[Opera]
The inaugural Synchromy Opera Festival delivers an inglorious, dynamic take on this digital life. In Vera Ivanova’s comic opera, The Double, the troubled hero believes that he has a double who is acting independently in an attempt to take over his life. For librettist Sarah LaBrie, this operatic re-imagining of Dostoevsky’s classic novel is newly relevant, as “many of us are coming to terms with what it means to be a citizen of a country founded on a dream that clashes glaringly with the reality many of us confront.” Directed by Alexander Gedeon, The Double features Brightwork Ensemble conducted by Marc Lowenstein.
Roman, Ian Dicke’s multimedia opera in two acts, questions the morality of designing intelligent machines to exhibit human behaviors. The central character, an AI assistant, is performed by a sung robotic voice and appears as a projection. Director June Carryl says, “In Roman, what’s toxic is giving ourselves wholesale to tech without boundaries, without a sense of right and wrong, only logical conclusions.” Conductor Thomas Buckley and the Koan Quartet accompany the human and virtual performers.
Schedule:
June 4 @ 7:00PM
June 5 @ 2:00PM
(Both operas will be performed for both performances.)
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Synchromy is a musician’s collective producing engaging new music events shaped and influenced by our home county of Los Angeles. We prioritize collaboration to present cutting edge music with an interdisciplinary approach in order to highlight the art, creating an entry point that deepens the audience’s understanding of the music’s intended impact. Our directors bring a wide range of knowledge, experience, and expertise to every project we present, the end result being a profound audience and performer experience unique to Synchromy.
The Double by Vera Ivanova
Director: Alexander Gedeon
Conductor: Marc Lowenstein
Ensemble: The Brightwork Ensemble
Sung by Jon Lee Keenan, Anna Schubert, Timur, and Scott Graff
Roman by Ian Dicke
Director: June Carryl
Conductor: Thomas Buckley
Ensemble: Koan Quartet
Sung by Elias Berezin, Jonathan Byram, Luc Kleiner, and Chloe Vaught
Please note: as this is a presented event, Synchromy is handling ticket sales and not Boston Court Pasadena.
