THE LIBRARY OF MAPS: AN OPERA IN MANY PARTS to be Presented at Long Beach Opera
Performances will take place on April 12 and 13.
Long Beach Opera will present The Library of Maps: An Opera in Many Parts—Pauline Oliveros’ uniquely experimental opera devised in collaboration with poet and librettist, Moira Roth. Originally premiered in a single whirlwind day in Oakland in 2002, the work now receives its first new production and second ever performance—staged aboard the iconic RMS Queen Mary in Long Beach.
The Library of Maps began as a series of conceptual poems by Roth, a pioneering feminist art historian, writer, and critic. In this multi-part epic, she charted the metaphorical “maps” of human existence—the archives of consciousness, memory, and interior life. The work imagines a dream space centered around a fictional “library” of map collections that spans the “beginning and end” of humanity. These "maps" are not traditional geographic ones, but abstract, poetic texts—memories and dreams that explore themes of time, space, and perception. They often take the form of immersive, multimedia experiences, accompanied by performances, animations, and digital media that document human experience.
The opera was developed in collaboration with revolutionary composer Oliveros, as she explored new technologies and placed a renewed emphasis on text and narrative gesture. This production continues LBO’s year-long focus on Oliveros’ groundbreaking work, paying homage to the composer’s experiments with electronics and amplified sounds merging with poetry, voice, ritual and character.
The RMS Queen Mary, the iconic retired ocean liner now permanently docked in Long
Beach, provides a striking setting for The Library of Maps to engage with its rich history.
Audiences will have the opportunity to experience a unique production and design within the ship’s legendary interiors. Built in the 1930s, the ship served for decades as a luxury liner for Transatlantic crossings, was repurposed as a WWII troopship, and later became a Long Beach landmark—now operating as a hotel and history museum. Staging the opera aboard the Queen Mary grounds its exploration of time and memory in a space that has itself witnessed decades of history, transformation, and new beginnings.
LBO’s new production of The Library of Maps pays tribute to Pauline Oliveros’ experimental spirit at the turn of the 21st century, as part of its season dedicated to her work. The piece brings together actors, singers, visual art, movement, and poetry, accompanied by a rare composition ensemble blending familiar instruments with unexpected sounds. Each performance is slightly distinct, offering an immersive encounter with Oliveros’ decades of boundary-dissolving musical innovation—all set within one of Long Beach’s most treasured historic venues.
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