April 29th 5 and 7pm, April 30th 2 and 4pm
Left Coast presents a double-bill: two programs featuring new chamber operas explore aspects of human connection through the lens of queer composers Kurt Rohde, Anthony R. Green, and Sarah Hennies.
Anthony R. Green and Mark Labowskie's new chamber opera Tenderhooks explores, in a satirical mode, the ways that enforced isolation infused with eroticized technology reveal assumptions we might prefer to remain unexamined. The opera is intended to amuse but also to provoke thought: Who is seen and heard in this scenario? Who is virtual? What does the virtual world reveal about the characters? Local baritone Glenn Healy performs alongside Left Coast soprano Nikki Einfeld, who also directs the show.
This program will open with a reflective piece where community members perform alongside Left Coast musicians in Sarah Hennies' experimental work, Everything Else. Hennies' music explores creativity, perception, and queer and trans identity. Please note that Tenderhooks includes explicit sexual content.
In the first part of the double-bill, 2 pm on April 30, Kurt Rohde's new micro-opera 4:30 Movie uses Donna Masini's poetry to explore the relationship between two sisters, one of whom has died from cancer, the other who remains and remembers. Funny, touching, and ruthless, the opera reveals unexpected truths as the writer's sister succumbs to her illness. 4:30 Movie forms the end-goal of a meditative program which explores the music of Sarah Hennies and Kurt Rohde, with J.S. Bach's cathartic Chaconne creating a through-line. Music, video, and live electronics will create an immersive and powerful experience. Nikki Einfeld stars in 4:30 Movie, complemented by percussion and electronics.
Between the two shows (which may be purchased individually or at a discounted price for both) there will be a bar and an option to have a meal (purchasable in advance) in BVOH's pleasant outdoor space.