After a successful debut of a scene from “The Second Sight” opera by Jessie Downs at June in Buffalo 2019, I’m delighted to be performing in this new opera in June 2020, with Sotto Voce Vocal Collective and Voice Faculty from UB.
And in more exciting news, this is now a Nickel City Opera Co-Production! As the managing director of NCO, this is a fabulous collaboration for both SVVC and NCO. Previews can be found here. Learn more about the cast here!
To donate to this ground-breaking productions, please visit this page.
Performances are at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Buffalo Saturday June 27, 7pm and Sunday June 28, 2pm: Purchase tickets here.
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Sotto Voce Vocal Collective - in cooperation with Nickel City Opera - presents the first performances of Jessie Downs's new opera The Second Sight, 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.