the abbot agathon
From Sophie Calle’s film installation accompanying the English language singing translation premiere at the Guggenheim’s Works & Process program in January 2008.
the abbot agathon
Composed by arvo pärt
aop-commissioned english language singing translation by cori ellison
The Abbot Agathon (L’ábbé Agathon) by composer Arvo Pärt, for string orchestra and soprano, text based on stories of the Desert Fathers of Egypt (4th-century). Published by Universal Edition.
CREATORS
Arvo Pärt (born September 11, 1935, Paide, Estonia) is an Estonian composer who developed a style based on the slow modulation of sounds such as those produced by bells and pure voice tones, a technique reminiscent of the medieval Notre-Dame school and the sacred music of Eastern Orthodoxy; Pärt is a devout Orthodox Christian. His major works include the violin concerto Tabula Rasa (1977), Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten (1977), Magnificat-Antiphones (1988), The Beatitudes (1991), and Lamentate (first performed 2003).
Photo by Eric Marinitsch
Arvo Pärt
Composer
Cori Ellison, a leading creative figure in the opera world, has served as staff Dramaturg at Santa Fe Opera, the Glyndebourne Festival, and New York City Opera. Active in developing contemporary opera, she is a founding faculty member of American Lyric Theatre’s Composer Librettist Development Program and has developed new operatic works for companies including Icelandic Opera, Canadian Opera, Norwegian Opera, Opera Philadelphia, Chicago Opera Theater, Arizona Opera, Opera Birmingham, Pittsburgh Opera, and Beth Morrison Projects. She has served as production dramaturg for projects at companies including Salzburg Landestheater, Washington National Opera, Cincinnati Opera, National Sawdust, Opera Boston, and Bard Summerscape. She creates supertitles for opera companies worldwide, and helped launch Met Titles, the Met’s simultaneous translation system. A faculty member at The Juilliard School and the Ravinia Steans Music Institute Program for Singers, she also works with singers at young artist programs and conservatories worldwide.
Cori Ellison
Translator
Sarah Moulton Faux is lauded for her “full, silvery soprano” (Opera News) and “mesmerizing” performances (Brooklyn Spectator) in repertoire ranging from opera’s most famous heroines to contemporary works. Sarah recently made her BAM debut singing two roles in the World Premiere of The Climate Opera Project (2024). Sarah’s upcoming album "YULIYA" featuring the art songs of Julia Weissberg Rimsky-Korsakov (1880-1942) and produced by multiple Grammy award winner Judith Sherman, will be released by Azica Records in 2025. For her debut album, "Where Should This Music Be? Songs of Lola Williams” (New World Records), Sarah is the 2022 Winner of the America Prize: “Sarah Moulton Faux is stunning: her devotion to this music shines through her every syllable…a glorious disc” (Colin Clarke, Fanfare Magazine). An ardent champion of new work particularly by women composers, Sarah received the 2023 Opera America National Opera Trustee Recognition Award for her service as Co-President of the Board of Directors of American Opera Projects. A graduate of Barnard College in Asian & Middle Eastern Studies, Sarah holds a Master of Music in Vocal Performance & Pedagogy from Westminster Choir College.
Sarah Moulton Faux
Soprano
partners
STRING ORCHESTRA OF BROOKLYN
The String Orchestra of Brooklyn (SOB) is a unique community of musicians who come together in a supportive environment to enrich the life of our communities through music. Embracing an inclusive approach to music-making, the SOB seeks to democratize both the production and reception of concert music. Founded in 2007 by artistic director Eli Spindel, the String Orchestra of Brooklyn is “quickly solidifying its role as a major orchestral figure in the borough” (I Care if You Listen), providing an enriching creative outlet to hundreds of musicians, and accessible, adventurous programming to thousands of concertgoers and community members. https://thesob.org/
watch the latest performance of the abbot agathon from february 8, 2025. with string orchestra of brooklyn, sung by soprano sarah moulton faux:
UPCOMING performances
American Opera Projects plays Arvo Pärt as part of Bang On a Can’s Long Play Festival
Past Performances
Guggenheim Works & Process program, January 2008
PRESS
“[AOP’s] Moulton Faux’s voice was just as shining in Pärt’s setting of a 4th century Egyptian parable of the Abbot meeting and aiding a leper he meets on the road to the market. Her pure intonation and excellent articulation served the exactitude of Pärt’s writing, a careful display of the story, the narrative and thematic transformation of the simple and ordinary into the spiritual.”
— George Grella, New York Classical Review
"The Guggenheim Museum’s Peter B. Lewis Theater was host to American Opera Projects’ and Works & Process’ presentation of four works: three by the Estonian minimalist Arvo Pärt and one by the British-born, New York based Tarik O’Regan (who named Pärt as one of his inspirations). The 75 minute show was sometimes puzzling, sometimes riveting and always interesting. As always, AOP’s experiments require attention..."
— Robert Levine, Classics Today
Information
Duration 15' / no intermission
Commission The English language translation of The Abbot Agathon by Cori Ellison was commissioned by American Opera Projects. The February 2025 concert is produced by American Opera Projects and String Orchestra of Brooklyn.
Premiere The English language translation of The Abbot Agathon by Cori Ellison premiered in January 2008 as part of the Works & Process program at the Guggenheim with a film installation by Sophie Calle.
Roles 1 Soprano, SA Choir
Instrumentation String Orchestra
Publisher Universal Edition