the climate opera project

The Climate Opera Project is a collection of four short operas celebrating Earth Day 2024 depicting unlikely heroes reeling from the cataclysm of human-influenced natural disasters. From a revengeful polar bear watching its home disappear to a water-stealing cactus, these operas tackle issues of the environment with humor and hope.

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OLD KING TROUT

Music & libretto by
Andrew Lynch

MOTHER — MELISA BONETTI, MEZZO-SOPRANO
DAUGHTER — ESTHER YI-AN TIEN, MEZZO-SOPRANO
OLD KING TROUT — JORDAN RUTTER-COVATTO, COUNTERTENOR

While searching for a new home, a mother and daughter stumble across Old King Trout, the source of all of humanity’s bountiful resources. With a baby on the way, will the temptation to ask for more prove too strong, or can they be satisfied with enough?

**Andrew Lynch / Composer & Librettist**

tHE thieving cactus

Music by gavin knittle
Libretto by ashton tibbitt

Earth — Esther Yi-An Tien, Mezzo-soprano
Life — Jordan Rutter-Covatto, Countertenor
Saguaro — Gideon Dabi, Baritone

In all the great vast black expanse, there sat spinning day by day: One Earth. Found only on the Earth: the gift of the Tree of Life...... Then there was poor Saguaro.
As careless greed compounds, what happens once we reach the tipping point?

polar

Music by William Barnett
Libretto by Fred Sauter

Saynaara — Sarah Moulton Faux, Soprano
Mama — Melisa Bonetti, Mezzo-soprano
boris — Gideon Dabi, Baritone

An unlikely friendship is formed when the young daughter of a big oil PR rep encounters a starving polar bear (who can speak.) Set in modern day Siberia, this dark, comedic opera features a playful, Russian infused score, both avant-garde and galant, and confronts the dire effects of climate change, human greed and political polarization with twisted absurdity.

the watering hole

Music by Willem Oosthuysen
Libretto by Tristen Moseley

Narcissus — Sarah Moulton Faux, Soprano
Fisher — Melisa Bonetti, Mezzo-soprano
Sirenity — Jordan Rutter-Covatto, Countertenor

The Watering Hole follows Fisher, Sirenity, and Narcissus as they float upon the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The trio must confront each other, themselves, and the uninhabitable ocean sloshing below their feet. Mythology and climate crises collide, but all Fisher can do is grip her rod tightly and ask: will hope nibble at the end of the line?

STAGE DIRECTOR

Sam Helfrich BA (Russian Literature), M.F.A. (Theatre Arts) Columbia University. Sam Helfrich is an opera and theater director based in New York. He has directed opera productions at New York City Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Portland Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, Spoleto Festival/USA, Virginia Opera, Opera Boston, Pittsburgh Opera, and Wolf Trap, among others. Recent opera highlights include the west coast premiere of Elizabeth Cree, by Kevin Puts and Mark Campbell, at West Edge Opera, the world premiere of Permadeath, a CGI- based opera about video gaming with White Snake Productions in Boston, the world premiere of Jeffrey Smith's Why is Eartha Kitt Trying to Kill Me at Urban Arias in Washington DC, Mozart’s The Magic Flute with the Indianapolis Symphony, a staging of Haydn’s Creation with the Pittsburgh Symphony, the New York premiere of Angels in America at New York City Opera, the world premiere of Dan Sonenberg's The Summer King at Pittsburgh Opera (and, recently, at Michigan Opera Theater), Bach's St. John Passion with the Pittsburgh Symphony, Mark Anthony Turnage's Greek at Boston Lyric Opera, Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld at Virginia Opera, the world premiere of Enemies: A Love Story, by Ben Moore, at Palm Beach Opera, Embedded, by composer Patrick Soluri, at Fargo-Moorhead Opera and Ft. Worth Opera, Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos at Virginia Opera, Jake Heggie's Dead Man Walking at Eugene Opera, Andre Previn's A Streetcar Named Desire at Virginia Opera, the American premiere of Philip Glass' Kepler at Spoleto Festival/USA, Adams' Nixon in China at Eugene Opera, a fully staged Messiah with the Pittsburgh Symphony, the world premiere of Michael Dellaira's The Secret Agent at Center for Contemporary Opera in New York, the Armel Opera Festival in Hungary, and Opera Avignon, The Turn of the Screw at Boston Lyric Opera, Philip Glass' Orphée at Pittsburgh Opera, Virginia Opera, Portland Opera, and Glimmerglass Opera, and Anthony Davis’ Amistad at Spoleto Festival/USA. Recent theater credits include Neil LaBute’s In a Dark Dark House with Knife Edge Productions, off-Broadway productions of Owned, a world premier play by Julian Sheppard, and Tape, by Stephen Belber, a double bill of plays by Shaw and De Musset at the Franklin Stage Company, and Arthur Miller’s After The Fall at NYU/Tisch Grad Acting.https://www.samhelfrich.com/

MUSIC DIRECTOR

JEREMY CHAN (April 23)

Jeremy Chan is a freelance Australian pianist and vocal coach based in New York City. A versatile musician with a flair for improvisation, he loves collaborating with artists who sing, play, and dance.

Jeremy is on staff at Juilliard and the Manhattan School of Music, and serves as Director of Music at Advent Lutheran Church. His playing has been praised as “superb" and for "summoning about as much color as can possibly be coaxed out” (New York Classical Review). His 2023-24 season includes productions of West Side Story (Opera Australia), Britten’s A Midsummer Night's Dream (Manhattan School of Music), Massenet’s Cendrillon, performances at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, BAM, NYU, and appearances with the Brooklyn Art Song Society, American Opera Projects, Central City Chorus, and the Isadora Duncan Dance Foundation. Outside of music, he revels in yoga, tea, and food adventures.

Known for his broad range of repertoire and versatility of style, Tyson Deaton has established a reputation for leading energetic and inventive performances. With his musical roots in the standard operatic canon, his affinity for contemporary works is acclaimed.

Frequently entrusted with new work development as a musical authority, Deaton has led premieres of an impressive roster of contemporary composers. At the opposite end of the musical spectrum, he is currently completing a scholarly edition of the works of Joseph Bologne de Saint-Georges.

Joining San Francisco Opera for Sweeney Todd, followed by L'elisir d'amore at Opera Birmingham, Deaton has also worked with Houston Grand Opera, NYCO, American Modern Ensemble, Opera Omaha, Atlanta Opera, Sarasota Opera, and Kentucky Opera, among many others.

Deaton led Cipullo's Glory Denied in his Fort Worth Opera debut, yielding the first professional recording of this work (Albany), rated “Best of 2013” (Washington Post), and one among “12 Best Full-Length Opera Recordings of 2014” (OperaNews).

PERFORMERS

DESIGNERS

press

ADDITIONAL MUSIC & OPERA LAB DIRECTOR

Randall Eng founded and leads the NYU/Tisch Opera Lab with Sam Helfrich. Under their guidance, students from the Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program have created more than 40 short operas. As a composer, Randall's music lies at the intersection of opera, music-theatre, and jazz. His operas Florida, Before the Night Sky, and Henry's Wife have been performed at UrbanArias, Lyric Opera Cleveland, New York City Opera's VOX Festival, American Opera Projects, Town Hall, the Virginia Arts Festival, the Center for Contemporary Opera, and Manhattan School of Music. His choral work Remain (a setting of an immigration rights pamphlet) premiered in 2018 by the MasterVoices Chorus. Other dramatic works include The Dangers of Electric Lighting (Luna Stage), Usher, Falling (Opera Vindaloo Festival), and the video opera The Woman in the Green Coat (Edinburgh Fringe Festival); non-theatrical works include commissions for Albany Symphony Orchestra's Dogs of Desire, Mirror Visions Ensemble, and Composer's Voice. Randall is a graduate of Harvard University, Cambridge University, and NYU/Tisch's Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program, where he is now an Associate Arts Professor.

ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT OF DESIGN FOR STAGE & FILM IN NYU’S TISCH SCHOOL OF THE ARTS

The Department of Design for Stage and Film at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts is a diverse community of theater and film artists. The 3 year MFA (Graduate) program educates future generations of theater and film designers who, like our faculty and alumni before them, will have a profound impact on the arts through their design work.

ABOUT THE GRADUATE MUSICAL THEATRE WRITING PROGRAM IN NYU’S TISCH SCHOOL OF THE ARTS

The NYU Tisch School of the Arts Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program trains students in the ever-evolving process of creating new musical theatre works for both traditional and emerging media. Each year, students from around the world embark on a two-year MFA course, participating in ongoing writing workshops that emphasize craft, the art of collaboration, rewriting, storytelling, and developing an original voice. Embracing the broadest possible definition of musical theatre, this intimate and unique program — the only one of its kind in the world — is solidly grounded in its location in New York and as a part of the Tisch School of the Arts. Students are immersed in all aspects of New York musical theatre, workshopping their material with directors, actors, and major artists in the field. They also have opportunities to interact and collaborate with faculty and students in other departments across Tisch including Undergraduate Drama, Dance, Design for Stage and Film, Graduate Acting, Photography and Imaging, Games and the Interactive Telecommunications Program. The program culminates in the creation of full-length original works.

ABOUT NYU'S OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY

NYU's Office of Sustainability leads the University-wide effort to build a healthier and more sustainable future. Through strategies that span every area of university life, the Office of Sustainability aims to reduce NYU's greenhouse gas emissions, support teaching and research, and provide resources and guidance in establishing a culture of sustainability at NYU. The Office of Sustainability also seeks to have graduates across all schools understand issues surrounding sustainability and how their work can contribute to a more sustainable world.

ABOUT BROOKLYN ACADEMY OF MUSIC

BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music) is a multi-arts center located in Brooklyn, New York. For more than 150 years, BAM has been the home for adventurous artists, audiences, and ideas—engaging both global and local communities. With world-renowned programming in theater, dance, music, opera, film, and much more, BAM showcases the work of emerging artists and innovative modern masters. https://www.bam.org/

GUEST SPEAKERS

Susan Gonzalez - Moderator for 4/27. Director of Hunter College Opera Theater.

Peter Terezakis - Associate Arts Professor at NYU Tisch School for the Arts. He studied art as it relates to political activism inspiring his body of work in film creating the First Annual Global Climate Change Film Festival! Peter's large scale performative events such as Sacred Sky, Sacred Earth, bring together large communities, focusing awareness on the fragile environment and the power of artistic creation.

Chantal Bilodeau is a Montreal-born, New York-based playwright and translator whose work focuses on the intersection of storytelling and the climate crisis. She is the founding artistic director of the Arts & Climate Initiative, where she has spearheaded initiatives for nearly two decades, getting theatre and educational communities. She is the editor of three anthologies of short plays, one of which earned her an Honorable Mention from the Patrick O'Neill Award for Best Edited Collection given by the Canadian Association for Theatre Research.

Jessie Keyt is an Assistant Arts Professor in Dramatic Writing at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, and a development, story, and script consultant for filmmakers and production companies in the US, UK, and Europe. Clients have included Alicia Keys, Nickelodeon, Working Title, 9 Story Media, and Bard Entertainment. Jessie has taught screenwriting for Sundance, Columbia, and La Fémis. She is co-author of, Alternative Scriptwriting: Contemporary Storytelling for the Screen. published in 2023. Her award-winning feature film, SKIN, launched at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2008.

Cecil Sheib is NYU’s Chief Sustainability Officer. In this role, he oversees the university-wide effort to build a healthier and more sustainable future. Key responsibilities include reducing NYU’s carbon emissions; supporting sustainability teaching and learning across NYU’s diverse schools; championing ideas that advance innovation, education, and social justice; and engaging with the community through student, staff, and faculty opportunities.

Joylynn Holder joined the Fort Greene Park Conservancy in 2021 because of her love for the park and devotion to outdoor play and learning. She founded the Brooklyn Forest School, an early childhood program that offers classes outdoors in city parks. After 14 years of Waldorf education, Joylynn studied Theology and Fine Arts at Georgetown University and Women’s Studies at George Washington University’s graduate program. She has won numerous awards over the years for her work as a community organizer and has lectured at universities and educational conferences around the country. She and her family live a few blocks from the park, which they visit almost every day.

Special thanks to: Allyson Green, Peter Terezakis, Danny Larsen, Amy Burgess, Robert Lee, Stephanie Margolis, Dana Whitco, Caitlin McKechney, Laura Virella, Michael Kelly, Dima Glivinskiy, Walker Lewis, and Jeremy Chan.

The Climate Opera Project is supported in part by an award from the Howard Gilman Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts and New York University’s Office of Sustainability. AOP’s programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.