Check out "A Night at the High-Tech Opera," an article at Animation World Network that delves into production designer Alex McDowell's work on the set of Death and the Powers. In an extensive interview, Alex describes the origins of his role in the opera, how his concepts for the production design evolved over time, the …
Continue reading "Article: Alex McDowell on Death and the Powers"
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, …
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. …
Continue reading "International Herald Tribune – Opera With Atmosphere of Brave New World"
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. …
Post by Peter Torpey, M.I.T. Media Laboratory Over the past three years, I’ve played several roles throughout the production of Death and the Powers, working closely with Tod Machover and Alex McDowell to figure out what is necessary and possible to present the story of Simon Powers. From thinking about how to tell the story, …
Continue reading "Meet the Team – Peter Torpey (Visual Design)"
It's hard to believe so many things about being in Monaco. The fact that we're staying above the Fairmont Hairpin, the most famous loop of the Monaco Grand Prix, or that we get to live and work every day right along the glistening Mediterranean Sea, or that we're even here in Monaco at all - …
Tod Machover’s Death and the Powers, which features robots as performers, premieres this month. Is this the future of opera? There's a great feature story from the M.I.T. news office today about Death and the Powers. The story provides an excellent overview of the opera and goes into some depth on Tod Machover's vision to …
Alex McDowell is one of the most innovative and influential designers working in narrative media, with the impact of his ideas extending far beyond his background in cinema. Alex advocates an immersive design process that acknowledges the key world-building role of design in storytelling. He currently serves as adjunct professor at the Interactive Media Department/School …
Continue reading "Meet the Artists – Alex McDowell (Production Designer)"
Here's a breathtaking video of Evvy's "Touch Me" aria from Scene 4 of Death and the Powers. Mezzo soprano Patricia Risley sings the role here during rehearsal at the Cutler Majestic Theater in Boston, MA, August 2010. She will perform the role of Evvy in the world premiere of Death and the Powers on September …
Death and the Powers was recently featured in a BBC News article entitled Is music going back to its roots?, the last of a five-part series exploring the intersection of technology and culture. In the article, Tod Machover discusses the coalescence of modern music and technology, the challenges auto-tune has brought to the new generation of …
Continue reading "BBC News article – Is music going back to its roots?"
Opera of the Future 