Pasadena Opera Presents THE MAN WHO MISTOOK HIS WIFE FOR A HAT

The Man Who Mistook His Wife For Hat
CalTech's Dabney Lounge, Pasadena, CA
Saturday, March 10th - 8:00 pm
Sunday, March 11th - 3:00 pm

Pasadena Opera is delighted to bring its audience into the hallowed halls of the California Institute of Technology for its fourth production since its founding in 2014. What better setting for an opera about neurology than a world-class university known for its merging of art and science?

Based on neurologist Dr. Oliver Sack's' 1985 best-selling book of the same name and one of his most fascinating and baffling case studies, this intimate chamber opera invites you into the living room of "Dr. P," a renowned and gifted singer experiencing some odd problems with his ability to recognize objects. As Sacks solves a medical mystery, he teaches us about the astonishing power of music and the counterintuitive nature of the brain.

Pasadena Opera's co-founders, Artistic Director, Dana Sadava, and Creative Director, Dr. Indré Viskontas have assembled three talented young singers all Los Angles residents: soprano Julia Metzler (Mrs. P.) is a current national semi-finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council awards, baritone Ian Walker (Mr. P.), holds an MA of Music in Opera and Vocal Performance from UCLA and a BFA from CalArts, and tenor William Grundler (Dr. Sacks.) earned his BM at CSUN, for this fully staged production with a 78-piece orchestra. Viskontas will be directing and Sadava will be conducting.

Sadava and Viskontas share a vision of telling great stories in which audience members recognize their own experiences using innovative storytelling technology and the lush music of opera. Both women agree that there is no better time for explorations of what music can tell us about the mind. In the past year, 21 of the 23 leaders of the National Institutes of Health came together and agreed that studying how music affects us is of great use. With the runaway success of movies like Alive Inside, which featured Dr. Sacks and documented how music can bring seemingly lost patients to life, the general public has shown a keen interest in understanding the transcendental power of music.

Sadava notes that for years she has been looking forward to "presenting Nyman's beautifully minimalist score weaved with the accessible melodies of Robert Schumann, whose music is a remedy for the patient's ailing mind." "The sparseness of the score," adds Sadava "gives the audience time to digest the profound insights that Oliver Sacks poetically presents." Viskontas, who worked with Sacks on his book Musicophilia, said, "It was a dream come true. He might have had trouble connecting with the larger world, but he always managed to reach even the most elusive patients with his unassuming manner and keen ability to get to the heart of their experience. I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to share his genius with our audience."

Pasadena Opera is delighted to bring its audience into the hallowed halls of the California Institute of Technology for its fourth production since its founding in 2014. What better setting for an opera about neurology than a world-class university known for its' merging of art and science?

Tickets can be purchased by visiting www.pasadenaopera.org. Tickets: $38 CalTech alumni, $45 general admission, $65 VIP admission and reception on Saturday only. Caltech: Dabney Lounge, 320 S. Michigan Ave., Pasadena, CA 91106.

ABOUT PASADENA OPERA

Founded in 2014 by Pasadena local Dana Sadava, a professional conductor and graduate of CalTech's engineering program and Dr. Indré Viskontas, a professional soprano and neuroscientist, Pasadena Opera is committed to revolutionizing the presentation and perception of opera. Sadava and Viskontas aim to provide theatre experiences that are contemporary and relevant to all members of the community while maintaining standards of the highest artistic excellence. Both the 2014 the inaugural production, Leonard Bernstein's Candide, and the 2016 hit Susannah sold out. Pasadena Opera is a non-profit organization dedicated to serving the greater Pasadena community.

To post a comment, you must register and login.