We bring you inside the creative workings of the Opera of the Future group directed by composer Tod Machover at the M.I.T. Media Laboratory. Opera of the Future’s current major project is a new opera, Death and the Powers, which received its world premiere on September 24 in Monaco. You'll find a wealth of interviews, …
Musical America – “An Unlikely Confluence of Powers”
Only a week after the world premiere of Death and the Powers, the reviews are flooding in - and they loved it! Stephen Mudge of Musical America, one of the most important classical music publications in the US today, exalts Death and the Powers' "rather endearing baby robots," "fine tenor singing from Hal Cazalet," and …
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International Herald Tribune – Opera With Atmosphere of Brave New World
Two weeks after the world premiere of Death and the Powers, the reviews are starting to come in (see BUZZ)! This week, Jonathan Levi published his article, "Opera With Atmosphere of Brave New World," in the International Herald Tribune. It is a beautifully written piece that brings Levi's own perspective to Death and the Powers. …
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Death and the Powers Premiere – Video
Check out this footage from the world premiere performance of Death and the Powers. We get to hear audience reactions. Composer Tod Machover describes how everything came together flawlessly - a huge achievement in itself given the sheer complexity of all the technology, lighting and audio, as well as the demands of the opera itself. …
After the premiere: Gala at the Hotel de Paris
"Last night feels like it was a dream. A hazy, rainbow-colored dream." -Allegra Libonati, assistant director, the night after the gala After the premiere, the entire cast and crew of the opera joined the guests at a black tie gala at the Hotel de Paris, next door to the Monte Carlo Opera House. Futurum spared …
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Machover Makes Playboy List
Hot off the world premiere of his opera Death and the Powers, composer and M.I.T. Media Lab professor Tod Machover has acquired a new feather in his cap - or in this case, a pair of bunny ears. Noted as a "music futurist," Tod has made the venerable magazine's list of the 20 most brilliant …
Opening Night
"Bot 25, stand by." "Standing by." "Bot 25, GO." I am invisible in the left wing of the stage, watching mesmerized as the bots whir and click before me. I've sat through dress rehearsals and watched the robots run through this choreography hundreds of times, but tonight, things feel different. This is the first time …
WBUR Q&A with Tod Machover
Check out today's post on the WBUR web site, "Q&A: Opera Of The Future, Starring (What Else?) Robots!" WBUR's Andrea Shea interviewed Tod by email from Monaco about the genesis of Death and the Powers. An interesting read!
Photos from Monaco – September 25, 2010
Posted by June Kinoshita What's Monaco without a little bling and glamor? Here are a few random shots from yesterday. There was a Christian Dior fashion show in the morning at the Casino de Monte Carlo for the MIT crowd. I spotted some very sparkly footwear in our hotel corridors. It was fun seeing Media …
Interview with the Miseries
I filmed this brief interview with a subset of the Miseries a few days ago on the back steps of the opera house, with the help of assistant director Allegra Libonati. The Miseries represent, well, the misery in the world - the pain, the torture, the anguish - as the victims of the famine and …
Opera of the Future 