PAOLA PRESTINI
BRENDA SHAUGHNESSY
JAY SCHEIB
JERRON HERMAN
ELIZABETH ASKREN
NYU ABILITY LAB
PAOLA PRESTINI
BRENDA SHAUGHNESSY
JAY SCHEIB
JERRON HERMAN
Sensorium Ex is an ambitious new opera by librettist Brenda Shaughnessy and acclaimed composer Paola Prestini, co-directed by Jerron Herman and Jay Scheib, that synthesizes artificial intelligence, disability, and the arts in a groundbreaking and innovative artistic work.
The visionary production pushes the boundaries of what it means to have a voice, paving the way for future artists with disabilities. Sensorium Ex delves deep into the essence of voice, transcending the limits of language to profoundly reimagine what it can be.
Operating at the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI), disability, and the arts, Sensorium Ex explores the fundamental question of what it means to have voice, and the nature of voice beyond language. Internationally-acclaimed composer Paola Prestini’s expansive, multi-modal work tells a dystopian tale centered on a mother and her son, a nonverbal, nonambulatory child with multiple disabilities, as they resist a villainous corporate entity’s attempts to destroy what it means to be human.
Blurring the lines between art and technology, the opera will feature a new set of AI tools developed in partnership with NYU’s Ability Lab that will expand the possibilities for voice and expression in people with disordered, impaired, or limited speech. With a cast of predominantly disabled performers, the project seeks to devise new artistic practices which center disability equity and access throughout all steps in the process. Sensorium Ex is composed by Paola Prestini, co-produced by VisionIntoArt and Beth Morrison Projects, directed by Jerron Herman and Jay Scheib, and features a libretto by poet Brenda Shaughnessy. Premiering for the first time at Common Senses Festival 2025, Sensorium Ex creates an entirely new operatic world – one that redefines who gets to have a voice.
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Sen-so-rium refers to:
1. The parts of the brain or the mind concerned with the reception and interpretation of sensory stimuli; broadly: the entire sensory apparatus.
2. Constantly changing realm of the senses
Commissioned by Beth Morrison Projects and Atlanta Opera. Developed by VisionIntoArt in association with Beth Morrison Projects. Produced by the Atlanta Opera in association with Beth Morrison Projects.
"The kind of experimentation Prestini has lent to her work will help “shape what masterpieces come out of the next 50 years.”
“…Prestini’s music [is] vividly shimmering and raging with the emotional temperatures of characters [...] and generally conjuring up an authentically cosmic atmosphere with its trembling strings, ethereal wind lines, and luminous glockenspiel.”
"In this as in all of her work, Prestini shows a strong compositional voice and an arresting focus in her writing: vigorous melodic lines grab the listener, supported by tart harmonies. At this point, she has to be considered a major talent.”
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