This event has already taken place.
This one-act folk opera by composer Michael Dellaira, based on the best-selling 1856 book of the same name by American explorer Elisha Kent Kane, touches on themes as varied as exploration, discovery, spirituality, and our relationship to the natural world. Dellaira’s score for soloists, chorus, and a small ensemble of instruments is inspired by 19th-century American popular and folk tunes, sea shanties, and hymns. Joining us at this world premiere, a co-production with the Cell Theatre and directed by Kira Simring, will be members of The Harlem Chamber Players and Nuka Alice, an Inuit drum dancer who collaborated in the creation of the work.
| Arctic Explorations | Michael Dellaira |
| Thule, The Period of Cosmography | Thomas Weelkes |
| Northern Passage | Rogers and Small |
| Storyteller | B. E. Boykin |
For Arctic Explorations, the soloists will be:
Siarnaq: Nuka Alice
Elisha Kent Kane: Colin Levin
Margaret (Maggie) Fox: Nicole Haslett
Lady Jane Franklin: Erin Brittain
President Zachary Taylor: Michael Celentano
Watch composer Michael Dellaira and Inuk drum-dancer Nuka Alice talk about the creation of the opera and hear excerpts from last year’s workshop here.
Virtual tickets are also available to view the online recording beginning on April 7th, 2024, at 4pm.