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Taking Up Serpents (2018)

Composer
Librettist
Arias
Score

Perusal Score

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SYNOPSIS

In TAKING UP SERPENTS, 25-year-old Kayla is the estranged daughter of a fire-and-brimstone preacher who is dangerously bitten by one of his own snakes. Kayla’s journey home forces her to confront her troubled upbringing. With a score showcasing Sankaram’s deft stylistic eclecticism and an original story inspired by Dye’s roots in the Deep South, Taking Up Serpents calls into question faith, family, and destiny, with shocking results.

PREMIERE INFORMATION

WNO's American Opera Initiative, 2019

Artists:

  • Conductor - Lidiya Yankovskaya
  • Director - Alison Moritz
  • Kayla - Alexandra Shiner, soprano
  • Nelda - Eliza Bonet, mezzo-soprano
  • Daddy - Timothy Bruno, bass