Nathan Felix Announces New Chamber Opera ÖCALAN

Composer, Nathan Felix, is set to release a new chamber opera inspired by Kurdish Political Activist, Abdullah Öcalan. The opera, sung in Kurdish, features sopranist, Katrina Saporsantos and Inversion Ensemble singers Trevor Shaw and Robbie LaBanca. The album titled, Öcalan will be released and available to stream and download worldwide on all digital platforms on Thursday October 15th.

Inspired by the movement for 'Freedom for Öcalan, Öcalan is an expression of admiration for the spirit of the Kurds, inspired by their resilience, resistance and belief in the joy of life. The remarkable awakening of the consciousness and political activism of the Kurdish people in recent years has been engendered by the remarkable leadership and writings of Abdullah Öcalan. Despite enduring decades of incarceration removed entirely from the world, his people and denied all human contacts, Öcalan still communicates through his words and as a living example of the essential strength of the Kurdish spirit. Felix collaborated with a Kurdish refugee and poet for the libretto in which Hami provided translation.

Öcalan, was scheduled to premiere during SXSW this year before getting canceled due to the CoronaVirus pandemic. The ensemble decided to record the opera with Erik Wofford at Cacophony Recorders, in lieu of performing, in hopes of highlighting the ongoing Kurdish struggle. The full ensemble consisted of Katrina Saporsantos (soprano), Trevor Shaw (baritone), Robblie LaBanca (tenor), Steven Long (bass), Emily Bishop (violin), Henna Chou (cello), Matt Hemenway (violin), Benji Dia (piano), Richard Castillo (piano for Penaber).