Caroline Shaw’s “We Need to Talk” is set to premiere on the Opera Philadelphia Channel on April 16.

The composition, based on a poem by celebrated poet Anne Carson, will feature Ariadne Greif in a film by award-winning director Maureen Towey and Philadelphia-based Four/Ten Media.

The voice of Greif, singing live to camera, will be accompanied by and in conversation with a choral track of Shaw’s own voice and recitation of the poem by Carson herself. Additional electronic composition and sampling of old film scores create an environment filled with tension and energy.

The work was commissioned by New Works Director and Creative Producer Sarah Williams  and noted that “While she hasn’t written an opera yet, she’s a real storyteller in all of her music.”

Towey worked with Four/Ten Media’s Kevin Eikenberg and Evan Chapman to make the piece feel both contemporary and timeless, and filming took place in the Spring Arts district warehouse in Philadelphia.

“We Need to Talk” will be available with a Season Pass, as a seven-day rental for $10, or as part of the $25 Digital Commissions Bundle.