WORKS & PROCESS: MINNESOTA OPERA

Witness the transformation of BOOM! Studios’ acclaimed comic, The Many Deaths of Laila Starr by Ram V. and Filipe Andrade, into a vivid and transporting tale for the operatic stage by composer Kamala Sankaram and librettist Minita Gandhi. Commissioned and developed by Minnesota Opera’s groundbreaking New Works Initiative, the opera explores the blurred boundary between divine and human through the lens of magical realism when the goddess of Death is cast down to Earth to live as a mortal named Laila Starr.

Prior to the world premiere, join Ram V., Sankaram, Gandhi, and members of the opera’s creative team––including director Mary Birnbaum, scenic designer Mimi Lien, costume designer Oana Botez, and choreographer Rohit Gijare––for a conversation about their collaborative process, interwoven with cast members performing excerpts. Infused with elements of Konnakol, Raga, and EDM, this fantasy on purpose and impermanence unfolds with both kinetic energy and striking clarity, as a god made mortal begins to see the world––and life itself––through fresh eyes. All are invited to continue the conversation at a reception in the rotunda.

MINNESOTA OPERA

SUBSEQUENT PERFORMANCES
NOV 5, 7, 8

World Premiere

A Minnesota Opera New Works Initiative Production

MUSIC BY KAMALA SANKARAM
LIBRETTO BY MINITA GANDHI

Reincarnated. Resolute. Revolutionary.

When the goddess of Death is cast down to Earth to live as a mortal named Laila Starr, the boundaries between the divine and the human begin to blur in this vivid, transporting world premiere from Kamala Sankaram and Minita Gandhi. The Many Deaths of Laila Starr was commissioned and developed through Minnesota Opera’s New Works Initiative, adapted from the acclaimed graphic novel by Ram V and Filipe Andrade. Infused with elements of Konnakol, Raga, and EDM, this fantasy on purpose and impermanence unfolds with both kinetic energy and striking clarity, as a god made mortal begins to see the world—and life itself—through fresh eyes.

Sung in English and Hindi with English captions projected above the stage.

Run time: Approximately 2 hours 31 minutes with 1 intermission

ars nova

Sharon Kenny - Composer/lyricist
Kirsten Guenther - Bookwriter
Mary Birnbaum - Director

The Real Housewives of New York City: an Unauthorized Opera

High art. Higher alimony.

High society, high drama, and high C's collide in a concert of songs from the new comic opera The Real Housewives of New York City: An Unauthorized Opera. On her wedding day at the Plaza, Tinsley Mortimer takes a spectacular spill down the aisle and lands in Blue Stone Manor -- her glittering bridal purgatory -- where every door opens to another absurd truth about housewifehood. With the clock to “I do” ticking and her mother’s expectations ringing, Tinsley must ditch the script and choose real life over the fairy tale… Whether you’re a ride-or-die RHONY fan or don’t know what “Turtle Time” is, pour yourself some pinot and join the OG RHONY cast for a night you won’t forget.​

KAUFMAN MUSIC CENTER

NYC PREMIERE

The NYC premiere of a new English version of the sharp, jazz-infused 1929 musical satire by Kurt Weill, Bertolt Brecht and Elisabeth Hauptmann blazes with wit, grit and dark glamour.  A follow-up to the trio’s success with The Threepenny Opera, Happy End is a satire of big business and big religion set in a smoky speakeasy where religion and capitalism collide. The unforgettable score includes “Bilbao Song,” “Mandalay Song” and “Surabaya Johnny.”

Directed by Mary Birnbaum, this compact new English adaptation by Kelley Rourke is music directed by Rob Ainsley and features Ana Karneža, a Juilliard drama graduate and 2024 winner of the Kurt Weill Foundation’s Lotte Lenya Competition, and instrumentalists from the Manhattan School of Music’s Jazz program. The presentation is part of a historic new collaborative partnership between The Glimmerglass Festival, Opera Saratoga, Finger Lakes Opera and the Seagle Festival.

opera saratoga

Opera Saratoga presents Giuseppe Verdi's "La Traviata." One of the most beloved operas of all time, La Traviata is the story of Violetta Valéry, a Parisian courtesan who falls in love with a nobleman, Alfredo Germont. Despite his family's objections and her declining health, they share one of the greatest love stories of all time. Verdi's masterpiece has influenced contemporary pop culture, serving as the narrative foundation for iconic films like "Pretty Woman" and "Moulin Rouge!"

This abridged version is 80 minutes, with all of the opera's most famous moments.
Sung in Italian with English supertitles.

KAUFMAN MUSIC CENTER

Grammy-nominated pianist Adam Tendler performs Béla Bartók’s complete Mikrokosmos in a landmark theatrical recital led by critically-acclaimed director Mary Birnbaum.

PIANO DIALOGUES
A comprehensive piano method and audacious survey of a composer's own evolution, Mikrokosmos begins with a single five-finger scale and leads — through 153 movements — to the vibrant language of Bartók's mature voice. A “daring pianist” praised for his “adventurousness and muscular skill” (The New York Times), Adam Tendler has been called “the hottest pianist on the American contemporary classical scene” (Minnesota Star Tribune), “relentlessly adventurous” (The Washington Post), a “remarkable and insightful musician” (Los Angeles Times) and an “intrepid... maverick pianist” (The New Yorker). This program will be the first time Tendler performs Mikrokosmos in its complete form, and the world premiere of this theatrical realization by Mary Birnbaum.