Librettist

Set in a world devoid of color and inspired by the imagery of surrealist painter Remedios Varo, a lone tree holds within its rings the memory and possibility of music, poetry, and art. An herbalist struggles to heal a community afflicted by a siege of maladies, and a homesick boarding-school student dreams of escape. An ancient medicinal, written in Spanish (one of countless forbidden languages), just may hold the key — to transcendence, or complete obliteration. This searing new opera looks at a culture rapidly strip-mining itself of its riches, and embraces the realm of the imagination as fertile ground for regeneration. 

EPSG:4326

Remedios Varios Para las Aflicciones del Cuerpo y el Espíritu

Athenaeum Center for Thought & Culture

In September 2021, Eugene Opera presented Lucy, a monodrama composed for baritone and chamber ensemble by John Glover and Kelley Rourke. Lucy tells the story of psychologist Maurice Temerlin, who, along with his wife Jane, adopted a day-old chimpanzee in 1964. Their intention was to raise this chimpanzee as if she were their human child.

In the opera, as Temerlin struggles to hold on to memories of a happy family life, documentation from the experiment challenges him to come to terms with the project's ultimate consequences. In revealing the devastating effects of the experiment, the opera challenges audiences to consider the moral and ethical questions of animal research.

The Eugene Opera production featured baritone Andrew Wilkowske and Olivia Marie Jones and was directed by Jerry Mouawad.

Lucy

Richard E. Wildish Community Theater

Set in a world devoid of color and inspired by the imagery of surrealist painter Remedios Varo, a lone tree holds within its rings the memory and possibility of music, poetry, and art. An herbalist struggles to heal a community afflicted by a siege of maladies, and a homesick boarding-school student dreams of escape. An ancient medicinal, written in Spanish (one of countless forbidden languages), just may hold the key — to transcendence, or complete obliteration. This searing new opera looks at a culture rapidly strip-mining itself of its riches, and embraces the realm of the imagination as fertile ground for regeneration.

Kelley Rourke

Librettist

Events

Upcoming events

Apr 5, 2025

Remedios Varios · Chicago Opera Theater

Past events

Apr 5, 2024

Remedios Varios Para las Aflicciones del Cuerpo y el Espíritu · Chicago Opera Theater

Sep 23, 2021

Lucy · Eugene Opera

About

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