I’m going to throw a lot of things at you here. But…what do you get when you combine six professional adult opera singers, twenty-nine youth opera singers, synthesizers, a chamber orchestra, a long-stringed harp, the keyboardist from the band Wilco, an acclaimed percussionist and a mezzo-soprano who has performed at Carnegie Hall and off-Broadway? The answer is Nightingale & The Tower, an original electronic chamber opera commissioned by the Ojai Youth Opera. The work has its world premiere this weekend at Ojai’s Libbey Bowl on Saturday and Sunday.
Let’s unpack what you just read, but I’ll go in reverse. Rebecca Comerford, who directs, is the Artistic Director of Ojai Youth Opera (OYO). She collaborated with Wilco’s Mikael Jorgensen and Sō Percussion’s Jason Treuting on Nightingale & The Tower. This is the first commission by OYO.
Nightingale & The Tower is set in a dystopian world that has little regard for nature and all that goes with it. Our hero is a young boy who tries to find the sweet spot between what technology and the environment each offer and require.
The story is by Comerford and Jorgensen. The music is by Comerford, Treuting and Beth Meyers. Meyers is part of a flute/viola/harp trio called janus.
The 29 youth opera singers are all between the ages of 7-18. Ojai Youth Opera was formed in 2012 by Comerford and Julija Zonic. Inspired by other organizations on the East Coast, Comerford wanted to establish something for youth singers in California. The two women are amongst the adults performing in Nightingale & the Tower. The adult ensemble also includes Nicole Mitchell, Sequina DuBose, Andrew Petracca and Joseph Flaxman.
Tickets for each performance are $39. There is also a VIP Party prior to each performance. Tickets for that event are $150.
For tickets go here.
Update: This post has been updated with new information that there is a VIP Party prior to both performances, not just Saturday’s.