Paola Prestini & Brenda Shaughnessy’s ‘Sensorium Ex’ Sets World Premiere Production

(Credit: Caroline Tompkins) Omaha’s Common Senses Festival in a co-production by VisionIntoArt and Beth Morrison Projects will present the world premiere of Paola Prestini and Brenda Shaughnessy’s “Sensorium Ex.” The world premiere of the opera, which features predominantly disabled performers and explores the question of what it means to have a voice, is set to take place May 22-25, 2025, {…}

National Sawdust & The Met Opera Present ‘Opera Evolved: Genre Fluidity’

(Photo: Jill Steinberg) National Sawdust and The Met Opera presented “Opera Evolved: Genre Fluidity” on Thursday, February 22nd, 2024. This was the second installment of this three-part series that, according to the program, celebrates artistic convergence by investigating the intersection of innovation and tradition at National Sawdust. The evening included composer and co-founder of National Sawdust, Paola Prestini, and theater {…}

Metropolitan Opera & National Sawdust to Present ‘Opera Evolved: Genre Fluidity’

The Metropolitan Opera is joining forces with National Sawdust to co-present a concert centered on excerpts from Paola Prestini’s upcoming opera “Sensorium Ex.” The event, which is part of the “Opera Evolved” series, features such artists as J’Nai Bridges, Hailey McAvoy, stage director Lileana Blain-Cruz, and Brenda Shaughnessy (librettist of “Sensorium Ex”), as they alternate between performance and discussion. Prestini {…}