On September 23, 2022, St. Ann Church in West Palm Beach Florida will see the concert premiere of two new operas “Bomb Squad Rhapsody” and “A Severed Chord.”

Inspired by the experiences of military veterans and their families, the event is produced by Lexye Aversa and music directed by Gregory Ritchey, and honors the work of the Grey Team, a county-based nonprofit that works to prevent suicide among veterans and those suffering from PTSD.

The first work, “Bomb Squad Rhapsody,” is composed by Jane K and written by librettist Germaine Shames. This one-act, one-woman work will feature mezzo-soprano Madison Marie McIntosh in the role of Claire. The second work, “A Severed Chord,” is composed by Amy Scurria to a libretto by Broadway veteran Jeff Shankley. The cast of nameless characters includes McIntosh as Young Woman, soprano Kelly Balmaceda as Warrior’s Mother and Young Girl, soprano Christine Alfaro as Psychiatrist, tenor David Santiago as Young Warrior, and baritone Kaleb Coicou as Older Warrior.

The event will also include music such as Garret Brown and Armando Maysonet’s “The Heroes of Freedom,” which was recently premiered as part of Grey Team’s Voices of the Valiant, a collaborative effort between Grey Team Military Community and McIntosh to create music which gives voice to the experiences and feelings of our veterans.