LIBRETTI & ADAPTATIONS
I believe that we are the stories we tell ourselves. That is to say, if there is something we want to change in our world, artists have the moral obligation to attempt to do so; to reflect the truths that we wish to see actuated. I love entertainment, but I am not interested in entertainment for entertainment sake, which I feel can be a slippery slope. I am interested in works that inspire beauty of thought and feeling, and of graceful, humane inhabitance, however brief it may be, on this planet.
With lifelong stage experience, I bring a theatrical voice to the table which is playfully vivid, inspired by the influence of technology on society, as well as the mundanely strange and the strangely mundane. I took up libretto writing since I was struck by the fact that most operatic literature I performed contained messages I didn't want to perpetuate, and characters I didn't want to relate to. I am passionate about helping to shift the operatic artform toward a more equitable, socially responsible future - and one that I feel will more readily serve and connect with audiences of today.
Current and Recent Projects: What's Up Next?
University of Connecticut, Spring 2023 - Liking Myself (Working Title), with composer Sarah Marze
Souls Unscreened, with composer Roger A. Martinez,
in preparation for installation-style performances TBA, slated for completion in 2023
Breaking Blood, with composer Tori Lavan
in development as part of Really Spicy Opera Institute, Completion slated for end of 2023
One Stop Short, with composer Jane Kozhenikova,
in development as part of Really Spicy Opera Institute, Completion slated for end of 2023
Alcina REVAMPED (2021) // Music by G. F. Handel
(Adaptation and electronics concept/re-orchestration)
Synopsis: Alcina, a magical sorceress, is Queen of a deserted island, where she lives along with her sister Morgana, and all of Alcina's ex-lovers, held captive after she transformed them into animals and plants. Angry about her constant rejection, Alcina turns to dark magic to increase her powers; at least if she cannot be loved, she will be revered. Bradamante and Ruggiero, faithfully married lesbian soldiers, arrive on the island along with their bestie, Melissa, and Alcina puts Ruggiero under her love spell. Morgana discovers her own identity and sexuality, and Melissa, having dabbled a bit in magic, reveals the secret to rescuing Ruggiero and restoring the island: that if goodness remains in Alcina's heart, not only will all of the captives on the island return to their original human forms and be set free, Alcina's own life will be spared. In the end, truth shines through the cracks, Oberto is reunited with his no-longer-leafy father, Alcina is forgiven, and all set forth to live a life of peace and happiness.
Performances: Alter Ego Chamber Opera, at the Adrienne Theatre in Philadelphia, as part of the Philadelphia Fringe Festival. September 24th and 26th, 2021.
Video Coming Soon!
Phony (2019) // Music by David Matthew Brown
Synopsis: A couple sits down to dinner and discovers the ways in which their gross reliance and overuse of technology has destroyed their blossoming relationship -- or never allowed it to fully form in the first place. In this micro-opera for two voices and cameo, Phony explores the ways in which technology has harmed our ability to connect, as well as sustain a deeply meaningful, and truly human relationship with the person who should feel the closest to us.
Performances: Concert Performance with House Music Philadelphia, May 2019, presented as part of the ADDITICTION double-bill, staged world premiere with Alter Ego Chamber Opera, September 2019, with the Philadelphia Fringe Festival in the ADDICTION double-bill.
Potentialite (2019) // Music by Roger A. Martinez
Synopsis: Mel, a 25-year-old physicist living alone in a high rise apartment building, is at the end of her wits, and seeks desperate measures to end her life. She encounters her doppelganger in an elevator, who draws upon her knowledge of the law of potential energy in order to save her life.
Performances: ENA Ensemble, July 2019, presented as part of Serial Opera series, #5
The Coffee Cantata (2019) // Music by J.S. Bach
(Adaptation and re-orchestration)
About: In this modern adaptation, Alize transforms the primary character relationship entirely to that of a hip, urban couple fighting over coffee addiction and cafe expenditures, rather than a father and daughter. Linguistically, the libretto respects German vowel choices and stresses which Bach set musically, offering a playfully hilarious English-language setting which captures the spirit and nature of Bach's original work, while providing modern audiences a scenario with which they can more fully relate. The big question is: does she ditch coffee, or the man?
Performances: House Music Philadelphia, May 2019, presented as part of the ADDICTION double-bill, Alter Ego Chamber Opera, September 2019, presented as part of the OPERATIC ADDICTIONS double-bill at the Philadelphia Fringe Festival.
Pierrot Lunaire (2015) // Music by Arnold Schönberg
(Adaptation)
About: Alize utilizes the original German text which Schönberg set, by Otto Erich Hartleben, while paying tribute to original source poetry by Albert Giraud, to create a fantastical, visceral, modern English-language performance.
Performances: Curtis Institute of Music with Duende Ensemble, with Alize as the vocalist, at the Kimmel Center Innovation Studio, December 2015, ENA Ensemble (selections), Philadelphia February 2019