THE WAR BRIDE: An Interactive Headphone Opera Will Premiere At Luminaria Festival

Mexican-American composer, Nathan Felix, will use headphones to present his new opera titled, The War Bride, at Luminaria Contemporary Arts Festival in San Antonio Texas. Two performances will occur on Saturday November 10th starting at 7:30pm and 8:30pm in Hemisfair Park. Felix is known for his guerilla style approach in presenting classical music in unconventional spaces and The War Bride is given no exception, with a performance outside along the riverwalk at Hemisfair Park.

The War Bride is based on the memoir of Felix's late grandmother, Jean Groundsell-Contreras, who married Joe Contreras during World War II in Great Britain. Joe, from Mexico, gained naturalization via serving in the US Army and after the two exchanged vows Joe remained in Germany, as Jean crossed the Atlantic pregnant and alone on the S.S. Saturnia in 1945. Jean eventually settled along the border in Nuevo Laredo with Joe joining her in late 1946. Felix recounts Jean's tale by using the riverwalk to depict her journey across the Atlantic ocean, the Mississippi river and the Rio Grande river but he also uses the river as a metaphor for hope, division and to shed light on immigration. Jean will be played by sopranist, Elise Miller alongside baritone, Jeremiah Drake and tenor, James Dykman. Drake and Dykman will play a multiple characters in the opera including former British Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain and former US president, Franklin D. Roosevelt.

The presentation will be interactive and immersive as singers, dancers and actors will move among the audience. Listeners will be given a set of headphones before they enter the performing space and they are encouraged to walk amongst the various areas in which the performance is taking place. An orchestral chamber ensemble of 20 will be led by conductor, Richard Castillo and engineered by Grammy winning engineer, Erik Wofford. For set design and theatrical directing, Felix will be collaborating with Chris Sauter and Los Angeles based director Shane Howard, respectively.

The Headphone Opera is funded by the Artist Foundation of San Antonio Tobin Prize for Artistic Excellence People's Choice Award.