New Works Collective 2024
Experience the future of opera with three all-new 20-minute works!
Last winter, more than 130 artists applied to create new operas with OTSL. Ultimately, just three multi-genre teams were selected by a panel of St. Louis artists, advocates, and community leaders. Now, those three teams are about to prove just how innovative, inclusive, and fun opera can be.
Get ready for a night full of boundary-breaking surprises and joyful voices as we celebrate diverse cultures, stories, and the power of the human spirit!
Planning & Accessibility at Kirkwood Performing Arts Centers
Learn more about the New Works Collective panel members
Get ahead of the game with our digital program! Read notes from the creators, peruse plot synopses, learn about our accessibility offerings, and more. View the program from your desktop, mobile device, or within our app!
Event information
Photo Gallery
By Ronald Maurice and J. Mae Barizo
Unbroken tells the resilient journey of Grace, a single mother, and her three sons. Grace loves her children fiercely, but she is sick and wants to prepare them for a possible future without her. Ezra, the oldest son, contemplates what it means to carry on his mother’s legacy and raise his two younger brothers. Grace and her sister, Aunt Susan, must teach the boys to see beauty in the midst of tragedy and to treasure the seeds that we all plant for future generations.
Ronald Maurice
Composer
J. Mae Barizo
Librettist
By J. E. Hernández and Marianna Mott Newirth
Neurodivergence, often invisible to the casual observer, can be deeply misunderstood. In math class, fifth grader Roe struggles to keep up; numbers only make sense to her when they’re a mesmerizing swirl of colors. Her teacher chides her for disrupting class and her mother tells her to try harder, but Roe’s father knows she isn’t doing anything wrong — Roe just has a different way of understanding numbers. In the end, Roe’s parents, teacher, and classmates come to realize the importance of empathy, adaptability, and hidden strengths.
J.E. Hernández
Composer
Marianna Mott Newirth
Librettist
By Jasmine Ariel Barnes and Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton
Traversing the hardest times with empathy and hope can create the sweetest friendships. Melodee and Lyric are both caregivers for elders in their respective families, struggling to balance their personal and professional duties with the irrepressible longing to laugh, live, and exist without guilt. When their worlds converge, they recognize a kindred spirit in one another. Their budding friendship leads to an unmatched sisterhood where strength, vulnerability, and joy go hand-in-hand.
Jasmine Barnes
Composer
Deborah D.E.E.P Mouton
Librettist
Creative Team
Ronald Maurice
Composer
J. Mae Barizo
Librettist
J.E. Hernández
Composer
Marianna Mott Newirth
Librettist
Jasmine Barnes
Composer
Deborah D.E.E.P Mouton
Librettist
Darwin Aquino
Conductor
Kimille Howard
Stage Director
Cast
Maria Consamus
Amari / Lori / Woman 2
Aaron Crouch
Zion / Child 2 / Ensemble
Helen Zhibing Huang
Roe / Woman 1
Meroë Khalia Adeeb
Grace / Child 1 / Melodee
John Godhard Mburu
Ezra / Child 3 / Ensemble
Jesús Murillo
Uncle John / Child 1 / Man 1
Aaren Rivard
Dean / Ensemble Leader
Krysty Swann
Aunt Susan / Mrs. Waldman / Lyric
Leadership support for the New Works Collective comes from the Mellon Foundation and the Edward Jones Foundation.
Accessibility enhancements for the New Works Collective are made possible by PNC Arts Alive, and in partnership with Different Dynamics, MindsEye, and TLC Interpreting Services LLC.
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Additional support for the New Works Collective comes from Sara Burke, Annemarie & Matt Schumacher, Susan & David Young, and Dr. Pamela Stuerke.
