Photo: Alejandro Held

Argentina’s Contemporánea Lírica is set to stage “Conmigo o con nadie (With me or with anyone),” a one-act opera by Argentine composer Mailen Ubiedo Myskow.

The work is based on the femicide of Felicitas Guerrero, murdered in 1872 by Enrique Ocampo, a suitor she had rejected.

The composer creates a framework between Felicitas Guerrero and a young Argentine from the 21st century.

Felicitas is a young widowed heiress who shows situations of gender violence that women have suffered for centuries, and this awareness is what the opera intends to impart.

Felicitas is harassed for refusing to marry Enrique Ocampo, who proceeds to shoot Felicitas from behind while holding a meeting to announce her new engagement to another man.

The character María, distanced by time, represents a story that is repeated again and again, woman after woman.

The opera’s music blends elements of folkloric roots with a contemporary style.

Ubiedo Myskow teaches music for free to children and adolescents from the Ricciardelli neighborhoods so that they can participate in an opera.

“Conmigo o con nadie” will be presented April 1 and 8, 2023 at Hasta Trilce (Maza 177, CABA).