A few days ago weeks ago I flew up to NYC to see the many operas presented at VOX, a contemporary opera lab. The 11-year running event has been free to the public every year. Reserve your tickets a few days before and pick up your pass the day of- it’s great!

You can go on the site and hear clips and read about the operas presented. Most of the synopsis-es… synposes (?) are pretty clear. One of the biggest surprises was seeing Dr. Jame DeMars standing in the lobby of the Skirball Center reading a program! He had a piece performed at Carnegie the next night, which I was fortunate enough to grab a student ticket and watch. The man was sandwiched in between Bernstein and Mozart- talk about standing among giants. (Yes, I am aware that Dr. DeMars is taller than either of the other composers mentioned. And yes, I am sticking to the theory that Kurt and I came up with stating that you have to be short to be a good conductor…)

Anyway, so my favorites (in no particular order) are:

Dog Days by David T. Little and Royce Vavrek
Let’s just say that I STILL get this one stuck in my head. One of the characters, Lisa, has a killer aria that I hope to include in my hypothetical recital programming book.

Oceanic Verses by Paola Prestini (music and lyrics)
I laughed, I cried, I stood up clapping wildly at the end along with every other member in the audience. Paola, I promise to never again make fun of the butterflies on your website. Prestini beautifully wove two stories into a rather short but spectacular opera. A queen mourns over the loss of her countrymen while another woman weeps over the loss of a loved one. The female leads were stellar- a stunning black woman who emoted like there was no tomorrow and a pale coloratura whose soaring lines were so beautiful you didn’t have time to become jealous. Also equipped with a female chorus, an Italian folk singer armed with charisma and an accordion , Oceanic Verses was the perfect blend of story-telling, spectacle and great, memorable music.

Zolle by Du Yun (music and lyrics)
Was it a great experience- yes. Does this work need tweaking- yes. A narrator tells the story of a woman who has died and struggles with the idea that she no longer has a home, a family, a world. An animated mezzo echos the narration and the emotions of the woman with unworldly and haunting vocalizations. I would categorize this as more of an art/theatre piece rather than an opera. But I am so thankful it was included in the line-up. I don’t know what I would have done if I hadn’t heard some melodicas and walk-ie talk-ies. Really.

Revolution of Forms by Anthony Davis, Dafnis Prieto, Alma Guillermoprieto & Charles Koppelman
There was only time to see a few scenes from this opera. I don’t know how you can go wrong with a story that begins, “So Castro, Che and Cuban architect Ricardo Porro were playing golf…” The opera is in Spanish (there were very few works in English on Day 2) and unashamedly bellowed about politics and the female form. I would love to see the whole affair sometime soon.

Aquaenetta by Michael Gordon & Deborah Artman
Q: What do you get when you combine a 1940s sci-fi story with a minimalist composer and librettist?
A: Aquaenetta
Hook line: I am your beautiful monster.