Mechanisms

Mechanisms is a chamber opera that I worked on with the Librettist Marianna Mott Newirth. Here is a synopsis:

”Eleven-year-old Roe plays in the living room, unaware of her parents’ growing concern that she may have a learning disability. As she gets ready for school, Roe’s mother Lori scolds her for falling behind in math class. Roe is hurt by this — to her, numbers are a confusing swirl of different colors. Her father Dean consoles her. In math class, the teacher Mrs. Waldman doesn’t have the bandwidth or imagination to help Roe; she’s too busy trying to keep the classroom focused. Other students bully Roe over her neurodivergence. Later, at a parent-teacher meeting, Dean chides Mrs. Waldman for not being more accepting of Roe. Back at home, he convinces Lori to see the beauty of how Roe views the world and they embrace her lovingly.”

Mechanisms was originally commissioned, produced, and recorded by Opera Theater of St. Louis.