Sylvia joins the Choir of Trinity Wall Street for performances of this new opera at the Park Avenue Armory.
Fifty years ago, composer Morton Feldman wrote music to commemorate the opening of the Rothko Chapel in Houston. A half-century later, composer, conductor, multi-instrumentalist and MacArthur “Genius” Tyshawn Sorey has created a new piece, commissioned by the Armory, as a tribute to both the deeply contemplative space and the work by this composer that has influenced his creative output. The resulting score provides the listener with the feeling of being enveloped in sound in much the same way that Mark Rothko’s paintings give in that space, revealing ever changing shades of color and texture.
Visionary director Peter Sellars returns to the Armory following his unforgettable stagings of St. Matthew Passion (2014) and FLEXN (2015, 2017) to ritualize this deeply moving work. Within the confines of a ceremonial chamber, audiences are immersed in Sorey’s composition, works by celebrated visual artist Julie Mehretu, and choreography by flex pioneer Reggie (Regg Roc) Gray to gain new perspectives on time, space, and movement. And while profoundly personal, this spiritual happening also serves as an invocation of the collective memory and ancestral trauma of our time and the distant but resonant past.
Commissioned by Park Avenue Armory, DaCamera, and Rothko Chapel in Celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Rothko Chapel
Composer, Conductor, Tyshawn Sorey
Director, Peter Sellars
Visual Artist, Julie Mehretu
Choreographer, Reggie (Regg Roc) Gray
Lighting Design, James F. Ingalls
Sound Design, Marc Urselli
Viola, Kim Kashkashian
Piano/Celesta, Sarah Rothenberg
Percussion, Steven Schick
Soloist, Davóne Tines
Choir, The Choir of Trinity Wall Street
September 27–October 8, 2022
Monday–Thursday at 7:30pm
Friday–Saturday at 8:00pm
Tickets start at $40 (plus fees)