Poulenc's LA VOIX HUMAINE to be Presented at 2021 KeyBank Rochester Fringe Festival

Poulenc's one act opera, La Voix Humaine will be presented at the 2021 KeyBank Rochester Fringe Festival (Tuesday, Sept. 14 - Saturday, Sept. 25) on Sunday, September 19 at 7:30PM at MuCCC (142 Atlantic Ave Rochester, NY 14607).

Tickets are $15 at rochesterfringe.com, where more information is also available. Remaining tickets will be available at the door starting one hour before curtain.

Composed in 1958 by Francis Poulenc, La Voix Humaine is an intense retelling of Jean Cocteau's play of the same name. The monodrama depicts Elle, alone in her apartment and desperately clinging to life, while the telephone is her only connection to a former lover. Between dropped calls and wrong numbers, she speaks with him and reveals her anxiety-ridden anguish over his abandonment. Elle admits her attempted suicide the previous evening and we witness her last words. (Recommended for audiences 18 and older) La Voix Humaine will be performed by soprano Kerri Lynn Slominski, and pianist Alex Kuczynski.

This performance will be sung in French with an English translation provided. Slominski states, "The opera personally spoke to me. Cocteau wrote the role as an anonymous woman, 'Elle' which in French means 'she.' Elle represents the vulnerability in any one of us and I really hope that this performance sheds light on the importance of mental health support and awareness."