Jane Austen Opera Concept Album Premieres Online December 25 - 31

On Christmas Day, The Rally Cat will premiere a new Jane Austen inspired concept album. With stirring music by award-winning composer Aferdian (ASCAP Morton Gould Young Composer Award) and a propulsive libretto by Marella Martin Koch (West Edge Opera Aperture Commission Winner), Elinor & Marianne is the story of two sisters whose lives are thrown into chaos by their father's sudden passing.

The album compresses the 19th-century novel Sense & Sensibility into a 55-minute emotional tour-de-force featuring "great glory" (LA Times) mezzo-soprano Meagan Martin as Elinor Dashwood, "vibrant" (Opera News) soprano Jana McIntyre as Marianne Dashwood, and pianists Douglas Sumi and Chérie Roe. Timothy Koch directs.

Composer Aferdian describes the work as "a reflection of the dual nature of Jane Austen's Sense & Sensibility and her subtle analysis of head versus heart."

Librettist Marella Martin Koch agrees. "Jane Austen speaks boldly through rich, nuanced, and emotionally honest characters. To this day, her work continues to have a resounding impact not just on literature but the way we experience and interpret life itself."

Elinor & Marianne received a Lower Manhattan Cultural Council 2020 Creative Engagement Award and was recorded and mastered at Sound on Sound Studios in 2021. It was produced by The Rally Cat, an energized, multidisciplinary performing arts organization dedicated to inspiring and empowering artists and communities through opera, theatre, and musical theatre.

Starting on Christmas Day, viewers around the world will have the opportunity to stream the recording for the first time. In the spirit of the season and The Rally Cat's commitment to making opera affordable for all, tickets are free.

Visit https://www.therallycat.org for the streaming schedule and to register.

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