ISOLA
ISOLA is a poetic monodrama for soprano, string trio and electronics that explores the body as island, distorted perception, and the nature of Time, how it collapses and expands.
ISOLA charts a synesthetic practice of giving voice and color to the trajectory of isolation: deep blue of dreams; the pink noise of anxiety; toxic green of a depressive fog; and finally, orange light, a shining moment of clarity and resilience.
Written in collaboration with poet J. Mae Barizo.
Photo by JJ Geiger, Production by Long Beach Opera
Directed by George R. Miller
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DRIFT
DRIFT is a story of motherhood, migration and climate change, exploring the forces that drive families from their homes into the uncertain refuge of new lands. Braiding an intimate narrative between Esmeralda and her childhood friend, James, DRIFT opens in a glacial landscape scarred by ecological disaster. Swinging between the domestic and the surreal, the second act returns to the terminal green of the characters’ youths as they navigate in a toxic-laden panorama of swamplands and power plants. An intersectional portrait of identity, DRIFT necessitates a radically new examination of motherlands, geography and memory.
Original story and libretto by J. Mae Barizo. Currently under development, supported by Opera America’s Discovery Grant program and made possible by the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation. DRIFT is actively looking for additional support and welcomes interest from co-commissioners and presenters.
Duende
Described as a “full artistic experience” (Broad Street Review) with “creations that dazzle,” (Dance Journal) duende is a new music and contemporary dance collective co-founded by composer Alyssa Weinberg, cellist Gabriel Cabezas and dancer/choreographer Chloe Perkes. Duende’s work is driven by the exploration of each other’s artistic processes, creating performances that amplify each discipline by combining them while offering multiple entry points into the worlds of music and dance.