Working In Concert Premieres ON CALL: COVID 19 An Opera Love Letter To Health Care Workers

Chicago-based Working In Concert premieres the world's first full-length virtual opera, On Call: COVID-19 on Saturday, April 17 at 7 PM (CDT) followed by 8 PM Artist Meet-and-Greet and Sunday, April 18 at 2:30 PM (CDT) followed by 3:30 PM Artist Meet-and-Greet.

"From the moment the music began with Gwendolyn Brown's opening aria we leaned in, found ourselves holding hands, tears in our eyes, deep sighs of sympathy and solidarity. It's such a love letter to health-care workers that we especially hope to see medical associations and health care unions picking up on it," said Claudia Hommel, Executive Director of Working In Concert.

Produced and commissioned by Working in Concert's Bellissima Opera, the work was created by librettist CHRISTINE STEYER of Oak Park IL, composer DAVID SHENTON of Queens NY, and director CARL RATNER of Kalamazoo MI. The characters and stories of On Call are drawn from 200 articles about global healthcare workers facing the COVID-19 pandemic. Steyer says, "No one is left untouched by the daily images of healthcare workers risking their lives in service as events of the pandemic unfold. David and I were in the midst of creating operas for Bellissima Opera's Tales of Transcendence Series-celebrating those transcending the human divide-when we turned our focus to those self-sacrificing workers to create On Call."

The opera's three scenes look in on a series of "Zoom" calls by six medics from Chicago, Seoul, Rio de Janeiro, Lombardy, New York City, and a Syrian refugee camp near Beirut as they each struggle with the pandemic unfolding in their unique location. The calls provide a lifeline to each other, as they ultimately discover that kindness and compassion can be as powerful a tool as a vaccine and a ventilator.

The Bellissima Opera cast of seven professionals from around the country:

Emanuel-Cristian Caraman,
tenor (South Bend, IN)
Gwendolyn Brown, contralto (Nashville, TN)
Russell Hoke, baritone (Elgin, IL)

Jeong Eun Joo, soprano (Chicago, IL)
Carl Ratner, baritone (Kalamazoo, MI)
Christine Steyer, soprano (Oak Park, IL)

and David Shenton, piano (Queens, NY)

In addition to telling an important story, On Call provides a meaningful project for singers who have been hard-pressed to find work during the pandemic. Each singer safely recorded their parts at home and the segments were then assembled to create the look of a live "Zoom" meeting. The cast members each named their own character to honor either a healthcare worker or someone who has died from COVID. A student cast, also led by Ratner, will stream the first collegiate performance two weeks later at Western Michigan University.

Ticket links and more information are posted at workinginconcert.org/covidopera
Audience members are invited to join the post-opera artist meet-and-greet by making an additional donation.

The opera is 60 minutes in length, in English with English subtitles. Tickets range from $20-30, with $5 student tickets, discounts and group rates available. Subject matter appropriate for ages 8+.

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