The Onion is a new opera in which family secrets collide with a memory-enhancing AI. Through contact with their younger selves, its characters bring to the surface the experiences that have shaped their lives: a sexist theft of scientific work, the vanishing of a parent, the erasure of a gender identity. Will the intervention of an AI hurt or heal?

The opera unfolds on an island in the Pacific Northwest where a neuroscientist has sequestered herself with her daughter to create the Onion, an AI device that allows anyone using it to re-live a personal memory. Rounding out the human roles are the Onion’s young co-inventor and the neuroscientist’s ex-partner. The Onion itself is a character in the opera: its independence and influence on the human characters seem to grow each time they use it.

EPSG:4326

The Onion

Amherst College

Huntington Theatre

Join us for a captivating evening of Italian opera and jazz. This grand premiere will feature an extraordinary collaboration of remarkable talents across jazz, gospel, and classical music. Presented by Marco Pignataro and the Berklee Contemporary Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Maestro Julius P. Williams, this concert is part of the Festival of Italian Creativity 2024, sponsored by the Italian Consulate of Boston.

Berklee Contemporary Symphony Orchestra Presents: Va Pensiero – A Symphonic Jazz Exploration of Timeless Italian Arias

New England Conservatory

When young Angelina momentarily escapes her ungrateful stepfamily to attend a royal ball in disguise, she meets Prince Ramiro, who vows to find her after she disappears into the night. In this city-centric take on the Cinderella story, two familiar Boston neighborhoods set the stage where boy and girl meet and sweep each other off their feet. With its beautiful melodies and sparkling vocals, the magic of Rossini’s energetic score illuminates the heart of the story. Don’t miss BLO’s new production of La Cenerentola, conducted by David Angus and directed by Dawn M. Simmons in her opera debut.

La Cenerentola (Cinderella)

Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre

Praised for her “radiant soprano”, soprano Dana Lynne Varga has established herself as a dynamic interpreter of a wide variety of repertoire on opera and concert stages. She regularly solos at Carnegie Hall, with recent 2022 engagements including the Mozart Requiem with Manhattan Concert Productions and the Brahms Requiem with Mid-America Productions. Dana was a featured 2022 performer with the Calliope’s Call Art Song Society in works by contemporary composers Tom Cipullo and Kile Smith. She stepped in last-minute for the 2021 Boston Pops Christmas shows (Symphony Hall), as first soprano in the professional octet.

Music Masterclass: Dana Lynne Varga, soprano

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

This vocal compilation gives us a glimpse into different waypoints on Dana Varga’s musical journey. From growing up as the daughter of a professional jazz bassist through years of musical education, Varga’s chosen repertoire chronicles each unexpected turn along her path. By sharing personal stories alongside each selection, she gives the audience an intimate look at where she began and where she’s headed.

Dana Lynne Varga

Events

Past events

11 - 26 Sep, 2025

The Onion · MassOpera

Nov 16, 2024

Berklee Contemporary Symphony Orchestra Presents: Va Pensiero – A Symphonic Jazz Exploration of Timeless Italian Arias · New England Conservatory

Future and recently performed repertoire

Singer in The Onion by Sawyer

MassOpera

About

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