Press Release

In collaboration with Beth Morrison Projects and The Broad Stage, the online streaming begins at 8pm PST on Friday, May 1

(Los Angeles) April 23, 2020 — Angel's Bone, the Pulitzer Prize-winning opera by composer Du Yun and librettist Royce Vavrek that was to have been a highlight of LA Opera's Off Grand programming for the spring of 2020, will instead be made available for online streaming on May 1.

Part of LA Opera's acclaimed multi-season collaboration with the groundbreaking producing company Beth Morrison Projects, Angel's Bone was to have opened at The Broad Stage on May 1. That production was recently cancelled in order to curb the spread of COVID-19. Instead, thanks to the efforts of Beth Morrison, and in collaboration with The Broad Stage, a performance filmed at the Beijing Music Festival in October 2019 can be viewed by audiences online.

Angel's Bone can be seen on Friday, May 1, at 8pm PST via Facebook Live on LA Opera's Facebook page, where it will be viewable throughout the following week. The stream can also be seen by visiting LAOpera.org/LAOatHome, which has additional details about the company's online programming initiatives.

"While we all are so sad not to be able to perform Angel’s Bone live in Los Angeles, we are happy that we can bring it to you digitally, with the hope of bringing it live in a future season," said Beth Morrison. "Angel’s Bone is one of my all time favorite projects that we’ve developed and produced, and epitomizes what BMP brings to the opera world. Fasten your seatbelt for this one: it’s a wild ride!"

"In these challenging times, LA Opera is finding creative new ways to connect audiences with opera and to honor the many artists affected by the cancellation of performances," said Christopher Koelsch, the company's Sebastian Paul and Marybelle Musco President and CEO. "I am incredibly grateful to all of the performers and creative team members, as well as the indomitable Beth Morrison, who have made it possible for audiences to experience Angel's Bone on what was to have been the production's opening night in Los Angeles."

About Angel's Bone
Created by composer Du Yun and librettist Royce Vavrek, Angel's Bone won the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for music. It follows the plight of two fallen angels, discovered by a man and his wife who imprison and exploit the heavenly creatures for wealth and personal gains. 

According to Beth Morrison, the piece "tells a fantastical story that is a modern day parable for one of the worst facets of society: human trafficking. Du Yun’s score is magical and draws from chant, punk, bel canto, and more." The production includes scenes of violence and adult content.

About LAO at Home
LAO at Home launched on March 17 with the first in a series of live "Living Room Recitals" featuring artists performing in their homes. Other programming highlights include "Learn at Home (Grown-Up Edition)" opportunities for opera lovers of any experience level to dive deeper into the art form, "Opera Family Time" presentations created specially for families with children to enjoy together, "From the Vault" audio-streams of earlier performances, and "Backstage at LAO" features that take viewers behind the scenes for a look at what it takes to create world-class opera. Learn more at LAOpera.org/LAOatHome.

About LA Opera
Los Angeles is a city of enormous diversity and creativity, and LA Opera is dedicated to reflecting that vibrancy by redefining what opera can be. Once this crisis has passed, our community will need the communal and curative power of opera more than ever. LA Opera is grateful to its supporters for helping to ensure that the company has the resources needed to get through this unprecedented period. Those wanting to support LA Opera can visit LAOpera.org/donate to learn more.

About Beth Morrison Projects
Since 2006, Beth Morrison Projects has been a tastemaker at the forefront of musical and theatrical innovation by supporting living composers and their collaborators during the creation of groundbreaking new works in opera-theatre and other kinds of vocal-theatre. BMP encourages risk-taking in all its artists, resulting in provocative works that represent a dynamic and lasting legacy for a new American canon. In 2013, Beth Morrison Projects and HERE Arts Center co-founded the PROTOTYPE Festival, which showcases contemporary opera-theatre and music-theatre projects over ten days each January. Learn more at BethMorrisonProjects.org and PrototypeFestival.org.