Opera Philadelphia resets 3 new works composed by women

Opera Philadelphia has rescheduled three new works composed by women that were delayed by the coronavirus pandemic. Rene Orth’s “10 Days in a Madhouse” will be given its world premiere on Sept. 21 in the opening of the company’s O23 Festival, and Jennifer Higdon’s “Woman with Eyes Closed” has been rescheduled for September 2024 and will run alongside the U.S. premiere of Missy Mazzoli’s “The Listeners.” Opera Philadelphia announced its O23 Festival and 2023-24 schedule on Tuesday along with some details of its O24 Festival, which starts the company’s 50th anniversary season. “Our long tradition of developing new work and showcasing American composers with a certain amount of vitality, I think that really speaks to the time in terms of what we’re seeing across the country in terms of things that are people are connecting with,” Opera Philadelphia general director David Devan said. I’m really drawn to strong female characters and social justice.” Higdon’s composition originally was scheduled for its world premiere in Philadelphia in September 2020, then was twice postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic. Mazzoli’s “The Listeners,” a thriller about social rejection with a libretto by Royce Vavrek, had its world premiere at the Norwegian National Opera in Oslo last September.