Through the Doors – An Opera for Chamber Ensemble, Multimedia, and Electronics
- Ania Vu
- Department of Music, School of Arts & Sciences
- 2021 Asian, Asian American, and Pacific Islander Artists Support Grant
Visual of Act II, Scene 1 by Ania Vu's collaborator Modesta Gorol. In the illustration Odessa encounters giant ears growing on a field - all they do is listen. Image courtesy of Ania Vu.
Ania Vu has sought support for her dissertation piece, an hourly chamber opera of which she is both the composer and librettist. Broadly, this interdisciplinary work invites the audience to engage with questions on the extent of personal freedom, choice, and the role of time. These themes will be explored at the intersection of music and electronics, narrative, background visuals and short animations, minimal staging, and the audience’s participation through smartphones. The instrumentation is soprano, baritone, flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano and percussion. The instrumentalists will share the stage with the singers, sometimes even acting small roles. The audience will have the ability to interact with the piece, influencing the protagonist’s choices and more.
The story is written by Ania and her collaborator Modesta Gorol, who designs the visuals and animations. It is about a young girl, Odessa, initially trapped in a mundane life but, due to strange circumstances, ending up in a journey of exploration, personal growth, and self-discovery. Some of the questions this work explores are: how much control and freedomdoes an individual have in their life and how much of their life is predetermined? Is life just a series of choices? Does an individual have a choice in whether they want to make a choice? How does time play a role in everything? Could everything be already predetermined, and simply unfold as a function of time?