COVID-EXPERIMENTS
Guerilla Opera get smaller, yet still packs a punch in these small-scale video and film projects that explore what it is to be “operatic”!
PRODUCTIONS
Clips from our favorite groundbreaking productions of new operas since 2007!
PREVIEWS AND INTERVIEWS
Footage from musical readings, workshops as well as interviews with our collaborators!
Shooting “Ofelia’s Life Dream,” a psychedelic tale of life and death. A woman at a life crossroads faces a difficult decision and hallucinates fantastic dream worlds transforming into mysterious bioluminescent fungi, moths that drink tears of sleeping birds, and giant self-destructing palm trees. Ofelia’s Life Dream is an experimental film written and with music by Caroline Louise Miller, directed by Laine Rettmer, visual effects by Nuozhou Wang, starring by Aliana de la Guardia, and in partnership with HC Media. Photo by Max Finn (Experiment #4: October/November 2020) .
Video still from “Ofelia’s Life Dream,” a psychedelic tale of life and death. A woman at a life crossroads faces a difficult decision and hallucinates fantastic dream worlds transforming into mysterious bioluminescent fungi, moths that drink tears of sleeping birds, and giant self-destructing palm trees. Ofelia’s Life Dream is an experimental film written and with music by Caroline Louise Miller, directed by Laine Rettmer, visual effects by Nuozhou Wang, starring by Aliana de la Guardia, and in partnership with HC Media. (Experiment #4: October/November 2020)
Video still from “Ofelia’s Life Dream,” a psychedelic tale of life and death. A woman at a life crossroads faces a difficult decision and hallucinates fantastic dream worlds transforming into mysterious bioluminescent fungi, moths that drink tears of sleeping birds, and giant self-destructing palm trees. Ofelia’s Life Dream is an experimental film written and with music by Caroline Louise Miller, directed by Laine Rettmer, visual effects by Nuozhou Wang, starring by Aliana de la Guardia, and in partnership with HC Media. (Experiment #4: October/November 2020)
Video still from “Ofelia’s Life Dream,” a psychedelic tale of life and death. A woman at a life crossroads faces a difficult decision and hallucinates fantastic dream worlds transforming into mysterious bioluminescent fungi, moths that drink tears of sleeping birds, and giant self-destructing palm trees. Ofelia’s Life Dream is an experimental film written and with music by Caroline Louise Miller, directed by Laine Rettmer, visual effects by Nuozhou Wang, starring by Aliana de la Guardia, and in partnership with HC Media. (Experiment #4: October/November 2020)
Video still from “Ofelia’s Life Dream,” a psychedelic tale of life and death. A woman at a life crossroads faces a difficult decision and hallucinates fantastic dream worlds transforming into mysterious bioluminescent fungi, moths that drink tears of sleeping birds, and giant self-destructing palm trees. Ofelia’s Life Dream is an experimental film written and with music by Caroline Louise Miller, directed by Laine Rettmer, visual effects by Nuozhou Wang, starring by Aliana de la Guardia, and in partnership with HC Media. (Experiment #4: October/November 2020)
Video still from “Violin Spaces” for solo violin by Garth Knox, directed and edited by Lilit Hartunian and with green screen animation by Julia Noulin-Merat.
Video still from “Violin Spaces” for solo violin by Garth Knox, directed and edited by Lilit Hartunian and with green screen animation by Julia Noulin-Merat.
Video still from “Violin Spaces” for solo violin by Garth Knox, directed and edited by Lilit Hartunian and with green screen animation by Julia Noulin-Merat.
A folkloric tale of a Cuban refugee danced through the metaphor of an ever-changing butterfly, “Papillon” is a theatrical performance featuring animation projected live, designed and directed by Deniz Khateri, with cellist Stephen Marotto performing Kaija Saariaho's “Sept Papillons” for solo cello, and with original poetry and choreography by Aliana de la Guardia. (Photo by Suonovivo Multimedia Services)
A folkloric tale of a Cuban refugee danced through the metaphor of an ever-changing butterfly, “Papillon” is a theatrical performance featuring animation projected live, designed and directed by Deniz Khateri, with cellist Stephen Marotto performing Kaija Saariaho's “Sept Papillons” for solo cello, and with original poetry and choreography by Aliana de la Guardia. (Photo by Suonovivo Multimedia Services)
With music and original libretto by Ken Ueno, Gallo is an interactive and immersive production with innovative use of Cheerios, by using them to create a beach (or sandbox). Stage direction by Sarah Meyers, and production design by Julia Noulin-Merat. (Photos by Liz Linder Photography)
With music and original libretto by Ken Ueno, Gallo is an interactive and immersive production with innovative use of video and projection design. Stage direction by Sarah Meyers, production design by Julia Noulin-Merat, lighting and projection design by Tlaloc Lopez-Watermann. (Photos by Liz Linder Photography)
With music and original libretto by Ken Ueno, Gallo is an interactive and immersive production with innovative use of video and projection design. Stage direction by Sarah Meyers, production design by Julia Noulin-Merat, lighting and projection design by Tlaloc Lopez-Watermann. (Photos by Liz Linder Photography)
With music and original libretto by Ken Ueno, Gallo is an interactive and immersive production experimenting with audience interacting on various ways including handling objects and participating in a ritual on stage. Stage direction by Sarah Meyers, production design by Julia Noulin-Merat, lighting and projection design by Tlaloc Lopez-Watermann. (Photos by Liz Linder Photography)
With music and original libretto by Ken Ueno, Gallo is an interactive and immersive production experimenting with audience interacting on various ways including handling objects and participating in a ritual on stage. Stage direction by Sarah Meyers, production design by Julia Noulin-Merat, lighting and projection design by Tlaloc Lopez-Watermann. (Photos by Liz Linder Photography)
“Heart of a Dog” with music and original libretto by Rudolf Rojahn was an immersive production that led the audience through a carnival labyrinth separated by flowing curtains as the story unfolded. Stage direction by Copland Woodruff, Production Design by Julia Noulin-Merat, Lighting design by Tlaloc Lopez-Waterman, and Puppet Design by Sean Cote. (Photo by Rudolf Rojahn.)
“Heart of a Dog” with music and original libretto by Rudolf Rojahn was an immersive production that experimented with various forms of puppetry and object manipulation. Stage direction by Copland Woodruff, and puppet design by Sean Cote. (Photo by Anthony Scibilia)
“Heart of a Dog” with music and original libretto by Rudolf Rojahn was an immersive production that experimented with various forms of puppetry. Puppet Design by Sean Cote. (Photo by Anthony Scibilia)
Host and ensemble pianist Tae Kim sits down with Tláloc Lopez-Watermann to chat about the role of "light" in the 2013 world premiere Guerilla opera Giver of Light.
Host and ensemble pianist Tae Kim sits down with Nicholas O’Leary to chat about the role of a stage director, the making of Chrononhotonthologos, as well as his interesting and varies interactive theater games and projects that are right on the horizon!
Ensemble pianist Tae Kim sits down with Aliana de la Guardia & Julia Noulin-Mérat, Co-Artistic Directors of Guerilla Opera to unpack Dreamwalker and chat about the Guerilla Underground and other upcoming events and artistic content!
Ensemble pianist Tae Kim sits down with composer and librettist Caroline Louise Miller to chat about her upcoming collaboration, a live performance AND short film of “Ofelia’s Life Dream”, with Guerilla Opera and Laine Rettmer!
Ensemble pianist Tae Kim sits down with composer and librettist Curtis K Hughes to reminise about Let’s Make a Sandwich, Say It Ain’t So, Joe!, and what he’s working on during COVID-19!
Ensemble pianist Tae Kim sits down with Theater Artist, Writer, Director, Animator Deniz Khateri to talk about her work in shadow puppetry, libretto writing inspired by Iranian women!
Ensemble pianist Tae Kim sits down with composer Hannah Lash to talk about her opera "Beowulf." They talk libretto, instrumentation, piano reduction and more!
Ensemble pianist Tae Kim sits down with Julia Noulin-Mérat and Aliana de la Guardia, Guerilla Opera’s Co-Artistic Directors about what’s new with Guerilla Opera since COVID-19, how the pandemic has affected their programming, and what plans are for the future of the company.
Tae Kim interviews composer Rudolf Rojahn and percussionist Mike Williams, both co-founding artists and former co-artistic directors of Guerilla Opera about Heart of a Dog, the first opera written for Guerilla Opera.
Guerilla Opera's All Stars present a selection of poetry and music paired together from Songs of Innocence by William Blake narrated by Aliana de la Guardia and from 44 Duets for Two Violins by Béla Bartók played by ensemble member, Lilit Hartunian.
Hailed as a "highly skilled improviser" by the New York Times and "prickly and explosive" by the Montreal Gazette, Tae Kim has gained widespread recognition as a classical pianist and improvisational artist. His innovative "Walk on the wild side" by Lou Reed concert at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and Salle d'Institut in Orléans, France, featured not only his classical improvisation on the very song by Lou Reed but traditional repertoire ranging from Robert Schumann to rarely heard Olivier Greif. His unique talent for classical improvisation earned him "Prix d'interprétation André Chevillion–Yvonne Bonnaud" for the premiere of his work, "Translate (2016)" at the 12e Concours international de piano d'Orléans, as well as "Prix–Mention Spéciale Edison Denisov". Part of the Piano at South Station, Tae regularly played on Thursdays in the middle of a train station amidst the confused if not pleased onlookers and travelers. He has soloed with many ensembles, including Cambridge Philharmonic, Yurodivy Chamber Orchestra, Hemenway Strings, and Boston Conservatory Orchestra. The Boston Globe praised his "sparkling performance" of Beethoven's Fifth Piano Concerto with the BCO as a "glimpse of radiant talent". Avid collaborator, Tae has partnered with "America's most wired composer" Tod Machover in such productions as Central Square Theatre's 2012 play "Remembering H.M.", part of the 2013 Edinburgh Festival's "Repertoire Remix" and as one of the presenters in "Reconstructing Beethoven's Improvisations" at MIT. (taekimpiano.com)
Loose, Wet, Perforated
Guerilla Opera’s flashiest and naughtiest opera by Nicholas Vines is available on Navona Records. Gramophone Magazine calls it “Exquisite“ with “dizzying flights of virtuosity” and Opera News praises this “dirty, dirty opera.”
“An avant-garde piece for a modern audience and hugely entertaining, These outstanding performers are impressive, an unusual and stimulating work.” (Music Trust E-Zine)
“Hyper-modern but grounded in ancient forms, and in the utterly assured hands of Nicholas Vines, it succeeds excitingly.” (Limelight Magazine)
“If you like modern music that hits it out of the park, this left leaning new classical set is really going to float your boat.” (Midwest Records)
Say It Ain’t So, Joe!
Curtis K. Hughes’s iconic opera with a libretto adapted and inspired from text taken directly from the 2008 Vice-Presidential debate featuring Guerilla Opera and your favorite political celebrities Joe Biden, Sarah Palin, Hilary Clinton, Gwen Ifill and more!
“The instrumental work showed major chops and energy” (Boston Herald)
“I was immediately struck by the whimsical mercuriality, and the built-in musicality of the speech-like vocal melodies. (I CARE IF YOU LISTEN)
“deliberately defies convention on many levels: it is an opera about a political event without an overtly obvious political message.” (I CARE IF YOU LISTEN)
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