During its second year, with the 2016-2017 season, Beth Morrison and Beth Morrison Projects curated a mini-series as part of the “Stir” performance series. The second season featured:
NOVEMBER 3RD, 2016
SONG FROM THE UPROAR (TOUR)
THE ISABELLA STEWART GARDNER MUSEUM (BOSTON, MA)
Composed by Missy Mazzoli | Libretto by Royce Vavrek
Song from the Uproar (2012) is a song cycle based on the life and writings of Isabelle Eberhardt, an early 20th century explorer, nomad, journalist, novelist, Sufi, and one of the most unique and unusual women of her era. At age twenty-seven Eberhardt drowned in a flash flood in the desert. Pages from her journals were pulled from the flood and dried, and one hundred years later became the inspiration for our libretto.
FEBRUARY 2ND, 2017
SOUND FROM THE BENCH (TOUR)
THE ISABELLA STEWART GARDNER MUSEUM (BOSTON, MA)
Music by Ted Hearne | Libretto by Jena Osman
Sound From the Bench is a 35-minute cantata for chamber choir, two electric guitars and drums, with a libretto by Jena Osman. It was co-commissioned by Volti and The Crossing. A reaction to Osman’s “Corporate Relations” — an incredible collection of poems that follows the historical trajectory of corporate personhood in the United States — the five movements of Sound from the Benchcombine language taken from landmark Supreme Court Cases with words from ventriloquism textbooks.
JUNE 1ST, 2017
NICO MUHLY & ANTHONY ROTH COSTANZO
THE ISABELLA STEWART GARDNER MUSEUM (BOSTON, MA)
Music by Nico Muhly
Exploration of the counter-tenor voice by Nico Muhly and sung by Met Opera star Anthony Roth Costanzo. Featuring the song-cycle Principles of Uncertainty with visuals by Maira Kalman.
“A significant enhancement of its offerings in contemporary music and performance art.”
01 / 01
![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)