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### Event Description: The Reef - Berkshire Opera Festival Workshop Performance

**Event:** The Reef - Workshop Performance  
**Date:** Wednesday, April 10  
**Time:** 7:00 PM  
**Duration:** 1 hour, 30 minutes  
**Location:** Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center, 129 West 67th Street, New York, NY

**Overview:**
Join us for the Berkshire Opera Festival's exclusive workshop performance of "The Reef," a new opera by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Anthony Davis and librettist Joan Ross Sorkin. Based on Edith Wharton's novel, this opera delves into the complexities of race and social class on a sugar plantation in Martinique. The performance will feature Act One of this two-act opera, showcasing a talented cast of emerging artists from notable conservatories and music schools.

**Creators:**
- **Anthony Davis:** Composer, winner of the 2020 Pulitzer Prize in Music for "The Central Park Five."
- **Joan Ross Sorkin:** Librettist, playwright, and screenwriter with extensive experience in opera and musical theatre.

**Cast:**
- **Anneliese Klenetsky:** Anna de Chantal
- **Erin Reppenhagen:** Madame de Chantal
- **Erik Grendahl:** George Darrow
- **Nicoletta Berry:** Sonya
- **Ryan Bryce Johnson:** Christophe de Chantal
- **Chantal Freeman:** The Invisibles, Soprano
- **Markel Reed:** The Invisibles, Baritone

**Synopsis:**
Set in 1911 on the Caribbean island of Martinique, "The Reef" tells the story of Anna Leath, an American widow trapped on a French sugar plantation. The opera explores themes of unrequited love and societal intolerance, heightened by the racial and class inequalities of the time. The Invisibles, a Greek chorus of islanders, provide social commentary and represent the natural forces governing the island.

**Post-Performance:**
A Q&A session with the opera’s creators will follow the performance.

**Ticket Information:**
- **Premium Tickets:** $50 (includes prime seating and an invitation to a post-show reception with an open bar and complimentary desserts)
- **General Admission:** $25
- **Student Tickets:** $10 (available in-person at the Merkin Hall box office or over the phone)

**Sponsors:**
- **Performance Sponsors:** Ken and Susan Kramer, National Endowment for the Arts ArtWorks grant
- **Reception Sponsor:** The Mount, Edith Wharton’s Home

**Additional Information:**
For directions and more details about the venue, visit the Merkin Hall website. Join us for an evening of compelling opera and insightful discussion.

Amanda Simms

Soprano

Events

Past events

Apr 10, 2024

The Reef · Berkshire Opera Festival

Future and recently performed repertoire

Anna De Chantal in The Reef by Davis

Berkshire Opera Festival

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