Experiments in Opera Presents World Premiere of THE NUBIAN WORD FOR FLOWERS

In The Nubian Word for Flowers: A Phantom Opera, Pauline Oliveros and IONE take the audience on a wild and passionate sonic journey through dimensions of time, space and cultures. Oliveros references Colonial and Arabic musical themes and infuses the island of flowers with her special electronic wizardry. Ione's poetic texts and sounds weave pathways through the haunting refrains of traditional and original Nubian music. We are immersed in Oliveros's translucent sound design, complementing the International Contemporary Ensemble's stellar musicianship. And of course, Improvisation is a welcome fellow traveler.

The premiere takes place on November 30, 2017, 8:00 p.m. at Roulette 509 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217, Tickets are $20/15.

Off the coast of the Orkney Islands, we encounter Lord Herbert Horatio Kitchener, Secretary of State for War for the UK on a secret mission to Russia just as a WWI mine explosion sinks the warship on which he is traveling. Sabotage? Perhaps. But Kitchener finds himself transported by the blast to a surreal and not entirely benevolent version of a Nubian Island of flowers that he himself cultivated as a younger commander for Queen Victoria. Here he must come to terms with an enigmatic Nubian Boatman and the timeless phantoms that reside on the island. These include the tumultuous plants and flowers themselves, as well as human representatives of a displaced Nubian people and culture-along with notorious historical figures from his own life. Be they memories of ghosts or ghosts of memories, all comes alive on the island and the unraveling past seems to speak to us about the present while raising questions about the future of the world.

ARTISTS
Michael Weyandt - Bass-Baritone (Lord Kitchener)
Lisa E. Harris - Soprano (Orkney Woman, Zar Woman, Sybille and Cheiro, Lord C, Dunne: "The Oracle")
Peter Tantsits - Tenor (Colonel Oswald & Cheiro, Lord C, Dunne: "The Oracle")
Alice Teyssier - Soprano (Hermione and Cheiro, Lord C, Dunne: "The Oracle")
Zizo - Baritone and Oud, Flute, Duff (The Nubian Boatman)
IONE - Text and Vocals (The Interviewer)

International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE):
Nicholas DeMaison - Music Director
IONE - Direction
Rebecca Rouse - Assistant Director and Dramaturg
Monica Duncan and Ross Karre - Video Design
Nick Houfek - Lighting Design
Senem Pirler - Sound Engineer