New Music Festival: The Music of Nico Muhly - Opera: Dark Sisters
Nico Muhly’s 2011 opera, Dark Sisters, follows one woman’s dangerous attempt to escape her life as a member of the Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints (FLDS) Church, a religious sect that split from mainstream Mormonism over the renunciation of polygamy. The narrative draws inspiration from the flurry of media attention surrounding the raids on FLDS compounds in Texas and Arizona in 1953 and 2008, as well as the stories of the more than 80 wives of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. Set against a red-earthed landscape filled with revelations, dark prophets, and white temples stretching towards heaven, Dark Sisters is a gripping journey of self-discovery in a world where personal identity is forbidden. Sung in English with supertitles. Music by Nico Muhly. Libretto by Stephen Karam. Conducted by Andrew Altenbach. Directed by Nathan Troup.
This performance is presented as a part of the 2017 Boston Conservatory at Berklee New Music Festival.
A free panel discussion will be held from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Friday, February 10 with Dark Sisters composer Nico Muhly, conductor Andrew Altenbach, and stage director Nathan Troup. The panel topics will include composing for the stage and creative collaboration.
Read The Boston Music Intelligencer's review of the performance and EDGE Media Network's coverage of the New Music Festival.