In honor of the publication of "Laudato Si," Pope Francis' recent encyclical about the environment, Sacred Music in a Sacred Space and The New York Opera Society (NYOS) have commissioned a new chamber opera from renowned Norwegian composer Gisle Kverndokk and librettist Aksel-Otto Bull based on the writings of Father Pierre Teilhard de Chardin.
Inspired by and featuring Teilhard’s “Mass on the World,” Kverndokk’s opera tells the stories of people whose lives have been irrevocably altered by environmental catastrophes: Chernobyl, the tsunamis, pollution and climate change. The work offers a hopeful, empowering meditation on the way forward from the human and environmental toll of these events.
This production has been made possible by Arts Council Norway/The Audio and Visual Fund, The Norwegian Composers Fund, The Lyric Writers Fund in Norway, The Dan & Gloria Bohan Foundation and The Arthur and May Orvis Foundation.
Gisle Kverndokk, composer
Aksel-Otto Bull and Gisle Kverndokk, libretto
K. Scott Warren, conductor
Joachim Schamberger, director
Isai Jess Muñoz, assistant director
Caitlin Rain, costumes
Nathan Scheuer, lighting
Shannon DeVine, The Priest
Nadia Petrella, soprano The Young Woman
John Tiranno, tenor The Young Man
Sara Murphy, mezzo-soprano The Wife
Kenneth Overton, baritone The Businessman
Sarah Hawkey, soprano The Child
Choir and Children's Choir of St. Ignatius Loyola
New York Opera Society Orchestra
New York Opera Society Homepage
Tickets at Showclix
Trailer on YouTube
The Aria "God, give me faith" with John Tiranno