Event

The Ballad of Ishtar

TICKETS WILL BE AVAILABLE AT THE DOOR. Jealousy, betrayal, rage, sex and redemption: these great operatic themes are explored in The Ballad of Ishtar, a contemporary opera that responds to our current worldwide rape culture crisis. In the grand tradition of opera heroines, Ishtar, Babylonian goddess of sex and war, has a fantastic mythology around her: she possesses the power to give or withdraw the gift of sex. Her disgust with the rampant sexual abuse she sees causes her to cut humanity off from all sexual activity, including not only procreation, but all kinds of physical intimacy and hence all interpersonal connectedness. Humanity is in chaos. Her voyage to the Underworld is marked by surreal encounters with an outrageous band of characters, and leads to her realization of the beautiful elements of humanity that are worth saving.
Featuring singer/clarinetist Beth Fleenor in the title role and okanomodé (aka SoulChilde BlueSun) as the androgynous character Asu Shu-Namir, the ensemble represents the intersection of many facets of current art music and responds to the 400-year-old genre of opera with contemporary methodologies (conduction led by Wayne Horvitz), sounds (electronics, amplification and live processing by William Hayes) and virtuoso improvisational skill. Other characters are played by vocalist extraordinaire Jimmie Herrod (the Queen of the Underworld), and a dance representation of Ishtar by Paris Hurley. The instrumental ensemble comprises saxophonist Ivan Arteaga, violist Heather Bentley, trumpeter Ahamefule J. Oluo, tapping guitarist Trey Gunn, bassist Evan Flory-Barnes, and guitarist/actor Michaud Savage. More detailed information at http://www.heatherbentleymusic.com/ishtar---the-opera