Forbidden

Committed to experimentation and innovation, Tapestry Opera’s Tap:Ex series explores the future of opera, boldly introducing new artists and cross-disciplinary hybrids. This fourth incarnation follows revolutionary experiments under the Tap:Ex banner previously combining opera and physical theatre (Revolutions, 2013), opera and turntablism (Tables Turned, 2014) and opera and punk music (Metallurgy, 2015).

This season, Tap:Ex Forbidden combines classical Persian music, opera and hip hop provocatively examining the temptation to transgress versus the reality of punishment, shame, and guilt, through a conversation between a young girl and Lucifer. The blending of Persian traditional instruments with hip hop creates a unique musical landscape that is both disorienting and familiar, completely contemporary and beautifully timeless.

With music by Iranian-born composer Afarin Mansouri and libretto by Afro-Caribbean hip hop artist Donna-Michelle St. Bernard, Forbidden will feature: Neema Bickersteth, soprano; Shirin Eskandani, mezzo-soprano; Alexander Hajek, baritone; and Saye Sky, Farsi rapper and spoken-word artist. Music Director Michael Shannon joins Stage Director Michael Hidetoshi Mori, (Tapestry’s General Director) to bring the work to life.