Mazzoli/Vavrek
The Listeners
American Premiere
Music by Missy Mazzoli
Libretto by Royce Vavrek
Based on an original story by Jordan Tannahill
Performed in English with English supertitles
The Sound of a Divided Nation
Composer Missy Mazzoli and librettist Royce Vavrek follow up on their acclaimed 2016 world premiere Breaking the Waves with a thriller about the seductive power of cults and charismatic leaders in a divided nation.
The Listeners examines the lengths to which we, as Americans, are willing to go to find a sense of place and purpose, and the way in which confident, charming leaders can exploit these needs to their own ends.
A middle-class mother (soprano Nicole Heaston in her company debut) living in a southwestern U.S. suburb notices a “hum,” a high-frequency environmental noise that only a select few people, the "Listeners,” can hear. A community organization quickly forms to solve the mystery of the hum, but when the de facto leader (Kevin Burdette) suggests a spiritual significance, the meetings become increasingly cult-like. Is this community of “Listeners” on a collision course with destruction?
MapAcademy of Music
| Wed, Sep 25 | 7:00 p.m. |
| Fri, Sep 27 | 8:00 p.m. |
| Sun, Sep 29 | 2:00 p.m. |
Runtime is approximately 2 hours and 23 minutes including one 20-minute intermission
Co-commissioned and co-produced with Norwegian National Opera and Lyric Opera of Chicago
Opera Philadelphia’s 2024-2025 Season is brought to you by the Artistry Now Matching Fund and Barbara Augusta Teichert
Academy of Music productions are made possible with support from Judy and Peter Leone
Major support for The Listeners has been provided by The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage, with additional support from OPERA America’s Opera Grants for Female Composers program, supported by the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation, Stephen A. Block, Robert N. Braun, M.D., Marcus Innovation Fund, and Ashley and Eli Wald
Cast & Creative Team
- Adam Rigg Set Design
- Kaye Voyce * Costume Design
- Yi Zhao * Lighting Design
- Daniel Neumann * Sounds Design
- Raja Feather Kelly * Choreography
- Hannah Wasileski * Video Design
- Elizabeth Braden Chorus Master
- Cori Ellison Dramaturgy
- *Opera Philadelphia debut
Composer & Librettist
Missy Mazzoli & Royce Vavrek
A fast-rising composer on the contemporary music scene, Missy Mazzoli’s talent draws audiences equally into concert halls and rock clubs. Her unique music reflects a trend among composers of her generation who combine styles, writing music for the omnivorous audiences of the 21st century. She inhabits a gorgeous and mysterious sound-world that melds indie-rock sensibilities with formal training from Louis Andriessen, Martijn Padding, Richard Ayers, and others. Practically speaking, she amasses music in layers not normally found together but in ways that create matchless vertical harmonies. Learn more about Missy
Royce Vavrek is an Alberta-born, Brooklyn-based librettist and lyricist known as “an exemplary creator of operatic prose” (The New York Times) and "the indie Hoffmanstahl" (The New Yorker). Learn more about Royce