A selection of short film submissions, paired for their viewpoints on contemporary life. 

Among the Flowers (2021, directed by Patrick Eakin Young, produced by Royal Opera House, London) 
An opera for Instagram. Bereft of social contact, a woman (mezzo-soprano Lucy Goddard) looks to her phone for traces of past joy.(10:14) 

Corsair (2020, directed by George Cederquist, produced by Chicago Fringe Opera) 
Based on a short story from Boccaccio's “Decameron,” Corsair is one man’s journey from greed to humility, from isolation to community, starring baritone and hip-hop MC K.F. Jacques. (9:52) 

Someone Like Me (2018, written and directed by Adam Taylor, music by Nathan Fletcher, produced by Obadiah Baker) 
A Facebook-Post-apocalyptic opera traversing the pressure-filled struggle to balance staying happy with staying well “liked.” Contains explicit language. (16:30) 

The Two Hot Shots (2021, directed by George Moïse, produced by A Lab Studios) 
Adapted from Rossini’s Otello, two men (tenor Nathan Granner as Otello and tenor Orson Van Gay as Rodrigo) are seated in a hospital room, waiting to get their vaccine administered. They bicker about their own macho ways, but when it comes time to get the vaccine shot, both at first, chicken out. (5:43) 

A Jarful of Bees (2021, artistic direction and visuals by Natalie Frank and Erin Pollock, original story collaboration by Eve Gigliotti and Paola Prestini) 
A multimedia, immersive short film on the transformation of memory and the mutability of familial relationships, created in collaboration with painter Natalie Frank and artist/animator Erin Pollock. With music composed by Paola Prestini, text by Pulitzer Prize-winning librettist Royce Vavrek, performed by mezzo-soprano Eve Gigliotti, and commissioned by Jill and Bill Steinberg. (10:02) 

Rumspringawakening (2019, written and directed by Adam Taylor, music by Nathan Fletcher, produced by Obadiah Baker) 
With the help of a failed Broadway actress (soprano Janet Szepei Todd), a wide-eyed Amish teen (tenor Jon Lee Keenan) sings his way to adulthood on his Rumspringa through New York City. Contains explicit language and brief nudity. (23:30) 

Heroes of New York (2021, directed by Brian Gonzalez and Malena Dayen, produced by Bare Opera  
A snapshot of the heroic efforts made by five of the countless unique souls who make New York City’s heart beat: The Doctor (Shannon Delijani), The Oyster Lady (David Charles Tay), The Bodega Owner (Brace Negron), The Sex Worker (Patrice P. Eaton), and The Singer (Meryl Dominguez). Everyone’s story is unique. Everyone’s story is human. Everyone is a hero. Featuring music by Dina Pruzhansky and libretto by Briana Hunter. (23:53)