Fractured Mosaics: A Live Virtual Opera

FRACTURED MOSAICS
A LIVE VIRTUAL OPERA

We are often fractured, but when we come together, we form beautiful mosaics.

Fractured Mosaics responds to the surge in Asian American hate. The term “Asian American” is a social and political construct which groups together 20 different ethnic groups originating from more than half the earth’s land mass. Though loosely bound by the color of our skin, we are not a monolith. Our different cultural and political histories are deeply embedded in our origin memories. We struggle to explain what it means to live in a yellow skin - a skin which is not dark enough to deserve protection from violence or discrimination; a skin which is not white enough to be accorded the privileges of whiteness. How do we explain the insidiousness of “yellow racism”?

These four scenes by four Asian American composer/writer teams bound together by musical interludes say what words can only say, inadequately. They show what we dream of, what we struggle with and how we triumph. We are often fractured; but when we come together, the fractured mosaics form something beautiful.

COMPOSER + LIBRETTIST TEAMS

BANANA KETCHUP
When Simon, a young medical student of Filipino descent meets his biological mother for the first time, they bond over her home-made bottle of banana ketchup, the quintessential Filipino condiment.
Nilo Alcala: COMPOSER
Deepali Gupta: LIBRETTIST

NORFOLK
A Chinese American physician muses on his younger self growing up in Norfolk, Virginia when it was rare to see Asian Americans, except in restaurants and laundries.
Randall Eng: COMPOSER
Monique Truong: LIBRETTIST

MUSIC BOX BIRD
Through the metaphor of two songbirds, an Asian American woman discovers her inner power to overcome her restrictive upbringing and free herself.
Ben Kono: COMPOSER
Cerise Lim Jacobs: LIBRETTIST

WE MEET AT THE WATER
A daughter in NYC speaks with her mother in Cambodia through the water that separates them, and which will soon overcome Mother’s village. A moving music-theatre piece exploring the impact of climate change on families around the world.
Liliya Ugay: COMPOSER
Sokunthary Svay: LIBRETTIST

INTERLUDES
Jason Chu: WRITER + PERFORMER
Randall Eng: COMPOSER

CREATIVE TEAM
Cerise Lim Jacobs: OPERA MAKER
Tian Hui Ng: MUSIC DIRECTOR
Laine Rettmer: STAGE DIRECTOR
Nuozhou Wang: PROJECTIONS DESIGNER

PRODUCTION & TECHNICAL TEAM
Milan Eldridge: STAGE MANAGER
Lyndsey Hawkes: ASSISTANT STAGE MANAGER
Jon Robertson: AUDIO ENGINEER
Eduardo Berganza: UNREAL TECHNICAL ARTIST
Greg McGuire: BROADCAST ENGINEER
Curvin Huber: DIRECTOR OF INNOVATION
Paola Almonte: ANIMATOR
Mengliu Lu: 3D MODELER
Senia Novak: 3D MODELER
Hannah Huling: PRODUCTION STAGE MANAGER

CAST
Angela Yam: SOPRANO
Chihiro Asano: MEZZO
Ziwen Xiang: TENOR
Junhan Choi: BARITONE

ORCHESTRA
Angela Santiago: VICTORY PLAYERS ENSEMBLE MANAGER
Elly Toyoda: VIOLIN/VIOLA
Clare Monfredo: CELLO
Eric Shultz: FLUTE/CLARINET
Nathan Ben Yehuda: PIANO