Beth Morrison Projects

Star Singer
Juhi Bansal, composer
Neil Aitken, librettist

Star Singer is an operatic allegory for understanding history, culture, and truth; how we pass them on to a new generation; and their inevitable loss in the passage of time. It is the first full-length opera by composer Juhi Bansal with librettist Neil Aitken, two transnational immigrant artists whose work often grapples with complex issues of identity and lineage. Star Singer takes place in a fantastical world where stars are burning out one by one, fading into a darkness held back only by the voice of the last star singer, the mother of the opera’s heroine, Mina. When Mina’s mother dies unexpectedly, the stars begin to fall dark. Left only with the fragmented memory of her mother’s song, taught to her in infancy, Mina sets out on a journey to relight the sky. As she moves through the realms of memory, anger, isolation, and death, Mina unknowingly walks in her mother’s footsteps, learning about truth, history, and memory; the irreplaceable loss of knowledge; the value of stories; and the interweaving journeys of mothers and daughters. A Beth Morrison Projects commission and production, Star Singer will debut in 2026 followed by a robust international tour.

Juhi Bansal, composer
Juhi Bansal is an award-winning composer, conductor, and teacher whose music weaves together themes that celebrate musical and cultural diversity, nature and the environment, and strong female roles. Her compositions draw upon Hindustani music, the spectralists, progressive metal, musical theater, and choral traditions to create deeply expressive, evocative sound worlds. As an Indian composer raised in Hong Kong, Bansal draws subtly upon both traditions, entwining them closely and intricately with gestures of Western classical music. She is frequently commissioned to write music across dramatic, orchestral, vocal, chamber, and multimedia genres. Recent projects include Waves of Change, a digital operatic short on womanhood, identity, and culture class inspired by the Bangladesh Girls Surf Club (PROTOTYPE Festival); Edge of a Dream, a youth opera about Ada Lovelace with librettist Neil Aitken, commissioned by LA Opera for their Secondary In-School Opera program; Love, Loss, and Exile, a song cycle on poetry by Afghan women commissioned by SongFest; and Songs from the Deep, an orchestral work inspired by humpback whale songs commissioned by Oregon Mozart Players

Experiments in Opera

Emma: A Chamber Opera for Soprano and Percussion Ensemble
Annie Gosfield, composer and librettist

Experiments in Opera is commissioning composer/librettist Annie Gosfield to create the new opera Emma in collaboration with Mantra Percussion and Bang on a Can, for premiere in July 2026 at Bang on a Can’s Loud Weekend at MASS MoCA in North Adams, MA. Emma is an unconventional concert-length opera for the unusual pairing of soprano and percussion ensemble, exploring Emma Goldman’s enduring influence on political activism and the fight for social justice. The work will interpret the radical vision, ideals, and legacy of Emma Goldman, one of the most influential social justice activists in U.S. history. Emma will reflect the anarchic clatter of the turn of the 20^th century in a driving, dramatic setting for a strong solo female vocalist/protagonist. The subject matter resonates strongly with many of today’s important issues: women’s rights, immigrants’ rights, and free speech. It will invoke the power of community while emphasizing Goldman’s humanity and influence. We hope that this dynamic page in the history of activism in the U.S. raises questions about our current climate and offers some inspiration as we look for ways to continue to strive for social justice.

Annie Gosfield, composer
Annie Gosfield is a composer based in New York City whom the BBC called “a one-woman Hadron collider.” Her recent work includes War of the Worlds, an opera commissioned by the LA Philharmonic, narrated by Sigourney Weaver, and directed by Yuval Sharon that was included in “Best of 2017” lists in The New Yorker and the Los Angeles Times; The Secret Life of Planets, a song cycle for soprano, bass, electronics, and orchestra, commissioned by the LA Philharmonic; and a concert-length work for New Music Detroit inspired by Diego Rivera’s Detroit Industry frescoes. She has received awards from the Academy of Arts and Letters (2021), Guggenheim Foundation (2017), American Academy in Rome (2015), American Academy in Berlin (2012), Foundation for Contemporary Arts (2008), and Siemens Foundation (1999), which commissioned a site-specific concert-length piece performed in a factory in Nuremberg, Germany. Gosfield’s discography includes 4 portrait CDs on the Tzadik label, most recently Almost Truths and Open Deceptions, which The New York Times wrote “reflects her vast talent.” Gosfield strives to reveal the inherent beauty of found sounds, noise, and machines from both the past and present, while emphasizing the unique abilities of each performer. In all of her work, she invites the listener to appreciate all sounds, without dividing the world into separate categories of music and noise.

Fisher Center at Bard College

Suddenly Last Summer
Courtney Bryan, composer
Gideon Lester and Daniel Fish, librettists

Through its residency and commissioning program Fisher Center LAB, the Fisher Center at Bard will produce and premiere Suddenly Last Summer, a one-act chamber opera based on Tennessee Williams’ play, for its Bard SummerScape Festival. Set in the Garden District of New Orleans in 1936, Williams’ dramatic Southern Gothic play is the story of the wealthy Venable family and a young woman’s struggle to speak truth to power. This new work — one of the Fisher Center’s Civis Hope Commissions — reimagines an American artifact to envision a more just and humane future.

The Fisher Center’s Suddenly Last Summer will be composed by Courtney Bryan and directed by Tony nominee Daniel Fish, whose acclaimed Oklahoma! was commissioned and premiered at Bard SummerScape before transferring to Broadway. Fish co-writes the libretto with Fisher Center Artistic Director and Chief Executive Gideon Lester.

Courtney Bryan, composer
Courtney Bryan, a native of New Orleans, is “a pianist and composer of panoramic interests” (New York Times). She was a 2023 MacArthur Fellow and served as composer-in-residence with Opera Philadelphia from 2022 to 2024. Her compositions have been performed by the New York Philharmonic, International Contemporary Ensemble, Louisiana Philharmonic (creative partner, 2020–2023), Jacksonville Symphony (Mary Carr Patton composer-in-residence, 2018–2020), London Sinfonietta, Orchestra of St. Luke’s, Chicago Sinfonietta, Quince Ensemble as part of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra MusicNOW series, American Composers Orchestra, Colorado Springs Philharmonic, La Jolla Symphony and Chorus, New York Jazzharmonic, Spektral Quartet, and Talea Ensemble. Bryan’s interest in multiple art forms has led to collaborations with visual artists, directors, writers, and musicians.

She holds a doctorate in composition from Columbia University, where she studied with George Lewis. She also holds degrees from Oberlin Conservatory (B.M.) and Rutgers University (M.M.). Bryan completed postdoctoral studies in the Department of African American Studies at Princeton. She is currently the Albert and Linda Mintz professor of music at Newcomb College in the School of Liberal Arts at Tulane. Recent accolades include the Herb Alpert Award in the Arts (2018), Samuel Barber Rome Prize in Music Composition (2019–2020), United States Artists Fellowship (2020), and Civitella Ranieri Foundation Fellowship (2020–2021)

Opera Ebony

Finding the Light
Jasmine Arielle Barnes, composer
Anita Gonzalez, librettist

Finding the Light is a groundbreaking new theatrical production that delves into the powerful history and legacy of Black female opera performers through the eyes of four trailblazing artists: Louise Toppin, Marquita Lister, Caterina Yarborough, and Abbey Mitchell. This dynamic exploration of African American contributions to the operatic stage takes audiences on a journey through both historical and contemporary perspectives, offering a poignant reflection on the trials, triumphs, and determination that shaped their careers.

The performance brings together two historical and two contemporary African American opera singers, each sharing their personal memories and experiences in the pursuit of recognition. The piece presents a deeply moving narrative, driven by duets, recitative, and solo performances, as the characters reflect on their journeys and struggles within the world of opera. The production uses the metaphors of “crossing over” and “finding the light” to explore the transformative power of opera as a vehicle for Black women to find dignity, self-respect, and a sense of belonging. As the characters recount their experiences, the piece highlights the often-overlooked contributions of Black performers to the art form, offering a rich, emotional perspective on their pivotal roles in opera’s history. These four women — Toppin, Lister, Yarborough, and Mitchell — each played significant roles in shaping the landscape of opera, from delivering stellar performances in operatic classics to showcasing the beauty and power of African American art songs. Their voices, experiences, and stories have left an indelible mark on the operatic world, and Finding the Light ensures that their legacies are celebrated and remembered.

Jasmine Arielle Barnes, composer
Jasmine Arielle Barnes is an Emmy Award-winning composer who has had her music performed worldwide. Her music has been described as “precisely imagined” by The Washington Post, “refreshing,” “engaging” and “exciting” by San Francisco Classical Voice, “memorable” by Houston Press, and “the best possible blend of Billie Holiday and Claude Debussy” by The Boston Globe. She is a multifaceted composer who embraces any writing style of music using a variety of instrumentation and specializes in writing for the voice. A full-time composer, Barnes is managed by UIA Talent for her work as a composer, and she is a resident artist for Opera Theatre of Saint Louis’ New Works Collective. She held a residency with American Lyric Theater’s Composer Librettist Development Program for the 2021–2023 seasons and was a composer fellow at Chautauqua Opera for the 2021 season. Barnes has been privileged to be commissioned by numerous organizations, such as the New York Philharmonic and Juilliard Pre-College, Washington National Opera, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Aspen Music Festival and School, Baltimore Choral Arts, and Lyric Fest Philadelphia. She has now written five operas: The Late Walk, Star Arts High, The Burning Bush, I Will Follow You Into the Dark, and She Who Dared (Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton, librettist).

Outside of commissions, Barnes’ work has been performed by numerous artists and organizations such as LA Opera, Wigmore Hall, Fresno Philharmonic, Portland Opera, Tulsa Opera, Hampsong Foundation (at the Elbphilharmonie), Lawrence Brownlee, Karen Slack, Will Liverman, Leah Hawkins, Russell Thomas, Leona Mitchell, and Marquita Lister. Barnes is also part of a network of composers called The Blacknificent Seven with six other composers: Damien Geter, Jessie Montgomery, Shawn Okpebholo, Dave Ragland, Carlos Simon, and Joel Thompson.

San Francisco Opera

The Galloping Cure
Missy Mazzoli, composer
Royce Vavrek, librettist

The Galloping Cure is composed by Missy Mazzoli with a libretto by long-term collaborator Royce Vavrek. This new work is being commissioned and developed by Opera Ventures Productions alongside a number of international companies, including San Francisco Opera and Norrlandsoperan. The world premiere is scheduled for 2026. The Galloping Cure is a lurid satire of the greed surrounding the opioid crisis and addiction. The beleaguered hero of Kafka’s classic story “A Country Doctor” is transposed to the dreamless landscape of a post-industrial town. The stark story and Royce’s sparkling libretto provide the perfect provocation for another masterful and emotionally impactful score from Mazzoli. This eagerly anticipated new opera brings together a world-class, multi-award-winning creative team including British director Tom Morris (The Death of Klinghoffer at ENO/Metropolitan Opera, Breaking the Waves, War Horse), leading German set designer Rebecca Ringst (major opera productions with leading directors, including Barrie Kosky, Calixto Bieito, and Simon McBurney), and costume designer Christina Cunningham.

Missy Mazzoli, composer
Grammy-nominated composer Missy Mazzoli, a “once-in-a-generation magician of the orchestra” (The New Yorker), has had her music performed all over the world. In 2018, along with Jeanine Tesori, she became one of the first women to receive a mainstage commission from the Metropolitan Opera, for Lincoln in the Bardo. She was composer-in-residence at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (2018–2021) and Opera Philadelphia (2012–2015). Her 2016 opera Breaking the Waves was called “one of the best 21^st-century American operas yet” by Opera News. Breaking the Waves received its European premiere at the 2019 Edinburgh International Festival with Opera Ventures Productions and Scottish Opera and then traveled to the Adelaide Festival, Opéra-Comique Paris, Houston Grand Opera, and Detroit Opera. Her opera The Listeners premiered in Oslo in 2022, followed by performances at Opera Philadelphia in 2024 and Lyric Opera of Chicago in 2025. Mazzoli and composer Ellen Reid founded Luna Lab, a mentorship program for young female composers created in partnership with the Kaufman Music Center.