We are elated to participate in the premiere of Tales from a Safe Distance, the inaugural production of the newly-formed Decameron Opera Coalition. Joining a cohort of ten independent opera companies from around the country,
we'll create one of nine original filmed operas inspired by selections from Giovanni Boccaccio's 14th century literary masterpiece, The Decameron. Our brand new video opera, "Orsa ibernata" ("Hibernating bear"), features music by local singer/composer Elizabeth Blood, libretto and direction by MOT Company Manager Danny Brylow, and videography by regular MOT performer Christal Wagner.
When a clandestine love affair begets tragic consequences, a woman resolves to reunite with her lost love, even at the price of death. Freely adapted from two of The Decameron’s most closely-related stories, “Orsa ibernata” traces an emotionally penetrating journey through violence and heartbreak to spiritual transcendence against the backdrop
of an ethereal and enigmatic woodland surrounding.
we'll create one of nine original filmed operas inspired by selections from Giovanni Boccaccio's 14th century literary masterpiece, The Decameron. Our brand new video opera, "Orsa ibernata" ("Hibernating bear"), features music by local singer/composer Elizabeth Blood, libretto and direction by MOT Company Manager Danny Brylow, and videography by regular MOT performer Christal Wagner.
When a clandestine love affair begets tragic consequences, a woman resolves to reunite with her lost love, even at the price of death. Freely adapted from two of The Decameron’s most closely-related stories, “Orsa ibernata” traces an emotionally penetrating journey through violence and heartbreak to spiritual transcendence against the backdrop
of an ethereal and enigmatic woodland surrounding.
Creative Team
|
|
|
|
Elizabeth Blood (Composer/Soprano)
earned a degree in Vocal Performance from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. While she mainly stays within the classical realm, Elizabeth's curiosity leads her to do many unique artistic projects, from singing rock opera in the premiere of a 3D play (Fruition of a Delusion), to singing a cappella as the soundtrack for live dance (DanceCircus), to singing at festivals for social activism and fundraising (FemFest). Elizabeth has been honored to premiere works by many composers, including Amanda Schoofs, Sam Mullooly, Jonathan Smith, Tom Ford, and Alaric Coussons. In Milwaukee Opera Theatre’s production of Utterance, which premiered last Fall, Schoofs (composer of Eternal Burning) said Elizabeth's exploration of extended vocal techniques and improvisation "shaped the role of Volition." Now in the capacity of performer and composer, Elizabeth warmly anticipates personal and artistic growth in collaboration with MOT as part of the Decameron Opera Coalition. |
Danny Brylow (Librettist/Director) has contributed to the burgeoning field of contemporary opera and new music-theater as a stage director, performer, translator, and arts administrator. He has participated in the premiere of several new operas, including Judgment of Midas (Ince), Kocho (Fisher), Río de Sangre (Davis), Border Towns (Brooke), and Time and Motion Study (Brooke). As a translator, his English-language adaptations of Don Giovanni (co-written with singer Tim Rebers), Der Ring des Nibelungen,
Die Zauberflöte, and Les contes d’Hoffmann have been performed by MOT, Skylight Music Theatre, and Arbor Opera Theater. In 2019, Danny served as Production Dramaturg on a fully staged Carmina Burana and directed the world premiere of Amanda Schoofs’s Eternal Burning as part of Milwaukee Opera Theatre’s Utterance. Danny is a graduate of Bennington College and the Wesley Balk Opera/Music-Theater Institute and has served as Company Manager of Milwaukee Opera Theatre since 2015. |
Christal Wagner (Videographer/Editor)
holds a BFA in Dance from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where she also spent 6 years as an adjunct faculty. She is a mover, choreographer, photographer, videographer, film maker, and performer all throughout the Milwaukee area, and has been a member of Danceworks Performance Company since 2007. In 2012, she co-founded the music and dance performance ensemble Cadance Collective, creating pieces through improvisational practices and original soundscapes. In January 2020, she became the Saint Kate Art Hotel’s first artist in residence with collaborator Kirsten Schmid, creating photography and videography to animate Kristen's clothing designs through movement. She is a proud SEED Creation Fund Recipient, set to premiere her new filmed work L'homme Armé at the Li Chiao-Ping SEED Creation Perform- ance Festival in August 2020. Christal first performed with MOT in 2011 and is humbled to be on the other side of the performance lens almost ten years later. |
