Pauline Adamek
The Industry is thrilled to announce an exciting lineup of conversations with the artists and creators of The Comet / Poppea, presented in partnership with MOCA and made possible by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
The Comet / Poppea
An opera presented by The Industry and Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA).
Composed by George Lewis
Libretto by Douglas Kearney
Concept & Direction by Yuval Sharon
June 14–23, 2024
WAREHOUSE at Geffen Contemporary at MOCA
The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA
152 North Central Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012
From the press release:
The Industry is thrilled to announce the world premiere of our next project, The Comet / Poppea, conceived by founder and co-artistic director, Yuval Sharon, and composed by George Lewis, with libretto by poet Douglas Kearney. This groundbreaking work is presented in partnership with the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) and appears at The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, with eleven performances, June 14–23, 2024.
The Comet / Poppea brings together seemingly disparate worlds connected by stories of cultural transformation. The work juxtaposes Claudio Monteverdi’s L’incoronazione di Poppea, an Italian opera from 1643 unfolding among the social divisions of ancient Rome; and the world premiere of The Comet, based on the 1924 science-fiction short story by Pan-Africanist civil rights activist W.E.B. Du Bois. Set in 1920s New York City, “The Comet” depicts a Black man and white woman as the only survivors after a comet hits Earth.
Presented on a turntable divided in two halves, these worlds unfold simultaneously, with the stage’s rotation creating a visual and sonic spiral for audiences—inviting associations, dissociations, collisions, and confluences. A virtuosic cast features countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo (“Vocally brilliant and dramatically fearless,” The New York Times) and bass-baritone Davóne Tines (“One of the most powerful voices of our time,” Los Angeles Times).
World Premiere:
June 14, 2024
Tickets: $200, including a special post-performance reception
Additional Performances:
General Admission: $40.00
MOCA, The Industry,
and AMOC* Members: $35.00
Students: $25.00
Performances dates & times:
June 15, 2024, 8:00pm
June 16, 2024, 2:00pm
June 18, 2024, 8:00pm
June 20, 2024, 5:00 & 8:00pm
June 21, 2024, 5:00 & 8:00pm
June 22, 2024, 2:00 & 8:00pm
June 23, 2024, 2:00pm
PUBLIC PROGRAMS:
The Comet / Poppea in Conversation
Yuval Sharon, George Lewis, Douglas Kearney, and Anthony Roth Costanzo
Sunday, June 16, 2024 at 2:00 pm
Join the company after the performance for an in-depth conversation with director Yuval Sharon, composer George Lewis, librettist Douglas Kearney, and performer/producer Anthony Roth Costanzo on the themes and development of The Comet / Poppea.
Paul Holdengräber with Yuval Sharon
Saturday, June 22, 2024 at 2:00 pm
The Industry’s Founder and Co-Artistic Director Yuval Sharon joins curator, writer, and interviewer Paul Holdengräber after the performance to discuss The Comet / Poppea and Sharon’s forthcoming book, A New Philosophy of Opera.
World Premiere Reception
Friday, June 14, 2024 at 8:00 pm
Join the company on the plaza after the world premiere to gather with the artists and offer a celebratory toast. Your ticket includes access to a complimentary bar and light fare. Music provided by KCHUNG Radio.
The company is also thrilled to offer opening night guests a copy of the libretto signed by Douglas Kearney, George Lewis, and Yuval Sharon.
CAST:
The Comet / Poppea features a rotating cast of performers from Los Angeles and New York.
Engagements are subject to change
Lindsay Patterson Abdou (Love / Nellie)
Performing June 16, 2pm; June 20, 5pm; June 21, 8pm; & June 22, 2pm
Cedric Berry ** (Jim / Mercury)
Performing June 15, 8pm; June 20, 5pm; June 21, 8pm; & June 23, 2pm
Amanda Lynn Bottoms (Ottone / Virtue)
Performing All Performances
Anthony Roth Costanzo *** (Nero / Julia’s Father)
Performing June 14, 8pm; June 15, 8pm; June 16, 2pm; June 20, 8pm; June 21, 8pm; June 22, 2pm; June 23, 2pm
Kiera Duffy (Julia)
Performing June 14, 8pm; June 16, 2pm; June 18, 8pm; June 20, 5pm; June 21, 8pm; June 22, 8pm; & June 23, 2pm
James Hayden **(Seneca)
Performing All Performances
Laurel Irene (Julia)
Performing June 15, 8pm; June 20, 8pm; June 21, 5pm; & June 22, 2pm
Eric Jurenas (Nero / Julia’s Father)
Performing June 18, 8pm; June 20, 5pm; June 21, 5pm; & June 22, 8pm
Joanna Lynn-Jacobs (Poppea)
Performing June 16, 2pm; June 20, 8pm; June 21, 5pm; & June 22, 2pm
Joelle Lamarre (Love / Nellie)
Performing June 14, 8pm; June 15, 8pm; June 18, 8pm; June 20, 8pm; June 21, 5pm; June 22, 8pm; & June 23, 2pm
Whitney Morrison (Ottavia / “Friend” / Fortune).
Performing: June 14, 8pm; June 15, 8pm; June 18, 8pm; June 20, 8pm; June 21, 5pm; June 22, 8pm; & June 23, 2pm
Davóne Tines ***(Jim / Mercury)
Performing June 14, 8pm; June 16, 2pm; June 18, 8pm; June 20, 8pm; June 21, 5pm; June 22, 2pm; & June 22, 8pm
Nardus Williams (Poppea)
Performing June 14, 8pm; June 15, 8pm; June 18, 8pm; June 20, 5pm; June 21, 8pm; June 22, 8pm; & June 23, 2pm
Mikaela Elson (Ottone / Virtue, understudy)
Ben Lin (Seneca, understudy)
Instrumentalists:
Doug Balliett*** (Double Bass)
Matt Cook (Percussion)
Gabriel Crist (Harpsichord)
Miranda Cuckson*** (Viola)
Emi Ferguson*** (Flute)
Keir GoGwilt*** (Violin)
Richard Valitutto (Piano)
Coleman Itzkoff*** (Cello)
Eric Tinkerhess (Baroque Cello)
Jason Koji Yoshida (Theorbo)
** The Industry Company Member
*** AMOC* Company Member
ABOUT THE MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART (MOCA)
Founded in 1979, MOCA is the defining museum of contemporary art. In a relatively short time, MOCA has achieved astonishing growth: a world-class collection of almost 8,000 objects, international in scope with deep holdings in Los Angeles art; hallmark education programs that are widely emulated; award-winning publications that present original scholarship; groundbreaking monographic, touring, and thematic exhibitions of international repute that survey the art of our time; and cutting-edge engagement with new modes of media production. MOCA is a not-for-profit institution that relies on a variety of funding sources for its activities.
ABOUT THE INDUSTRY
The Industry is a Los Angeles-based opera company that expands on the operatic form, challenging its orthodoxies while creating bold, interdisciplinary, and collaborative performances. Led by its Artist Director Cooperative of Ash Fure, Malik Gaines, and founder Yuval Sharon, the organization prizes site-specific approaches in dialogue with our cultural landscape, creating new relationships among artist, spectator, and community. During the past decade, The Industry’s productions have taken place in locations ranging from Los Angeles Historic Park, where Sweet Land meditated on American mythologies around manifest destiny; to Mt. Wilson Observatory, where Star Choir envisioned a new species whose telepathic powers make possible a new model for society. Such efforts have gained The Industry renown as “the coolest opera company in the world” (KUSC) as it stands on “the leading edge of operatic innovation” (Wired Magazine).
ABOUT AMERICAN MODERN OPERA COMPANY
AMOC* (American Modern Opera Company), founded in 2017 by Matthew Aucoin and Zack Winokur, builds and shares a body of collaborative work. As a group of dancers, singers, musicians, writers, directors, composers, choreographers, and producers united by a core set of values, AMOC* artists pool their resources to create new pathways that connect creators and audiences in surprising and visceral ways.
ABOUT CURTIS INSTITUTE OF MUSIC
At Curtis, the world’s most talented young musicians develop into exceptional artists, creators, and innovators. With a tuition-free foundation, Curtis is a unique environment for teaching and learning. A small school by design, students realize their artistic potential through intensive, individualized study with the most renowned, sought-after faculty. Animated by a learn-by-doing philosophy, Curtis students share their music with audiences through more than 100 performances each year, including solo and chamber recitals, orchestral concerts, and opera—all free or at an affordable cost—offering audiences unique opportunities to participate in pivotal moments in these young musicians’ careers. Curtis students experience a close connection to the greatest artists and organizations in classical music, and innovative initiatives that integrate new technologies and encourage entrepreneurship—all within a historic campus in the heart of culturally rich Philadelphia. In this diverse, collaborative community, Curtis’s extraordinary artists challenge, support, and inspire one another—continuing an unparalleled 100-year legacy of musicians who have led, and will lead, classical music into a thriving, equitable, and multidimensional future. Learn more at Curtis.edu.
Terry Morgan
