In a modern retelling of Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, a woman (soprano Julia Dawson) is cloistered in a prison of her own making until a mysterious stranger shows her a way out. Featuring Mozart’s “Exsultate, Jubilate” (KV 165) and new music by Iranian-Canadian composer Iman Habibi with original Latin text, Obscura Nox is a combination of classical music and narrative film. Director Mary Birnbaum’s 26-minute “création lyrique” explores themes of isolation, the relationship between perception and reality, and society’s morphine-drip addiction to our screens.  

The spark of new love, the smoldering of desire, the haze of loss. Life and death are but bodies intertwined in After/Glow, a 2021 film directed by Ryan McKinny. Reimagining a classic European work through contemporary voices, After/Glow boldly embarks upon a cinematic journey through Schumann’s iconic sixteen song cycle Dichterliebe (A Poet’s Love). Featuring the original work of acclaimed poet Marc Bamuthi Joseph and the virtuosic performance of countertenor and recent finalist on NBC’s The Voice John Holiday, After/Glow will leave you basking in the raw power of intimate human connection.