A Crisis of Responsibility: Excerpts from 'The Shell Trial'
$44.48
- Shabnam Abedi, soprano
- Christopher Herbert, baritone
- Timothy Long, piano
- Young People's Chorus of New York City
- Francisco J. Núñez, conductor
Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Ellen Reid joins a special NationalSawdust+ program showcasing insights and excerpts from her new opera, The Shell Trial, written with librettist Roxie Perkins, on the heels of its March 2024 world premiere in Amsterdam. Commissioned by Dutch National Opera and based on the play De zaak Shell by Rebekka de Wit and Anoek Nuyens, the opera explores climate devastation as a crisis of responsibility via a landmark 2021 court case in which environmentalists won a shocking lawsuit against Shell Oil.
Joining Reid in the thought-provoking evening will be soprano Shabnam Abedi, baritone Christopher Herbert, pianist Timothy Long, and Francisco Nuñez with his Young People's Chorus of New York City, performing arias sung from the perspectives of diverse figures, such as The Climate Refugee, The CEO, The Artist, as well as a chorus of children representing those killed by Shell's colonial past and climate disasters. A probing discussion featuring a climate activist along with Reid will be moderated by NS+ curator Elena Park.
The composer will share her experience of creating the provocative piece, which offers a range of voices and viewpoints on whose responsibility it is to halt climate change. As the complexity of the issues in the Shell lawsuit becomes clear, boundaries between guilty party and innocent victim, past harm and future progress, and individual and collective responsibility grow increasingly blurred.
The event is part of NS+'s continuing For Nature series, three programs exploring the interplay and collision between the natural and human worlds, featuring artists and musicians, scientists, and activists working to preserve and restore the environment. For Nature is made possible by the generous support of Kathryn and Emmanuel Morlet and the Wescustogo Foundation.
About Shabnam Abedi, soprano
Described by The New York Times as having "a lovely warmth," Shabnam Abedi is a highly sought after soprano and recent addition to The Choir of Trinity Wall Street. She received her Master's Degree from Juilliard in Jazz Studies making her Juilliard's first South-Asian American jazz voice graduate. A versatile artist with a reputation for high-level music making in a wide variety of genres, Shabnam also studied opera at Mason Gross School of the Arts. Having played and sung Indian classical music since the age of five, Shabnam's first album, Amar Bijon Ghore, was released to wide acclaim in India and Bangladesh.
https://www.shabnamabedi.com/