(Photo Credit: Maria Baranova)

Armenian-American composer and documentarian Mary Kouyoumdjian’s opera, “Adoration,” is set to makes its west coast premiere in a co-presentation by LA Opera and Beth Morrison Projects.

Kouyoumdjian was awarded an OPERA America commissioning grant to create an opera adaptation of Armenian filmmaker Atom Egoyan’s “Adoration.” Written in collaboration with librettist Royce Vavrek, the operatic version touches deeply on the narrative of Kouyoumdjian’s growing years. The story follows Simon, an orphaned high school student, who as part of a dramatic writing exercise, appropriates details from a historical terrorist attack as an event perpetrated by his parents. When his story goes viral, Simon uses the hysteria within his community and on the internet to highlight the challenges of intolerance and racism in our society.

“Hate is too often portrayed as binary. We either hate or we don’t. We hate someone for something they did or some perceived slight, or we hate “the other.” Yet we are not born with hate—it is learned, nurtured, and developed over the course of a lifetime. ‘Adoration’ tells two simultaneous stories—a fictional story of terrorism and betrayal juxtaposed with a real story of family strife and rejection of something unfamiliar,” stated Beth Morrison Projects in a press release.

The cast includes tenor Omar Najmi in the main role, with soprano Miriam Khalil, tenor Roy Hage, mezzo-soprano Naomi Louisa O’Connell, baritone David Adam Moore, and bass James Demler. Laine Rettmer is the stage director, and Alan Pierson conducts.

“Adoration” was commissioned, developed, and produced by Beth Morrison Projects, and this presentation marks the company’s 16th collaboration with LA Opera. As part of 2024-25 Off Grand productions, the performance is also supported by a consortium of generous donors to LA Opera’s Contemporary Opera Initiative, chaired by Barry and Nancy Sanders.

The premiere is scheduled for Feb. 19, 20, and 22, 2025, at 8 p.m. and Feb. 23, at 2 p.m. REDCAT hosts the performances.