Minnesota Opera to Debut THE MANY DEATHS OF LAILA STARR in 2026

With The Many Deaths of Laila Starr, composer Kamala Sankaram and librettist Minita Gandhi transform the acclaimed graphic novel into a major new opera that will open Minnesota Opera's 2026-27 season. The BOOM! Studios comic by writer Ram V and illustrator Filipe Andrade, widely praised for its poetic storytelling and striking artwork, explores the fine line between living and dying through the lens of magical realism.

At the center of the story is Laila Starr, the goddess of Death, who is cast down to Earth as humanity is on the brink of immortality. Forced to live as a mortal in Mumbai, she encounters Darius, the boy destined to make this world-changing discovery, at pivotal moments across his life. As their paths continue to intersect, Laila witnesses the ordinary experiences that give human life meaning – and it becomes clear that impermanence may be part of what makes life beautiful.

For Sankaram, the project carries deep personal resonance. She discovered the graphic novel shortly after the death of her sister, Sheela, from an aggressive cancer at the age of 39. The story's profound meditation on grief and mortality immediately struck Sankaram as a myth that demanded music. Librettist Minita Gandhi shared her conviction that the story belonged on the stage, and the project ultimately moved forward with the support of Minnesota Opera General Director Ryan Taylor.

To create a sound world for the opera, Sankaram mirrored the story's shifting boundaries between divine and mortal, while placing the action in a recognizably modern India. The score draws on the emotional qualities of ragas and the vocal percussion art of Konnakol, while field recordings Sankaram captured in Goa, India, evoke the ocean as a liminal space between the worlds of gods and humans.

“In this opera, the gods don't sing,” said composer Kamala Sankaram. “They speak, underscored by electromagnetic interference – the world underpinning ours. The act of singing becomes something uniquely human.”

 Sankaram has built a reputation for expanding the possibilities of contemporary opera. Her work melds experimental music and theatrical storytelling, ranging from chamber operas such as Thumbprint, based on the life of Pakistani activist Mukhtar Mai, to immersive experiences like The Last Stand, a sound installation created for the trees of Prospect Park in Brooklyn. With The Many Deaths of Laila Starr, Sankaram turns that exploratory energy toward her most expansive operatic work to date.

The opera emerged from Minnesota Opera's New Works Initiative, an innovative commissioning model that engages composers and librettists over multiple seasons rather than through one-off assignments. This structure offers creators sustained support – financially and artistically – as new works evolve from early concept to full-scale production. Sankaram and Gandhi joined the initiative's inaugural cohort in 2022, and The Many Deaths of Laila Starr marks the first opera by two women of South Asian descent produced by an American opera company.

The world premiere production will be directed by Mary Birnbaum, with sets by Mimi Lien and choreography by Rohit Gijare. Principal Conductor Christopher Franklin will lead the Minnesota Opera Orchestra and Chorus. The cast features soprano Leela Subramaniam in the title role, tenor Omar Najmi as Darius, and baritone Efraín Solís as Pranah, the god of Life.

"For more than sixty years, Minnesota Opera has championed bold new creative voices in the operatic field," said General Director Ryan Taylor. "We work to expand the circle of storytelling, and The Many Deaths of Laila Starr embodies that commitment. We're proud to nurture visionary artists while inviting our community into a work of imagination and profound humanity."

In its final panel, the graphic novel offers a quiet truth: “Perhaps it is enough to remember … the miracle that it was simply to have lived.” For Sankaram, that understanding is deepened through music.