Developed in partnership with Mantra Percussion, Emma is an unconventional concert-length opera, for the unusual pairing of soprano and percussion ensemble, exploring Emma Goldman’s enduring influence on political activism and the fight for social justice.
With a libretto and music by the celebrated artist Annie Gosfield, Emma will interpret the radical vision, ideals, and legacy of Emma Goldman, one of the most influential social justice activists in US history. Emma will reflect the anarchic clatter of the turn of the 20th century, in a driving, dramatic setting for a strong solo female vocalist/protagonist.
The subject matter resonates strongly with many of today’s important issues: women’s rights, immigrants’ rights, and free speech. It will invoke the power of community, while emphasizing Goldman’s humanity and influence. We hope that this dynamic page in the history of activism in the U.S. raises questions about our current climate, and offers some inspiration as we look for ways to continue to strive for social justice.
The commissioning of Annie Gosfield for Emma: A Chamber Opera for Soprano and Percussion Ensemble received funding from OPERA America’s Opera Grants for Women Composers program supported by the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation.
Performers
Eliza Bagg, Soprano
Mantra Percussion
-Caitlin Cawley
-Christopher Graham
-Joseph Bergen
-Mark Utley
-Michael McCurdy
-Mika Godbole
Creative Team
Ash Fure, Director
Cori Ellison, Dramaturg
Meet the Creator
Annie Gosfield (Composer and Librettist) is based in New York City. She has written opera that eliminates the boundary between concert hall and the city streets, pieces for violin and jammed radio signals, a concert-length work for her band that recreates factory environments, and chamber music inspired by deteriorating 78 RPM records. Her music couples unorthodox sources with a personal approach to working with musicians. She strives to reveal the inherent beauty of found sounds, noise, and machines from both the past and present, while emphasizing the unique abilities of each performer. In recent years, her music has evolved from chamber work and performances by her own group to bigger projects in opera and orchestral music. In all of her work, she invites the listener to appreciate all sounds, without dividing the world into separate categories of music and noise.
In a revealing, in-depth profile, the New York Times wrote about Gosfield’s past in factories, punk clubs, and the influence of found sources, improvisation, coffee, whiskey, technology and mortality: “her high-energy, imaginative scores blend acoustic and electronic elements and have a propulsive, aggressive drive tempered by haunting, poetic and lyrical interludes.”
Gosfield has been awarded fellowships by the American Academy of Arts and Letters (2021), the Guggenheim Foundation (2017), the American Academy in Berlin (2012), the American Academy in Rome (Fromm Composer in residence, 2015), The Siemens Foundation (to “combine art and industry” in factories). She was a Lecturer in Composition at Columbia University (2020/2021), UT Austin (2019), has taught at Princeton, CalArts, Univ. of Indiana, and held the Darius Milhaud Chair at Mills College.
Meet the Performers
Mantra Percussion
Mantra Percussion, Inc. is a future-focused, BIPOC-led organization committed to an indelible influence on percussion music and the classical music landscape through the creation of new works by living composers and creators from across the social spectrum. Our organization develops communities through collaboration and support, mentors new generations of diverse artists to reshape the classical music paradigm, and engages audiences through immersive, evening-length events that challenge the traditional classical music experience. We work toward this purposeful art-making process using an ethical, equitable framework, amplifying diverse voices — particularly from historically excluded communities. In doing so, we aim to build a future where our community can thrive, connecting more parts of society through determined artistic expression.
Since forming in 2009, Mantra Percussion’s ensembles have been featured throughout North America, Europe and Asia, including BAM’s Next Wave Festival, the Bang on a Can Marathon, Sacrum Profanum Festival (Poland), Now Music Festival (South Korea), the GAIDA festival (Lithuania), Duke Performances, National Public Radio, the Drogheda Festival (Ireland), the Ecstatic Music Festival, Mass MoCA and more. Over the past 15 years we have commissioned and/or premiered over 100 new works for percussion ensemble.