Bard College Conservatory of Music Benefit:Two One-Act Operas

Two evenings of opera, directed by Doug Fitch, featuring the world premiere of the Conservatory-commissioned one-act opera A Bird in Your Ear, by David Bruce, and the first fully staged abridged, one-act version of Virgil Thomson’s Four Saints in Three Acts. Individual tickets are $15, $25, and $50* (*includes priority seating and a pre-performance reception with the artists on March 21).

A Bird in Your Ear, with libretto by Alasdair Middleton, is based on a Russian folk tale called “The Language of the Birds,” which explores the importance of listening to nature, of forgiveness, and much more. Commissioned by The Bard College Conservatory of Music, the opera features soprano Kristin Ezell as Narrator I, soprano Melissa Wegner as Narrator II, mezzo-soprano Tania Maria Rodriguez as Narrator III, soprano Chanel Wood as Nightingale, soprano Yulia Van Doren as Bird with Golden Plumage, soprano Rie Miyake as Princess, tenor Sung Eun Lee as Ivan, and bass-baritone Yohan Yi as Captain, Merchant, and King.

Four Saints in Three Acts, with libretto by Gertrude Stein, is the first fully staged production of the one-act abridged version created by Thomson in 1954 for a commercial recording. Without a traditional plotline, the opera is based on the religious life of St. Teresa of Avila, St. Ignatius of Loyola, and the younger saints who are their companions and students, including St. Settlement (St. Teresa’s confidante) and St. Chavez (St. Ignatius’ aide-de-camp). This production includes soprano Maghan Stewart as St. Teresa I, mezzo-soprano Solange Merdinian as St. Teresa II, soprano Rachel Schutz as St. Settlement, tenor Patrick Cook as St. Chavez and St. Stephen, baritone Yang Yang as St. Ignatius, mezzo-soprano Julie Anne Miller as The Commère, and bass-baritone Yohan Yi as The Compère.

Friday, March 21
Saturday, March 22
8:00 p.m.
Tickets: $15, $25, and $50*
(*includes priority seating and a pre-performance reception with the artists on March 21).

Image credit: Doug Fitch