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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.

Curtis Serafin

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Apr 10, 2024

The Reef · Berkshire Opera Festival

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