Long Beach Opera Presents Pauline Oliveros' EL REELICARIO DE LOS ANIMALES

Long Beach Opera will present two landmark performances of a new production of Pauline Oliveros' El Relicario de Los Animales, February 15th & 16th at the historic indoor-outdoor Heritage Square Museum in Los Angeles.

Jamie Barton, the once in a generation mezzo-soprano superstar hailed as “a leader of a new generation of opera stars" by the NY Times, makes her LBO debut and Brenda Rae, a world-renowned soprano and former resident artist at the Frankfurt Opera, also debuts at LBO as a singer/percussionist, The Boston Globe praised her “acrobatic arias” following her performance this past fall in Boston Lyric Opera's ‘Mitridate.'

This event is a continuation of the company's 2024-2025 “All Oliveros” programming, dedicated in its entirety to the radical work of legendary queer composer Pauline Oliveros. Through this production, LBO deepens its engagement with the revolutionary queer and Mexican-American composer's work, which remain daring catalysts for the art form.

El Relicario de Los Animales (1979) unfolds through a series of evocations, each channeling a different animal with sonic textures and musical motifs. As one of Oliveros' scores with specific instructions for instrumentation, it incorporates a broad ensemble ranging from violin and percussion to unconventional surprises–including her signature conch shell. The result is an immersive, layered soundscape that explores the complex relationship between humans, nature, and animals–ultimately aiming to promote healing and harmony with the natural world.

LBO's production will feature an ensemble of over twenty performers on stage. The improvisational spirit of the piece means that the company's two presentations will be entirely unique, with each offering new and exciting discoveries for its audiences.

"Our new team at Long Beach Opera is emphatically embracing the company's early history as a provocative, innovative and excitingly irreverent place for all to experience new artistic ideas,” said LBO's Artistic Director & Chief Creative Officer James Darrah, who directs this new production joined by LBO Music Director Christopher Rountree (Wild Up) and emerging young director and producer Anderson Nunnelley, making his company debut as Associate Director.

In a special appearance, the production also features an original installation by LA based floral artist Juan Renteria, known as El Creativo, who has recently collaborated with brands like Neiman Marcus, Nike, and continues to produce work that is reinventing floral and natural materials as art. Renteria debuted with LBO  actor, singer and visual designer in last season's Oliveros' Bye Bye Butterfly.

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