Beacon: Phase 1

The Opera People present a performance-workshop of our first ever full length opera commission: Beacon, composed by Jonathan Shin with a libretto by Joel Tan, and directed by Edith Podesta.

Klara, a scientist, embarks on a mission of a lifetime, journeying into outer space in search of a beacon, and the culmination of her life’s work. She is haunted by her abandonment of her partner Phoebe, an English professor. Onboard her vessel, Klara is tended to by a sentient AI named Wisdom and joined by two other scientists, Malachi and Antony, each with their own motives and entanglements. Her quest leads her deep into space and deeper into the mysteries of love, memory, and the yearnings that make us truly human.

In this workshop performance, presented as part of The Opera People’s Young Bards young artist series, hear excerpts of the opera performed by Kira Lim, Phoebe Chee, Rebecca Reavley, Zachary Dominguez, and Jonathan Charles Tay, accompanied my musicians from Wayfarer Sinfonietta, and conducted by Lien Boon Hua. The performance will be followed by a conversation and feedback session with Jonathan Shin and Joel Tan.