New Works Reading Series (MD Opera Studio)

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• Free: No tickets required

UMD School of Music

MARYLAND OPERA STUDIO

New Works Reading Series

Because new works give young singers the opportunity to learn from, collaborate with, and gain insight into the compositional process from living composers and librettists, Maryland Opera Studio has an ongoing commitment to staging new operas in readings, workshops, and full productions. Join us to hear first-year students read two new works:

The Last Act of Revolution is one-act chamber opera based on historical events surrounding the suicide of Ulrike Meinhof, a key member of the militant Baader-Meinhof Group. During the 1960s and 70s, Meinhof and her compatriots waged a campaign of terror that rocked West Germany. Set in prison during the final hours of Meinhof's life, the opera explores the psychological issues surrounding the use of violence for political ends.

Based on the novel by John Updike, S. is set primarily in present-day Boston, Boston's North Shore and in the Arizona desert. It follows Sarah Worth, a wealthy doctor's wife and a loving mother in her mid forties, as she flees her suburban life to join her guru, a charismatic Hindu religious leader known as the Arhat, at his ashram in Arizona. A hilarious romp through 1980's American culture, "S." features a contemporary, tonal musical language with elements of Indian raga.