TRAINING
NYU/Tisch Opera Lab
Training
The NYU/Tisch Opera Lab is a collaboration between Brooklyn contemporary opera producer The American Opera Project [AOP] and NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Each year in the Lab, emerging opera composers and librettists create brand new short operas centered on an historic New York City location. Over several months, the operas are developed with professional opera singers and then given full productions in the very locations that they were written about.
The Lab is a cross-departmental collaboration that has been led since its 2015 inception by faculty members Randall Eng (Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program [GMTWP]) and Sam Helfrich (Department of Design). GMTWP provides the librettists and composers, AOP provides the singers and music directors, Dept. of Design provides the designers, and other Tisch Departments (Dance, Open Arts), other NYU constituents (Grey Art Gallery, Institute of Fine Arts), and other universities (New School for Social Research) often play key roles as well.
the hudson guild operas - Spring 2024
12 short operas over four nights inspired and dedicated to the historic Hudson Guild Settlement community in Chelsea, Manhattan.
Composers: Amos Wong, Andy Li, Benjamin Walton, Ernie Bird, John Carroll, Kat Cartusciello, Michael Meketa, Michael Oosterhout, Phyto Stratis, Sequoia Sellinger, Stephen Elkins, and Ziyan Yang.
Librettists: Adrien Radke, Alecia Baxter, Alex Manaa, Ben Ginsberg, Casey Llewellyn, Grey, José Alba Rodríguez, Patrick Thompson, Sam Norman, Sravya Saraswatula, Yunhye Park, and Zoe Ray Prawda.
Singers: Gileann Tan, Yoojin Lee, John Bellemer, Eliam Ramos, Brittany Fowler, Clayton G. Williams, Lucas Bouk, and Natalie Choo.
Music Directors: Dmitriy Glivinskiy and Chérie Roe
Directors: Diego Alejandro González, Dennis Yueh-Yeh Li, Michelle Chan and Sam Helfrich
POETS OF NEW YORK - SPRING 2023
AOP-NYU/Tisch Opera Lab presents POETS OF NEW YORK: Operas inspired by Audre Lorde & Walt Whitman, three 30-minute operas inspired by the lives, histories, and geographies of Audre Lorde and Walt Whitman—two queer poets with deep roots in New York City who lived a century apart.
Composers: Zachary Catron, Sean Havrilla, Durra Leung
Librettists: Peyton Marion, Troy Defour, Clare Fuyuko Bierman
Singers: Patrice P. Eaton, Shafiq Hicks, MaKayla McDonald, Eliam Ramos, Jordan Rutter-Covatto, Gileann Tan
Music Director: Jeremy Chan
Director: Sam Helfrich
Designers: Siena Zoë Allen, Brian Bernhard, Camille Charara, Zhuosi “Joyce” He, Andre Segar, Junran “Charlotte“ Shi
LOSING CONTROL - SPRING 2022
2022 marks the centennial of the incorporation of the American Birth Control League (now Planned Parenthood) under NY State laws. LOSING CONTROL features the premiere of eleven 15-minute operas inspired by this historic, and current, systemic struggle.
Composers: Zach Catron, Pablo Concha, Henco Espag, Mark T Evans, Jessie Field, Sean Havrilla, Erin Hoerchler, Teresa Lotz, Angelique Mouyis, Danny Ursetti, Julio Vaquero, Ella Yoon
Librettists: Momo Akashi, Clare Bierman, Andi Lee Carter, Gabe Caruso, Troy Defour, Danielle Koenig, Peyton Marion, Vaibu Mohan, James Salem, Andrew Strano
Singers: Lucas Bouk, Brittany Fowler, Ariadne Greif, Kris Königin, Laura Virella, Cáitlín Burke, Aaron-Casey Gould, MaKayla McDonald, Jordan Rutter, Amelia Watkins
Music Directors: Jeremy Chan, Candace Chien
Directors: Nina Fry, Sam Helfrich, Francisco Rivera Rodriguez, I-Chen Wang
Designers: Amanda Roberge, Josh Oberlander
UNDISCOVERED COUNTRIES - SUMMER 2021
In collaboration with a team of designers, this year’s three 30-minute operas are being written in response to the chaotic, momentous year 2020. We are thrilled to explore — through the lens of operatic film — Undiscovered Countries, a set of vital artistic responses to a world inexorably changed by (the events of) 2020.
Composers: Gavin Knittle, Willem Oosthuysen, Zonia Tsang
Librettists: Briana Harris, Alex Higgin-Houser, Tristen Moseley
Singers: Paul An, Gideon Dabi, Melissa Harvey, Kathryn Krasovec, Nicole Mitchell, Timothy Stoddard
Music Direction: Miriam Charney
Designers: Ant Ma, Kindall Almond, Karen Boyer, Lauren Carmen, Nina Pan, Anton Volovsek, Christopher Wong
The Climate Opera project - SPRING 2020
2020 marks the fiftieth anniversary of Earth Day and another year approaching an impending cataclysm of human influenced natural disasters. Our relationship to our planet forms the basis of THE CLIMATE OPERA PROJECT.
Composers: Bomi Lee, Stephen Bennett, Gavin Knittle, Will Barnett, Nate Riebli, Willem Oosthuysen
Librettists: Briana Harris, Andrew Lynch, Ashton Tibbitt, Fred Sauter, Kathy Ng, Tristen Moseley
Singers: Sarah Moulton Faux, Michael Kelly, Caitlin McKechney, Jordan Rutter, Laura Virella
Music Direction: Dima Glivinskiy
Director: Walker Lewis
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, public performances of “The Climate Opera Project” were canceled in 2020. A fully staged World Premiere of the opera was performed in April, 2024.
The DUke House Operas - Spring 2020
From its creation in 1912 as a private mansion on 5th Avenue’s Millionaires Row to its current use as NYU’s Institute of Fine Arts, the landmarked James B. Duke’s home contains over a century of stories – five of which have become THE DUKE HOUSE OPERAS.
Composers: Lucy O’Brien, Judy Yin, Durra Leung, Zonia Tsang, Ioana Buburuzan
Librettists: Erin Reifler, Brin Solomon, Nathan Fosbinder, Alex Higgin-Houser, Meghan Torone
Singers: Glenn Seven Allen, Brittany Fowler, Melissa Harvey, Kofi Hayford
Music Direction: Laetitia Ruccolo
Director: Mo Zhou
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, public performances of “The Duke House Operas” were canceled.
The Stonewall Operas - Spring 2019
On the eve of the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, four world premiere 30-minute operas examine the impact of this historic turning point in LGBTQ equality.
Composers: Bryan Blaskie, Brian Cavanagh-Strong, Kevin Cummines, TJ Rubin
Librettists: Ben Bonnema, Seth Christenfeld, Shoshana Greenberg, Deepali Gupta
Singers: Errin Duane Brooks, Brandon Coleman, Sara Couden, Amy Justman, Kathryn Krasovec, Jordan Rutter, Hans Tashjian, Clayton Williams
Music Direction: Kelly Horsted and Jillian Zack
The Dinner Party Operas - Spring 2018
The Dinner Party, an important icon of 1970s feminist art and a milestone in twentieth-century art, comprises a massive ceremonial banquet, arranged on a triangular table with a total of thirty-nine place settings, each commemorating an important woman from history. The women from Judy Chicago’s permanent art installation serve as muses for this year’s DINNER PARTY OPERAS.
Composers: Spencer Robelen, Benedict Braxton-Smith, Kent Jeong-Eun Kim, Jacinth Greywoode, Jonathan Fadner, Bryan Blaskie, Kevin Cummines, Minhui Lee, Bo Ram Han, Benji Goldsmith, Mehmet Salih Yildirim
Librettists: Seth Christenfeld, Nick Stephens, Zach Childers, Deepali Gupta, Scott R. Ritter, Christine Claudel Filimonova, Clara Luthas, Benji Goldsmith, Cal Silberstein, Seth Christenfeld, Lily Dwoskin
Singers: Keith Browning, Alexa Jarvis, Kathryn Krasovec, Yoojin Lee, Nicole Mitchell, Jordan Rutter, Nathaniel Sullivan, Amelia Watkins
Music Direction: Mila Henry and James Lowe
Director: India Marie Paul, Pauls Macs, Diane Machin, Luke Leonard
The International House Operas - spring 2017
Founded by the Rockefeller and Dodge families in 1924, International House is a non-profit programmatic and residential center dedicated to fostering the next generation of global leaders. Inspired by this, three 30-minute operas were written - THE INTERNATIONAL HOUSE OPERAS.
Composers: Aleksandra Weil, Casey O’Neill, Edison Hong
Librettists: Laura Barati, Sophia Chapadjiev, Paulo K. Tiról
Singers: Sarah Heltzel, Elena Armijo, Tomás Cruz, Jeremy Hirsch, Nicole Mitchell, Keith Browning
Music Direction: Mila Henry
Director: Sam Helfrich
The Fort Greene Park Operas - spring 2016
The NYU Tisch School of the Arts, the Fort Greene Park Conservancy (FGPC), and The American Opera Project present PARK AND BARK - 6 mini-operas about Fort Greene Park
Composers: Paulo K. Tiról, Casey O’Neil, Aleksandra Weil, TJ Rubin, Edison Hong, Yoonmi Lee, Emily Rose Simons, Tek Goo Kang, Ben Bonnema, Brian Cavanagh-Strong, Erato Kremmyda, Jonathan Russ,
Librettists: Shoshana Greenberg, Sophia Chapadjiev, Laura Barati, Marella Martin-Koch, Manda Leigh Blunt, Orian Israelsohn, Greg Moss, Chandra McClelland, Kathleen Wrinn, Ben Bonnema, Maggie-Kate Coleman, Lane Dombois,
Singers: Sam Carl, Blake Friedman, Sarah Heltzel, Amelia Watkins, Eric Brenner, Kamala Sankaram, Deborah van Renterghem, Jorell Williams
Music Direction: Mila Henry and Kelly Horsted
Director: Sam Helfrich
The NYU Opera Lab was created and is led by
Randall Eng, Associate Arts Professor of NYU Tisch School of the Arts’ Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program
Sam Helfrich, Associate Arts Professor of NYU Tisch School of the Arts’ Design for Stage & Film
Written by students from NYU Tisch School of the Arts’ Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program
Designed by students from NYU Tisch School of the Arts’ Design for Stage & Film
A collaborative project of NYU Tisch School of the Arts' Graduate Musical Theatre Writing Program, Department of Design for Stage and Film, and The American Opera Project.
Productions of the AOP-NYU/Tisch Opera Lab 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 by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.
AOP’s programs are made possible in part by the Howard Gilman Foundation, The National Endowment for the Arts, The Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Inc., The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Amphion Foundation, BMI, and the contributions of many individuals.
RANDALL ENG
SAM HELFRICH
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 30 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. He is an alumni of AOP’s Composers & the Voice fellowship training program.
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.