WATER MEMORY Will Make World Premiere With The Atlanta Opera and Georgia Tech Arts
Composer Kitty Brazelton and librettist Vaibu Mohan bring the chamber opera to Georgia Tech's campus.
This June, The Atlanta Opera, together with Georgia Tech Arts, will present the world premiere of Water Memory (Jala Smriti), a one-act opera that weaves a deeply personal story of memory, family, and identity with timely questions about the role of artificial intelligence in our lives. Based on the lived experiences of composer Kitty Brazelton and librettist Vaibu Mohan, Water Memory follows Janani, a South Asian woman navigating the early stages of dementia, and her adult children already beginning to grieve their mother. Set in a hydrangea garden and performed to a score that blends live instruments with an electronic soundscape, the chamber opera challenges audiences to consider the ways emerging technologies can enhance the human experience rather than replace it.
Brazelton and Mohan were commissioned by The Atlanta Opera after winning the Antinori Foundation Grand Prize in the 96-Hour Opera Project in June 2024. Responding to a prompt to integrate AI into a creative work, the pair created a 10-minute scene called Water Memory that formed the basis of this new work. While some teams in the 96-Hour Opera Project have established partnerships, Brazelton and Mohan met for the first time through this project.
Although Water Memory engages with questions around artificial intelligence, the work itself was created entirely by human artists, without AI assistance. Partnering with Georgia Tech Arts, Brazelton and Mohan engaged with specialists in gerontology and memory-assistance programs through the Institute for Neuroscience, Neurotechnology & Society, the A-I CARING Institute, the Aware Home Research Initiative, and the Center for Inclusive Design & Innovation, specializing in aging-in-place and technology for older adults.
A talk-back panel discussion with representatives from each organization will be presented on Sunday, June 14, after the performance.
Performance and Ticket Information The world premiere of Water Memory (Jala Smriti) is part of The Atlanta Opera's NOW Festival (New Opera Works), celebrating its fifth year of championing bold, contemporary storytelling.
Water Memory is scheduled for two performances on Friday, June 12, at 7:30pm, and Sunday, June 14, at 3pm, at the Ferst Center for the Arts at Georgia Tech. June is designated as Alzheimer's & Brain Awareness Month.
The festival also includes a new edition of the 96-Hour Opera Project, the company's signature new-works competition, with a public showcase on Saturday, June 13. The event features five new opera scenes followed by an awards ceremony at the Ray Charles Performing Arts Center at Morehouse College.
Tickets for each day's event are $35. Festival passes, valid for admission to the competition showcase and one performance of Water Memory, are available for $50. The talk-back panel discussion is free to ticket holders.
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