836M to Present World Premiere ‘The Glance: A Laptopera’
By David Salazar836M will present the world premiere of Anne Hege’s “The Glance: A Laptopera” at ODC Theater in San Francisco this May.
An operatic reinterpretation of the Orpheus myth for laptop orchestra and live voices, the work features Sidney Chen, Carmina Escobar as Orphea, and Michele Kennedy as Eurydice. Electronic instrument builders Daniel Iglesia and Curtis Ullerich, art director Kim Anno, and choreographer Carrie Ahern collaborate on the production.
Hege, who began her residency with the San Francisco-based nonprofit last month, created the work through a process that foregrounds instrument design as a core expressive and narrative force.
“Centering instrument design allows us to create a new form of opera,” said Hege, per an official press release. “For example, we developed an instrument for Orphea and Eurydice, motion-tracking two bodies simultaneously and turning their movement into a real-time interface that controls the delay and reverberation of their live singing. Electronic instrument design opens up storytelling possibilities you simply can’t achieve with traditional instruments like the piano or violin,” she added, per an official press release.
Performances run May 29–31, 2026. Adjacent to the premiere of her new opera will be two open rehearsals on April 23 and May 21 starring Kennedy and Escobar.
836M is a San Francisco-based nonprofit arts organization whose mission is to emphasize the creative process through live artistic and cultural experiences, including gallery exhibitions, artist residencies, and an innovative concert series.
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