The new operas of 2020-21, what is the future of contemporary opera?

Covid has led to a renaissance in opera. I will show brief video clips of the key arias from 5 contemporary operas / staging that were premiered this year. Each opera has a different vision of what contemporary opera should be.

Eurydice by Matthew Aucoin – a new work in the classical tradition, arias that make you cry and want to yell out brava!

Fire Shut Up in My Bones by Terence Blanchard – contemporary with a social conscience.

The magic flute with digital projection – by far the most discussed opera of 2021 (at least in Chicago), has video killed the radio star?

Les Indes Galantes with contemporary dance – rewriting classic opera to give underrepresented people a stronger voice. There is a similar trend in dramatic theater.

Like flesh by Eldar – sui generis, avante garde performance art