NYU Tisch School of the Arts and the Office of Sustainability in partnership with American Opera Projects (AOP) will present the world premiere of The Climate Opera Project, on Tuesday April 23, 2024 7:30 PM at the BAM Fisher.
The Climate Opera Project is a collection of four short operas written by alums of the Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program (GMTWP) in 2020. The project originated in the AOP-NYU/Tisch Opera Lab, a collaboration between AOP and NYU's Tisch School of the Arts GMTWP and Department of Design for Stage and Film. Opera Lab Directors: Randall Eng (Associate Arts Professor in the Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program) & Sam Helfrich (Associate Arts Professor in the Department of Design for Stage and Film).
Celebrating Earth Week 2024, the pieces depict unlikely heroes reeling from the cataclysm of human-influenced natural disasters. From a revengeful polar bear watching its home disappear to a water-stealing cactus, these operas tackle issues of the environment with humor and hope.
The four operas are: Old King Trout by composer and librettist Andrew Lynch (Cycle 27); The Thieving Cactus by composer Gavin Knittle (Cycle 28) and librettist Ashton Tibbitt (Cycle 27); Polar by composer William Barnett (Cycle 29) and librettist Fred Sauter (Cycle 14); The Watering Hole by composer Willem Oosthuysen (Cycle 20) and librettist Tristen Moseley (Cycle 29). All composers and librettists are alumni of the Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program in NYU's Tisch School of the Arts.
Tickets are available at the BAM box office
Performances of The Climate Opera Project will also be presented during Earth Month at Theatre C in the John A. Paulson Center (38 W Houston St.) on Saturday April 27, 2024 at 8:00 PM and Sunday April 28, 2024 at 5:00 PM.
Tickets are available at the links below:
Tickets are available on April 27, 28 to NYU community members with valid ID first; limited tickets to the general public subject to availability.
The Climate Opera Project features stage director Sam Helfrich (New York City Opera, Glimmerglass Opera) and music director Jeremy Chan (Opera Australia), as well as mezzos Melisa Bonetti (AOP, Philadelphia Orchestra) & Esther Yi-An Tien (Finalist, Japan Classical Music Competition), baritone Gideon Dabi (Dallas Opera, Opera Colorado), soprano Sarah Moulton Faux (AOP, New York City Opera) and countertenor Jordan Rutter-Covatto (Chicago Opera Theater, Nashville Opera).
The design team features set design by Josh Oberlander, lighting design by Kristen Paige, and costume design by Amanda Roberge. Additional music is by Randall Eng; cello, Laura Masferrer Stage and production management by Melissa Futch.