About the Event
Shepherd School Opera and the Shepherd School Chamber Orchestra
An American Double Bill
Taking Up Serpents (2019): Composer Kamala Sankaram, Librettist Jerre Dye
Proving Up (2018): Composer Missy Mazzoli, Librettist Royce Vavrek
Steven Osgood, guest conductor
Alison Moritz, guest stage director
Michael Heaston, Director of Opera Studies
Admission (reserved seating): $12; students and senior citizens $10.
For tickets, call 713-348-8000.
2:00 p.m., Wortham Opera Theatre at the Shepherd School
Additional performance on Tuesday, November 5 at 7:30 p.m.
These operas contain content and language intended for mature audiences.
Proving Up – (2018)
Based on a short story by acclaimed author Karen Russell, Proving Up is an opera about the American Dream—and the possible tragic consequences of its pursuit even when people do everything right. Told through the story of Nebraskan homesteaders in the 1870s, this powerful work has already received multiple productions less than two years after its premiere.
Taking up Serpents - (2019)
Taking up Serpents” is an exploration of faith, both as it relates to religion and family. The story centers around 25 year old Kayla, who is the estranged daughter of a fire-and-brimstone preacher who was dangerously bitten by one of his own snakes. Kayla’s journey home forces her to confront her troubled upbringing. Shepherd School Opera is pleased to present the second production of this new work which premiered in January 2019.
