Creative Team
Composer
PAOLA PRESTINI
Librettist
ROYCE VAVREK
Conductor
JULIAN WACHNER
Narrator
MARIO LIVIO
Film
ELIZA MCNITT
Performers
NATHAN GUNN AND JESSICA RIVERA | TALISE TRAVIGNE
PAOLA PRESTINI
ROYCE VAVREK
JULIAN WACHNER
About
An astrophysicist searches for his wife in the stars. As the cosmos unfolds, the birth, life, and death of a star trace the couple’s loss of their child. With stumnning images from the Hubble Space telescope, the space-inspired cantata culminates in a five-minute virtual reality film that launches the audience into an immersive voyage through the universe. Through his narration, New York Times best-selling author and eminent astrophysicist Dr. Mario Livio explains the larger celestial implications at stake, placing the characters’ story within the grand scheme of the cosmos.
For the virtual reality portion of the performance, cardboard headsets will be provided, expertly created by The Endless Collective, a leading VR FX firm, with a 360-degree soundscape developed by Arup, the global leaders in acoustics and sound design. This mesmerizing live experience, co-produced by Beth Morrison Projects and VisionIntoArt/National Sawdust in association with Arup, reflects Livio’s poignant themes and the powerful realization that humans discovered, explored and continue to expand the understanding of the Universe, and man’s place in it.
Support
Produced by VisionIntoArt and Beth Morrison Projects in association with Arup, the Kennedy Center for the Arts, and Los Angeles Opera at the Ford Theaters. Original commission by Bay Chamber Concerts for A New Frontier 2013 and National Sawdust with support from Bill & Jill Steinberg, Time Warner Inc. in collaboration with 150, an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in Partnership with the City Council, and by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. Tour produced by Beth Morrison Projects. World premiere at BRICS Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival in 2016.
![The West Coast premiere of TRADE/MARY MOTORHEAD marked another successful addition to the rich legacy of collaborative efforts between Beth Morrison Projects and LA Opera (@laopera)! We're looking back at some of our favorite productions over the years to celebrate!
DOG DAYS - DOG DAYS marked the first production of the whirlwind partnership in 2015. Hailed by the New York Times as a riveting, soon-to-be “groundbreaking American classic,” the post-apocalyptic tragedy made waves at its LAO presentation and put BMP on the West Coast map.
P R I S M - P R I S M marked another milestone in our joint history. Not only did Ellen Reid’s (@ellenreidmusic) debut opera make its world premiere with LA Opera at REDCAT (@calartsredcat), but this collaborative project would go on to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 2019. It was a major development for BMP, LAO, and, of course, Ellen Reid, who “[took] her place among the host of promising young American opera composers” (The Financial Times).
ANGEL'S BONE - Another Pulitzer Prize-winning BMP production, ANGEL'S BONE, was planned as part of the 2020 season. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the presentation pivoted, becoming the first in our history to be presented digitally. The show was streamed by 20,000 people, demonstrating the strength and resilience of our bond with LAO.
TRADE/MARY MOTORHEAD - Finally, Emma O’Halloran’s (@emmamohalloran) TRADE/Mary Motorhead made its West Coast premiere last month at REDCAT. We're thrilled to celebrate another year of BMP and LAO sharing boundary-pushing, cutting-edge opera with this incredible production starring Naomi Louisa O’Connell (@naomi_louisa_oconnell), Marc Kudisch (@marckudisch), and Kyle Bielfield (@bielfield)!](https://bethmorrisonprojects.org/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)