The Creature’s existence is a stark reminder of the unintended consequences of unfettered ambition and unlimited scientific potential, and of the need for empathy. I want to lift Shelley’s staggeringly beautiful work off the page with music that makes us feel for the Creature, its creator, and every victim in this tragic story.
What drives my creation of this opera is the potential for helping us to connect with the characters and with each other in a deeply needed way; to help us better listen to one another, especially in an era of intensifying xenophobia and persistent bigotry. The novel was published 200 years ago; and still, we continue to vilify “otherness.” Frankenstein compels us to consider our humanity. I believe that telling this story, in this time, and in this way, is vital.
These Frankenstein sketches - originally for three singers, cello, and piano - are the seeds from which the opera will grow into a two-act, 120-minute fully-staged production with eight characters and a chamber orchestra. Frankenstein so beautifully and vividly captures the fundamental connection between, and responsibility toward, living beings and the world in which we live. My goal is to approach the storytelling with a clarity and relatability that allow the humanity of the text to speak through the music.