Fresh Squeezed Opera: The Artwork of the Future
$30
- Omar Najmi, tenor (Spearmint Lodge)
- Emily Solo, soprano (Najeen Teflo)
- Daniel Klein, bass-baritone (Ted / Dewey)
- Brittany Fowler, mezzo-soprano (Amalia Habitué / Shirl)
- Candace Chien, piano
Introducing The Artwork of the Future by Eric Moe and Rob Handel, a lighthearted science-fiction opera about robot-loving artists and art-loving robots; about obsession and distraction, fame and obscurity, human and machine, change and end, the last days of humankind.
Synopsis: Artwork of the Future begins with a TEDtalk (the first operatic portrayal of a TEDtalk, perhaps). The charismatic speaker preaches a romantic dedication to work, citing the examples of immortal artists like Bach and Van Gogh, whose efforts have remained part of the human experience long after their deaths.
The speaker doesn't know it, but he has changed the life of the TEDtalk sound technician, Spearmint Lodge, art-school grad and wholly unrecognized maker of "spectator-triggered musical robot installations." Spearmint wanders the city, turning these ideas over in his mind. As dawn approaches, he stumbles into an all-night coffeehouse and meets singer/songwriter/barista Najeen Teflo. She contracts his new religion like a virus, and they return to his squalid apartment to begin a life of total dedication to their art in spite of the apathy shown it by the rest of the world.
As time passes, however, their conviction begins to wane. They become haunted by a desire to know for certain that their work will finally be recognized three hundred years in the future. As fate would have it, Najeen has met a physicist, Amalia Habitué, working at the margins of science, whose lab has cracked the secret of time travel.
Spearmint and Najeen arrive in the future at the Guggenheim Museum, which proves to be, in fact, full of their work, honoring them as prophetic artists. There are, however, no people in the future. A robot docent explains that all the humans died out, barely noticing, while noodling with their phones, that this was happening.
Returning to the present, the lovers find themselves fiercely divided about what to do. She wants to abandon their dreams of immortality and devote their energies to saving humankind. He doesn't see a problem with a future populated by robots, so long as the art survives. Will Spearmint and Najeen be torn apart? And can this species be saved?
About Fresh Squeezed Opera
Fresh Squeezed Opera is a small ensemble-based opera company focused on presenting only new music with intimate and impactful productions. Eric Simpson of New York Classical Review states, "New York is rich in tiny upstart companies working to find ways to make opera engaging for new audiences. Fresh-Squeezed Opera stands out among these for its impressive commitment to championing new works." Our mission is to present genre-pushing new works of the highest caliber that explore the depths of operatic music.
FSO focuses on producing works that not only are new, but resonate with contemporary audiences. As a result, we have consistently sold-out houses to a young population (average age of 30) who are oftentimes first-time opera goers. In our eight-season history, we have presented over 50 composers' works through our various programs, including our annual Showcase of Vocal Chamber Music, our Main Stage Summer Operas, and our commissioning series.
https://www.freshsqueezedopera.com/