Evento

The Second Sight

Sotto Voce Vocal Collective - in cooperation with Nickel City Opera - presents the first performances of Jessie Downs's new opera The Second Sight.

The Second Sight is an opera in three acts that both draws upon the bel canto tradition and explores new possibilities for dramatic vocal writing. The story centers around a young woman named Diskana who has a clairvoyant ability called "second sight." After Diskana foresees the death of a young child (Sashatya), and feels the pain of the child's grieving mother (Freyaria), she vows to defy fate and attempt to intervene to prevent the child's death. Supernatural forces ultimately weave together the lives of mystic, mother, and child in unexpected ways.

The opera is co-directed by the composer, Jessie Downs (also playing the role of Sashatya) and Valerian Ruminski (bass, director of Nickel City Opera), and is conducted by Matthew Chamberlain. The production also stars up-and-coming mezzo-soprano Marissa Young as Diskana and soprano Claudia Brown as Freyaria, with members of the Sotto Voce Vocal Collective (Mariami Bekauri, Derick Evans, Julia Anne Cordani, Suzanne Fatta, William Zino) as meddling Spirits.