My Opera Nemesis

Composed by Evan Neely and Libretto by Mora Harris

Premiered April 1st 2017 at Pittsburgh Opera Conducted by Daniel Nesta Curtis with the Carnegie Mellon University Contemporary Ensemble and Graduate Vocal Department.

In this short chamber opera, Sean is giving the performance of his life when a cellphone goes off in the audience. When he stops the show to publicly humiliate the culprit, it turns out to be none other than Milo, his Opera Nemesis and former-duet-partner-slash-friend. The two singers argue over what went wrong in their friendship (Sean is bad at returning emails, Milo gossiped about Sean’s vibrato), the jealousy they have for each other (Sean has found success as a singer, Milo has found love), and finally reminisce about the wild summers they spent creating art together. All of this while being constantly interrupted by the Stage Managers who just want to get on with the show. A meditation on success and artistic friendships in the age of cellphones.