OPERA
Ten Minutes in the Life or Death of…
Libretto by Marella Martin Koch
Music by TJ Rubin
On his deathbed, a man revisits the most important moments of his life.
Developmental History:
West Edge Opera, “Snapshot", May 2021, Berkeley, CA
Mov. IVFeaturing performers Chad Somers, J. Raymond Meyers, Kevin Gino. Earplay ensemble led by conductor, Jonathan Khuner.Mov. INightlife
Libretto by Deepali Gupta
Music by TJ Rubin
On June 28th, 1969, a jazz quartet finishes a gig at the Village Vanguard and embark on an odyssey around the corner to arrive at Stonewall Inn. In a sonic landscape awash with Lynchian blue notes and surreal motives, four musicians strive for self-acceptance among the dissonance.
Developmental History:
AOP-NYU/Tisch Advanced Opera Lab, 2018-2019, NYC
NYU Shubert Theatre & Stonewall Inn, May 2019, NYC
Opera America, September 2019, NYC
Featuring Sara Couden, Errin Brooks, Clayton G. Williams, Matthew Gamble. Music direction by Jillian Zack.Thirst
Libretto by Laura Barati
Music by TJ Rubin
Jill wakes up gasping next to her girlfriend Jaqueline in the middle of the night. In the magical journey that ensues, the two are forced to face the unspoken tensions in their relationship. 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.
Developmental History:
Lowbrow Opera Colective, “More Than Friends”, May 2023, Seattle, WA
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, “Intimate Entanglements”, April 2024, Brownsville, TX
Lowbrow Opera Collective. Dir. Molly Anders. Featuring Karen Dunstan and Christine Oshiki. Sam Peters on piano.