DECORATION: Versatile composer Mikael Karlsson to premiere and discuss scenes from his new opera

Image Few classical composers can state their music has sold over 8 million copies, but Mikael Karlsson, the composer of two scores from a hit video game franchise, can claim that distinction. He'll tell you though that he gets just as much satisfaction, if not more, satisfaction from composing for dance, film, and opera.

AOP returns to the Manhattan School of Music for their annual Opera Index series with scenes from Decoration, a new opera by Mikael with a libretto by the composer and David Flodén. The enigmatic work concerns "pointlessness, science as faith, entropy, a room with zero dimensions, druggy visions, rabbits, "new flesh," lies and oracles floating on top of oceans inside hospitals." The performance on March 17 features singers Rebecca Ringle, Margreth Fredheim, Jason Cox and Raehann Bryce-Davis with stage direction by Caren France. Decoration comes to AOP's series OPERAtion Brooklyn on March 23 in Brooklyn.

Decoration was developed in AOP's Composers & the Voice program in 2011-2012. The March performances of Decoration are made possible in part with generous funding by The Victor Herbert Foundation in memory of Lois C. Schwartz. Artist bios and video samples can be found at: www.operaprojects.org/decoration

Read Mikael's interview with IGN.com about bringing his avante-garde classical style to the video game Battlefield: Bad Company.