CONCEPT
Launched during the COVID-19 pandemic, Helios productions are handcrafted for the contemporary moment. MOP productions are not live and never on Zoom; they are carefully curated digital experiences that sit at the intersection of opera and film, recreating the electricity of live performance through an intimacy and immediacy impossible to find in the grand opera house. In line with Helios’s mission to produce impactful stories relevant to contemporary audiences, the film form invites a strong focus on acting and storytelling alongside a high musical standard.
MOP 21
Our digital initiative Modular Opera Project is back with a second season of innovative, accessible, and engaging virtual content. MOP 21 features Giselle, an original short film created by and starring NYC’s famous opera-singing Drag Queen Jasmine Rice LaBeija and the digital premiere of contemporary comedy Service Provider by composer Christopher Weiss and librettist John de los Santos (director of Stardust, MOP 20).
Also this season, we’re launching a new live virtual workshop series aimed at training the contemporary singer in crucial aspects of music business, digital technology, and acting technique. We hope you’ll join us for these low-stakes, low-cost, and high-reward experiences!
And we’ll see you on IG Live every other Friday at 5:30PM ET for Bright Spots: Opera Makers Changing the Game, where we’ll be chatting with someone who is changing the game by doing innovative work, moving the industry forward, or just being a positive force in our community.
June 2021
Performed, written, and directed by Jasmine Rice LaBeija, international Mother of the House of LaBeija featuring music by Mozart, Verdi, and Purcell.
Juilliard-trained opera singer and acclaimed Drag Queen Jasmine Rice LaBeija drags the great soprano rep into a journey of love, loss, and queer empowerment in this original solo show. Jasmine regularly graces the screen as host of the popular web series Dragged and was recently featured in the short film Inside and Outwards and the reality doc series Shade: Queens of New York. This fabulous mini-grand opera premieres during NYC Pride Month and promises to be like nothing you’ve ever experienced.
SERVICE PROVIDER
November 2021
By Christopher Weiss with libretto by John de los Santos (Stardust). Featuring soprano Carina DiGianfilippo and baritone Scott Ballantine. Directed by Adrienne Boris, Music Directed by Patricia Au
Remember restaurants? Yeah, us too. You’re invited to Beau and Autumn’s special anniversary dinner this November! Bring your phone, and don’t worry, you won’t be the only third wheel. Service Provider is a spicy contemporary comedy about what happens when you can’t see past your phone to what is right in front of you. Called “the crowd pleaser of the evening” by The Washington Post at its 2015 premiere, Service Provide is guaranteed to leave you LOL-ing.
MOP 20
Explore productions from MOP 20, our pilot season, including La voix humaine by Francis Poulenc and Stardust by Felix Jarrar and B.L. Foxley, which opened to rave reviews from audience and critics alike.
LA VOIX HUMAINE
August 2020
By Francis Poulenc with libretto by Jean Cocteau. Starring Théodora Cottarel with collaborative pianist Celeste Johnson. Directed by Adrienne Boris.
Alone in a room and unable to leave, Elle stares at her computer and phone, willing them to ring, desperate for a call from the only person who understands her. When the call finally comes, she is plunged even more deeply into a journey that threatens to overwhelm her as she struggles to hold on to the voice on the other end of the line.
STARDUST
November 2020
By Felix Jarrar and B. L. Foxley. Featuring soprano Victoria Davis, directed by John de los Santos and assistant directed by Keith Browning.
Brooklyn-based composer Felix Jarrar and London-based writer B.L. Foxley join forces to create a new kind of musical storytelling in this world premiere. Stardust explores the labyrinth of personal and racial identity, the perils of self-criticism, and the power of self-actualization if they have the courage.
Helios Opera is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Contributions for the charitable purposes of Helios Opera must be made payable to Fractured Atlas only and are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law.