Song From the Uproar: Student-Run Opera!
Donation protected
UPDATE: Thank you so much to all of our individual donors. This is HAPPENING!!! We still need $400 more for the workshops, costumes, and lighting, but if a bunch of people donate a lil bit, we'll reach our goal in no time! Thank you so much for everyone's support, and we are SO excited to share this creation with you in less than a month!
Last February, I had the wild idea of putting up an opera at Wesleyan University, where I am currently a Junior Music Major. Student-run opera has never existed at Wesleyan… until now! As of three months ago, all I had was a vision of producing Song from the Uproar: The Lives and Deaths of Isabelle Eberhardt, a modern opera by Missy Mazzoli.
I had no directors, no venue, no cast, and no instrumentalists.
We now have an incredible production team, cast, ensemble, venue, and almost all the money we need to make this possible.
We have received over $800 from various grants, but we still need $500 more for rights, scores, props, costumes, lights, advertisement, programs, and community outreach!
Our goal is to make opera more accessible and relatable to Wesleyan students and Middletown residents, especially local teenagers.
Our performance dates are scheduled for February 22nd (2pm and 8pm shows) in World Music Hall at Wesleyan University. We will also be collaborating with local organizations in a Community Opera Workshop for local teens to engage with opera and create art with our performers.
Please consider donating to help us make this dream a reality! A lot of people giving a little bit adds up.
Some more info about the opera...
Song from the Uproar was written in 2012 by Missy Mazzoli and shares the true story of Isabelle Eberhardt (1877-1904). After the death of her mother, brother, and father, at the age of 20, Eberhardt traveled around North Africa on horseback, often dressed as a man, documenting her travels through detailed journals. At the age of 27, Isabelle died in a flash flood in the desert. Her journals inspired Missy Mazzoli's breathtaking musical creation, which defies genre, blending opera with choral, musical theater, rock, and experimental musical styles.
Meet the team...
Lisa Stein, producer
Lisa is a Junior Music and Religion Major at Wesleyan University where she founded The Nigun Circle, a meditative wordless song circle and The Mazel Tones, a Jewish a cappella group. She is thrilled to be sharing her love of opera with Wesleyan students and the broader Middletown community.
Manuel J. Perez III, co-director
Manny is a composer, multi-instrumentalist, experimental artist, and astrophysicist from Oxnard, CA. He holds a BM in Composition & Saxophone Performance from the University of Redlands and has directed a myriad of performances, from experimental chamber opera to performance art, throughout the United States.
Sam Driver, co-director
Sam is a Junior Theater Major at Wesleyan University, who has worked with opera and all forms of theater for many years now. He is excited to bring this new and innovative project to Wesleyan.
Shiva Ramkumar, vocal director
Shiva is a Sophomore Music Major at Wesleyan and has performed and worked with many types of vocal music, including opera and experimental music.
Pau Rius Valor, music director
Pau is a Senior Music Major at Wesleyan and has experience conducting both choir and orchestra. She has loved singing experimental opera and is honored and thrilled to be on the podium for this unique musical experience.
Jasmine Stack, choreographer
Jasmine is a choreographer and visual artist from Phoenix, AZ. She holds an MFA in Modern Dance from the University of Utah and has created and performed works as a member of the Deseret Experimental Opera since 2016.
Cast:
Mallory Elliot, soprano
Naomi Glascock, alto
Daisy Mayer, soprano
Sam Peterson, tenor
Andrew Simard, baritone
Lisa Stein, mezzo
Instrumentalists:
Luisa Lubambo, piano
Alex Tripp, guitar
Dustin Qian, flute/piccolo
Zachary Drum, clarinet
Manuel J. Perez III, electronics
Last February, I had the wild idea of putting up an opera at Wesleyan University, where I am currently a Junior Music Major. Student-run opera has never existed at Wesleyan… until now! As of three months ago, all I had was a vision of producing Song from the Uproar: The Lives and Deaths of Isabelle Eberhardt, a modern opera by Missy Mazzoli.
I had no directors, no venue, no cast, and no instrumentalists.
We now have an incredible production team, cast, ensemble, venue, and almost all the money we need to make this possible.
We have received over $800 from various grants, but we still need $500 more for rights, scores, props, costumes, lights, advertisement, programs, and community outreach!
Our goal is to make opera more accessible and relatable to Wesleyan students and Middletown residents, especially local teenagers.
Our performance dates are scheduled for February 22nd (2pm and 8pm shows) in World Music Hall at Wesleyan University. We will also be collaborating with local organizations in a Community Opera Workshop for local teens to engage with opera and create art with our performers.
Please consider donating to help us make this dream a reality! A lot of people giving a little bit adds up.
Some more info about the opera...
Song from the Uproar was written in 2012 by Missy Mazzoli and shares the true story of Isabelle Eberhardt (1877-1904). After the death of her mother, brother, and father, at the age of 20, Eberhardt traveled around North Africa on horseback, often dressed as a man, documenting her travels through detailed journals. At the age of 27, Isabelle died in a flash flood in the desert. Her journals inspired Missy Mazzoli's breathtaking musical creation, which defies genre, blending opera with choral, musical theater, rock, and experimental musical styles.
Meet the team...
Lisa Stein, producer
Lisa is a Junior Music and Religion Major at Wesleyan University where she founded The Nigun Circle, a meditative wordless song circle and The Mazel Tones, a Jewish a cappella group. She is thrilled to be sharing her love of opera with Wesleyan students and the broader Middletown community.Manuel J. Perez III, co-director
Manny is a composer, multi-instrumentalist, experimental artist, and astrophysicist from Oxnard, CA. He holds a BM in Composition & Saxophone Performance from the University of Redlands and has directed a myriad of performances, from experimental chamber opera to performance art, throughout the United States.Sam Driver, co-director
Sam is a Junior Theater Major at Wesleyan University, who has worked with opera and all forms of theater for many years now. He is excited to bring this new and innovative project to Wesleyan.Shiva Ramkumar, vocal director
Shiva is a Sophomore Music Major at Wesleyan and has performed and worked with many types of vocal music, including opera and experimental music.Pau Rius Valor, music director
Pau is a Senior Music Major at Wesleyan and has experience conducting both choir and orchestra. She has loved singing experimental opera and is honored and thrilled to be on the podium for this unique musical experience.Jasmine Stack, choreographer
Jasmine is a choreographer and visual artist from Phoenix, AZ. She holds an MFA in Modern Dance from the University of Utah and has created and performed works as a member of the Deseret Experimental Opera since 2016.Cast:
Mallory Elliot, soprano
Naomi Glascock, alto
Daisy Mayer, soprano
Sam Peterson, tenor
Andrew Simard, baritone
Lisa Stein, mezzo
Instrumentalists:
Luisa Lubambo, piano
Alex Tripp, guitar
Dustin Qian, flute/piccolo
Zachary Drum, clarinet
Manuel J. Perez III, electronics
Organizer
Lisa Stein
Organizer
Middletown, CT