and conducted by Daniel Curtis.

Scenic design by Dana Weintraub, lighting design by Anirudh Anand, costumes by Jean-Luc DeLadurantaye, and media design by Sean B. Leo.