Commissioned by Opera Philadelphia and Tapestry Opera
Premiered by Kiera Duffy, soprano; Raehann-Bryce Davis, mezzo; Will Liverman, baritone; Lauren Pearl, soprano; Daniela Candillari, conductor and Opera Philadelphia at the Wilma Theater on September 21, 2023

Named Best New Opera by Music Critics Association of North America (2024)

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Program Note:
Opera has a long tradition and fascination with madness and women, often resulting in watching women suffer trauma and eventual death. This opera is not that.  

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Five years ago, an article on Nellie Bly and her essay, Ten Days in a Madhouse, came across one of my social media feeds.  My immediate reaction was that this story needed to be told as an opera.  The historical account is full of elements that I am interested in: strong female characters, social justice, women conversing about topics other than men, and more, but what screamed “opera” most to me was the opportunity to explore characters’ psychological space through the music.

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From the beginning, Hannah and I were interested in playing with audience expectations.  Who is mad? What are the intentions of the Doctor? How does time pass in an abusive asylum?  How might such an experience have an effect on someone?

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I created two separate sound worlds: one intimate acoustic chamber orchestra sound (representing the reality that most see) and an electronic sound world - which includes amplification, live vocal effects, sound design, and fixed electronic clips - that represents “madness.” These stark contrasting sound worlds leave lots of room for gray areas in between that help propel the suspense and unpredictability of characters’ journeys and the work itself.

The piece also features a women’s chorus. The chorus functions, at times, in a traditional manner as a chorus of patients in the asylum.  At other times, I treat their voices as instruments in the orchestra, weaving their sounds into soundscapes, blurring the lines between acoustic and electronics sound worlds, between sanity and madness, acting as a lasting haunt one might have after experiencing time inside an abusive asylum. 

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While our story contains many elements of Nellie’s exposè, Hannah and I took some creative liberties as well to create our unique story.  One addition includes the character, Lizzie, who has been placed in the madhouse for grieving “too much” over the death of her child.  When I received the libretto, I remember Hannah sharing that studies have shown that neurologically, there is no greater pain experienced than a mother losing her child.  I certainly believed her, but at the time I did not have children.  5 years later, I now have 3.  I can say without hesitation that my journey into motherhood has provided an extremely invaluable source of inspiration for much of Lizzie’s role.

Much has changed in the world since the publishing of 10 Days in a Madhouse, and with a pandemic taking its course, even so since the conception of this opera.  But what strikes me the most is how some things - the dismissive attitude and bias towards women patients in the medical field, the mistreatment of immigrants and the poor, the lack of support for mental health, etc… are all still very much the same… even 136 years later.  As part of an effort to show how relevant these themes still are today, I worked to make diverse styles of music fit together, asking what might the equivalent of a 19th century waltz sound like today? What hymns or songs were sung then and still now today?  It is my hope that you will find this engaging story immersed in an unpredictable universe, much as Nellie Bly may have experienced herself.