Thirst
Composition by TJ Rubin, libretto by Laura Barati
A 10-minute chamber opera for two femmes, THIRST is a magical realist exploration of intimacy and the tension between one’s desire for partnership and one’s desire for independence. The opera begins with Jill waking up gasping next to her girlfriend Jacqueline in the middle of the night. In the magical journey that ensues, the two are forced to face the unspoken tensions in their relationship. This dreamy opera offers queer representation at its most realistic - magic and all.
Emily and Sue
Composition by Dana Kaufman, libretto by Aiden K. Feltkamp
EMILY & SUE is an acapella pop opera that explores Emily Dickinson's romantic relationship with her sister-in-law, Susan Gilbert. Weaving a new story from Emily’s poetry and love letters between the two women, the story follows Emily on the night before Susan's wedding. Or, as most mainstream historians would put it, it’s an overly emotional piece about the passionate friendship between a spinster poet and her totally platonic gal-pal-turned-sister-in-law. EMILY & SUE is a masterclass in grief, hope, and sapphic yearning.
Achilles & Patroclus
Composition by Erika Meyer, libretto by James Theodore Washburn
ACHILLES & PATROCLUS is a chamber opera for two voices which takes place in Troy after Patroclus’ death. Through flashes of intimate memories, Achilles remembers his life with the love he lost in this achingly beautiful, unabashedly queer new work.
more than friends
a triptych on queer love through the ages
May 25-28 & June 1-4, 2023 | 18th & Union, Seattle
Three one-act chamber operas from LGBTQIA+ contemporary composers and librettists come together to showcase the magic, poignance, and resilience of queer love.
Meet the Artists
Emily and Sue
Directors
Eliza Woodyard - Director
Eliza Woodyard (she/her, they/them) has recently directed such operas as Puccini’s Suor Angelica with Seattle Modern Opera Company, Dana Kaufman’s Diary of a Madman with Lowbrow Opera Collective, and Purcell’s Dido and Aeneas at Olympic College, where they are an Adjunct Professor of Voice.
In addition to working as a director, Eliza has enjoyed performing in operas, concerts, recitals, a cappella ensembles, and choruses in the Pacific Northwest, the Midwest, the Southwest, Germany, France, and the United Kingdom. Recent performances include Barber’s Knoxville: Summer of 1915 with Ladies Musical Club, Hansel and Gretel (Gretel) and The Tales of Hoffmann: The Doll Act (Olympia) with Northwest Opera In Schools, Queer Voices with Seattle Art Song Society, Charpentier’s Te Deum with Seattle Baroque Orchestra, Real Housewives of Sparta with Seattle Modern Opera Company (Parthenis), Suor Angelica (Prima Cercatrice) with Puget Sound Concert Opera, Michel Edward’s Symphony No. 4 with Octava Chamber Orchestra, Die Zauberflöte (Erste Knabe) with Opera Classica Europa, and The Ballad of Baby Doe (Silver Dollar, Baby Doe cover) with Opera Fort Collins. Eliza is a soprano section leader at Epiphany Parish as well as a member of the Seattle Opera Chorus, having appeared in their productions of Nabucco, Les pêcheurs de perles, Der fliegende Holländer, Aïda, Samson et Dalila, and La Traviata. She is a member of Mägi Ensemble and performed with them at the American Choral Directors’ Association’s National Convention in Cincinnati in February 2023.
Ashley Biel - Director
Ashley Biehl (assistant director, Emily & Sue) is a native Seattleite but didn’t know it until moving here from Wisconsin ten years ago. An intelligent and creative performer, Ashley has sung a number of roles in operas up and down the West Coast, most recently Queen of the Night/First lady with NOISE. (There may have been a few prior to the pandemic, but who can say?) Ashley is stoked to be directing for the first time and to finally put that English degree and all those improv and acting classes to good use, though the real pleasure is in getting to work with all the wonderful people at Lowbrow, with hope that this will be the first of many collaborations with this crew.
Creative Team
Dana Kaufman - Composer
Hailed as “whirlwind” (Gramophone) and “dramatic…and powerfully funny” (Observer), Dana Kaufman’s music has been heard throughout North America and Europe. Her works have been featured at Carnegie Hall, New York Opera Fest, Contemporary Music Center of Milan, and Ravinia Festival; they have been commissioned by GRAMMY-winning pianist Nadia Shpachenko, Louisville Ballet, Ireland’s Carlow Arts Festival, and others.
A former Fulbright Research Fellow in Estonia and frequent speaker, Kaufman has given lectures at institutions such as the LA Opera, Women Composers Festival of Hartford, and Music by Women Festival. She is Assistant Professor in Music Composition at University of California, Riverside. danakaufmanmusic.com
Aiden K. Feltkamp - Librettist
Aiden K. Feltkamp (they/he) began their artistic life at the age of 5 playing a quarter-size cello and now they’re "upending preconceptions about voice and gender" (New York Times) as a trans nonbinary writer. Mx. Feltkamp’s work centers marginalized characters, and spans the serious and the ridiculous, the real and the surreal. Some of their favorite projects include an opera about Emily Dickinson’s queerness, an interactive fiction experience about alien communication, and new English translations of lesbian erotic poet Marie-Madeleine. They also write science fiction, poetry, and educational non-fiction, which has been published in PBS’s American Masters series, Crêpe & Penn, and NewMusicBox. Most recently, they curated New Music Shelf’s award-winning New Music Anthology for Trans & Nonbinary Voices, Vol. 1. When they're not writing, they consult arts organizations on equity and inclusion. They have recently worked with the LA Phil, The Philadelphia Orchestra, and Chamber Music America. They wrangled composers and arts administrators as the first-ever Director of Emerging Composers and Diversity for the American Composers Orchestra from 2018-2022. In their spare time, they volunteer on Opera America's Magazine Editorial Committee and as part of Victory Hall Opera's SINGTANK cabinet. They live in Jersey City with their partner, cat, two parrots, and robot dog.
Cast
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Christine Oshiki
Ensemble - Soprano
Christine Oshiki made Washington her home nearly 18 years ago in Olympia, where she gained first-hand experience on the stage and behind the scenes through local performing arts company, Capitol Playhouse. Christine moved to Seattle in 2012 to attend the University of Washington, where she earned her Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance. Upon graduation, she worked as a director and after-school coordinator at a children’s theater company where she sparked a love of teaching. This eventually led her to seek a teaching position at St. Thomas School in Medina in their Early Learning Center, where she currently teaches preschool. Christine also holds a Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Eastern Washington University.
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Eric Angus Jeffords
Ensemble - Tenor
Eric is a classical vocalist and actor living and working in so-called Seattle, WA on Land that is the ancestral inherentice of the Duwamish People. Some of his favorite roles include: Dr Frank n' Furter in The Rocky Horror Show; Matt in b.a.r.e.: a Pop Opera; David Posner in History Boys; Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni; Nemorino in L'elisir d'amore; The Sorceress in Dido and Aenaes; and the Floor in a scene from #adulting2 that one time. When he is not singing, Eric can be found brewing meads and liqueurs, crafting incense and oils, and dancing in a forest glade with the god Dionysos, wine splashed and delirious with ecstasis. Though, come to think of it, he's usually singing then, too. Badly. He was last seen with Lowbrow Opera Collective in #adulting2: here we go again as Tony .
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Robin Wyatt-Stone
Ensemble - Bass
Robin Wyatt-Stone is extremely excited to join Lowbrow Opera Collective as Achilles and as the ensemble bass for Emily and Sue! A Capitol Hill-based bass-baritone, Robin earned his degree in vocal arts at USC, where he discovered and honed his passion for opera and choral music. Robin has continued to pursue classical singing personally and professionally, including chorus positions at Seattle Opera and the Seattle Gilbert and Sullivan Society, and featured as a soloist for Eastside Sings with the Greater Seattle Choral Consortium. Robin has also sung with a number of local choral organizations, including the Emerald Ensemble, Radiance, Byrd Ensemble, Lumia Ensemble, Seattle Pro Musica, and Opus 7. When not singing, Robin spends most of his time being a big nerd, and enjoys tabletop RPGs, board/video games, studying massage therapy, and hanging out with his cat, Millie.
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Kirby Burgess
Emily
Thirst
Director
Molly Anders
Molly is a Senior at the University of Washington studying Communication. This is Molly’s first show with Lowbrow Opera Collective and she is beyond excited to make her debut. Although she is new to working on Operas, she is not new to the stage. She has been acting for her whole life and has recently began focusing her attention on directing. Some of her recent projects include directing ‘How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying’ through UW StageNotes as well as assistant directing the ‘My Two Homes’ short film. Molly has always had a passion for creative storytelling and believes so much good can come from sharing human experiences. She cannot wait to collaborate with all of Lowbrows creative team and their performers on this amazing project.
Creative Team
TJ Rubin - Composer
TJ Rubin is a queer composer and music educator who tells stories onstage that reflect the wide variety of queer experiences and narratives the world holds. TJ’s music lives at the intersection of opera and musical theater, with melodies that are “torquing, and probing, quizzical and wonderstruck” (San Francisco Classical Voice). His works include Ten Minutes in the Life or Death of…, How To Create A Young Girl, Back to the Shore: A Jersey Short Opera, and Nightlife which premiered at Stonewall Inn as part of a collaboration between NYU and The American Opera Project for the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall riots. His compositions have been performed at Opera America, West Edge Opera, St. Luke’s Theatre, Stonewall Inn, Don’t Tell Mama, and the PIT Loft. He is an adjunct professor in the music theory/composition department at Montclair State University, music department at William Paterson University, and recently co-directed the NYU/Tisch Opera Lab with director Sam Helfrich for the 2021-2022 season. He is a composer in the BMI Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop. MFA: NYU Tisch.
Laura Barati - Librettist
Laura Barati is a writer and deviser of new works. Barati’s experience as the queer daughter of a Jewish Colombian mother and a Muslim Iranian father fuels her desire to make untold stories and complex identities come alive onstage. She delights in pushing the limits of traditional genres and picking apart the messy intersections of gender, race, and sexuality through a critical but joyful lens. Her operas include 75 MILES for Washington National Opera, HENNA LEAVES and UPRISING. She is developing the new opera CARAVANA DE MUJERES through MassOpera’s New Opera Workshop. Upcoming commissions include THE INTERACTION EFFECT for Fresh Squeezed Opera. Her other works include the musicals HOW TO CREATE A YOUNG GIRL and MISS HAVISHAM’S WEDDING. Her writing has been performed in New York City at The American Opera Project, Opera America, The Tank, NYMF, Prospect Theater Company; and regionally at Washington National Opera, Barrington Stage Company, Two River Theater, MassOpera, Stage Femmes, and Music Theatre Kansas City. MFA: NYU Tisch.
Cast
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Cee E. Adamson
Jaq
Cee E. Adamson (she/they/Mx.), mezzo-soprano, occupies a fluid place as an operatic talent, capable of treading the beguiling and liminal space between the countertenor and mezzo-soprano. Cee’s vocal versatility has been well showcased in roles as Oberon in Benjamin Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Giulio Cesare in Handel's Giulio Cesare, The Sorceress in Purcell's Dido and Aeneas, Dritte Dame in Die Zauberflöte, and tragic and comic roles from Mercedes in Carmen to Florence Pike in Albert Herring. Mx. Adamson was also requested to appear as a featured supernumerary in The Glimmerglass Festival’s production of Philip Glass’s Orphée.
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Karen Dunstan
Jill
Karen Dunstan, soprano, comes to Seattle from Ypsilanti, Michigan, and is currently studying for her Master’s degree in Vocal Performance at the University of Washington. Previous roles include the Spirit in Dido and Aeneas, one of the three spirits in The Magic Flute, and most recently the role of Holy St. Francis’s Trainer in the new opera Vinkensport. Dunstan is also passionate about inclusivity in, and broad access to, opera, particularly with regard to queer representation. She is thrilled to be working with Lowbrow Opera to help bring new queer narratives and queer voices to the opera stage.
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Christine Oshiki
Jaq
Lowbrow co-founder Christine Oshiki (she/they) is a well-rounded performer and early childhood educator in the Seattle area. A preschool teacher by day and a vocalist by night, she holds a BM in Vocal Performance from the University of Washington and a MEd in Early Childhood Education from Eastern Washington University. Christine is serving their third year as President on the Lowbrow Board of Directors and most recently performed as Ruth in Lowbrow's #adulting and #adulting2: here we go again. In addition to Lowbrow's endeavors, Christine can be found singing with Choral Arts Northwest, Let's All Drink and Do Broadway, MUSING, the St. Clement's Episcopal Church choir, and as a freelance soloist in the Seattle area. She enjoys spending her free time with her partner, Alex, and their dog, Ollie (who has been deemed Lowbrow's unofficial mascot), trying new things, cooking, and enjoying a good IPA.
Achilles & Patroclus
Director
Kate Kelley
Kate Kelley (she / they) is a Seattle-based arts administrator, theater producer, and operatic stage director with a passion for increasing community access to the arts. Kate holds a BM in Applied Voice (Baylor University, 2015) and an MM in Voice Performance (University of Washington, 2017), is the Operations and Administrative Associate at Seattle Pro Musica, and serves as Vice President of the Board of Directors for Lowbrow Opera Collective, a non-profit arts organization that she co-founded in 2018 with the goal of bringing modern works from diverse perspectives to the forefront of opera. Notable performance credits include the titular role of La Calisto (UW, 2015), Orphée in Orphée et Eurydice (UW and Pacific MusicWorks, 2016), Judith in Red Lake (Deseret Experimental Opera Company, 2016), Genovieffa in Suor Angelica (Seattle Modern Opera Company, 2019), Siri in #adulting, a new opera (LOC, 2019 & 2020), and Gretta in Breakfast (LOC, 2020). Notable stage directing credits include #adulting, a new opera (LOC, 2019 & 2020), WINDOWS (LOC 2021), MARThA (LOC 2022), Amahl and the Night Visitors (Music on Site, Inc., 2022) and #adulting2, here we go again (LOC 2022), a commissioned work proudly billed as ‘the gayest opera in existence’. This season at Lowbrow, Kate served as the panel moderator at Indelible: reflections on queerness in the performing arts, and has been hard at work on all things More Than Friends - Kate is the assistant director of Thirst and Emily and Sue and is Stage Director of Achilles & Patroclus.
Creative Team
Erika Meyer - Composer
ERIKA MEYER, a Seattle native, graduated from the University of Washington in 2019 with a Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance and a Bachelor of Arts in Music Theory. While at university, she studied voice with pedagogue Dr. Kari Ragan. Meyer has participated in composition festivals including the EAMA Summer Music Composers’ Institute in Paris, France and the Wintergreen Music Academy Composers’ Retreat in Virginia. A semi-finalist in the Student Composers’ Division of the American Prize, as well as 2021 NATS national quarter finalist, she was selected as a Seattle Opera Jang Lang Davis Creation Lab 2021 participant and created a new 20-minute chamber opera alongside a fellow librettist. As a lover of opera, classical and contemporary music, and the arts, Erika completed one year of her Graduate Studies in Composition at the Chicago College of the Performing Arts under the tutelage of composer Daron Hagen.
James T. Washburn - Librettist
James T. Washburn (he/him) is a gay, trans, and disabled Storyteller-Activist based in Seattle. His work is deeply inspired by his community and experiences at the intersection of marginalized identities.
James is a multi-hyphenate artist, with works spanning from the immersive novella "Sealed with Honey" to "Achilles + Patroclus," a chamber opera commissioned by the Seattle Opera. He takes inspiration from folklore, mythology, and queer history; his work focuses on discovering queerness in traditional stories and reimagining familiar tropes and archetypes through a queer lens.
James is the Founding Artistic Director of Magpie Artists' Ensemble and a 2022-23 Hugo House Fellow.
Upcoming projects include a reading from his Fellowship project, "Persephone" (February 13, Hugo House) and the world premier of queer musical "Briar/Rose" (June 24-25, Theatre Off Jackson)
Cast
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Jae Bernado
Patroclus
Jae Bernado (they/them) is a Seattle-based educator, storyteller, and student of life. They have performed with several companies in the greater Seattle area such as Puget Sound Concert Opera, Lyric Opera Northwest and Pacific Northwest Opera. They currently serve as the staff Tenor/Bass section leader for the award-winning choral ensemble Seattle Pro Musica. In addition to a love for performing, Jae has a deep passion for helping others use their own voices expressively. This passion forms the foundation of their work as a singing teacher and Speech Language Pathology student clinician at the University of Washington Speech & Hearing clinic. They are grateful to return to the opera stage after a 5-year hiatus, especially as a part of this project, which so closely aligns with their values and identity as a performer, artist, and human being. “Big thanks to my family & friends, Lowbrow Opera Collective, all my mentors at WWU & UW, and Dr. Kari Ragan!” More info: https://expressivevoice.mymusicstaff.com/
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Robin Wyatt-Stone
Achilles
Robin Wyatt-Stone is extremely excited to join Lowbrow Opera Collective as Achilles and as the ensemble bass for Emily and Sue! A Capitol Hill-based bass-baritone, Robin earned his degree in vocal arts at USC, where he discovered and honed his passion for opera and choral music. Robin has continued to pursue classical singing personally and professionally, including chorus positions at Seattle Opera and the Seattle Gilbert and Sullivan Society, and featured as a soloist for Eastside Sings with the Greater Seattle Choral Consortium. Robin has also sung with a number of local choral organizations, including the Emerald Ensemble, Radiance, Byrd Ensemble, Lumia Ensemble, Seattle Pro Musica, and Opus 7. When not singing, Robin spends most of his time being a big nerd, and enjoys tabletop RPGs, board/video games, studying massage therapy, and hanging out with his cat, Millie.
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Eric Angus Jeffords
Patroclus
Eric is a classical vocalist and actor living and working in so-called Seattle, WA on Land that is the ancestral inherentice of the Duwamish People. Some of his favorite roles include: Dr Frank n' Furter in The Rocky Horror Show; Matt in b.a.r.e.: a Pop Opera; David Posner in History Boys; Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni; Nemorino in L'elisir d'amore; The Sorceress in Dido and Aenaes; and the Floor in a scene from #adulting2 that one time. When he is not singing, Eric can be found brewing meads and liqueurs, crafting incense and oils, and dancing in a forest glade with the god Dionysos, wine splashed and delirious with ecstasis. Though, come to think of it, he's usually singing then, too. Badly. He was last seen with Lowbrow Opera Collective in #adulting2: here we go again as Tony.
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Revere Taylor
Achilles, Fight Choreographer
Revere Taylor is a multidisciplinary performer originally hailing from Santa Fe, New Mexico. He attended the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland before graduating with a Bachelor of Music from New Mexico State University. He earned his Master of Music degree from University of Northern Colorado, where he performed the roles of Germont in La traviata, Rambaldo in La rondine, and Eisenstein in Die Fledermaus. He performed Ping in Turandot with Opera Fort Collins, and sang Melitone in La forza del destino with Opera Classica Europa in Kloster Eberbach, Germany. He is now a regular chorister at Seattle Opera, where he has appeared in 12 mainstage productions and numerous educational outreach performances. Revere is also the lead singer of the acclaimed power metal band Greyhawk, with whom he performs both in the Northwest and at heavy metal festivals worldwide.
Collaborative Musicians
Sam Peters - Piano
After studying viola and composition for his undergraduate degree at University of Delaware, Sam found his true calling for organ music and accompanying voice during his graduate studies at Syracuse University where he began organ lessons. After graduation he continuously worked as church organist in various locations and as a rehearsal pianist for diverse community choruses in Ithaca, NY. Currently Sam freelances as a keyboardist and music director for several local theatre companies including Twelfth Night Productions, Centerstage Theatre, and HEARTS: Health & Arts. Sam is super excited to collaborate with Lowbrow Opera Collective again!
Haley Posey - Drums
Haley Posey (they/she) is a multi-instrumentalist and audio engineer originally hailing from Perry, Ohio, but currently residing in Seattle, Washington. Her musical journey began as a little kid, sneaking time with her older sibling’s guitar and attempting to create her own demo tapes with her trusty TalkBoy voice recorder. (Shout out to the Home Alone franchise for that fine piece of unnecessarily gendered audio technology.) However, it was when she happened to overhear a classmate in the 5th grade say that “girls couldn’t be good drummers…” that she knew she had to obviously become a kick-ass drummer. From that moment forward, Haley was laser focused on developing her skillset as a drummer and quickly became the 1st chair percussionist for her school symphonic and marching bands, and remained as such until she graduated high school. Haley also quickly became a go-to accompanist for all manner of local music groups in need of a drummer and even taught drum lessons for several years. After high school, Haley continued to explore her passion for music and audio engineering, receiving her BA in Audio Engineering from Ohio University in 2013. Haley connected with the Lowbrow team for the first time back in 2020, and assisted in recording and mixing audio for their virtual season (Breakfast and Windows). Since then, Haley has also assisted Lowbrow in remastering existing recordings from previous seasons (#adulting), recording sound for some of their live events, and even building several props and set pieces for one of their recent productions (#adulting2, here we go again). This time around, Haley couldn’t be more thrilled to get back to her drumming roots, and join Lowbrow on stage as the percussionist for this production of Emily and Sue!