Sarah Melnick
October 21, 22, and 23, Wilmington Concert Opera (WCO) will premiere “Girondines,” a chamber opera about six women from the French Revolution. WCO (https://www.wilmingtonconcertopera.com/home), an exclusively woman- and minority-run company, was founded on principles of diversity, inclusivity, and accessibility. The opera will be sung in English with supertitles. WCO Artistic Director and co-founder, Kirsten C. Kunkle wrote the libretto, and Sarah Melnick née Van Sciver composed the music and crafted soundscapes with electronics to intertwine with the score which features analog and digital elements as well as contemporary and classical styles. The premiere’s cast includes WCO Executive Director and Co-founder Marisa Robinson originating the role of Marie Anne Pierrette Paulze Lavoisier and Kirsten originating the role of Charlotte Corday. You are invited to follow the project and learn more via Eventbrite (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/girondines-a-world-premiere-opera-tickets-421622172267), where there are options to RSVP whether you can attend or not with an option to be kept posted about the project, either way (since a livestream option is possible but as of yet unconfirmed). OperaWire announced the premiere (https://operawire.com/wilmington-concert-opera-announces-2022-season-featuring-world-premiere-of-girondines), and the librettist and I were recently interviewed if you want to take a deeper dive into the project (https://www.wilmingtonconcertopera.com/girondines-qa). “Girondines” is based on historical fact and focuses on the story of six real life French Revolutionaries who presumably knew one another, met in secret before the Reign of Terror, and supported one another during the political upheaval. All six of the revolutionaries are women, and of these, three are guillotined and three live. Van Sciver and Kunkle are working to further their own legacy of women, both in the history of the women featured in the opera, and also to create visceral and important roles for women in opera. Performances take place October 21st & 22nd at 8:00 PM and October 23rd at 2:00 PM at Presbyterian Church of the Covenant in Wilmington located at 503 Duncan Road, Wilmington, DE 19809. Due to historical content, this opera is recommended for ages 13 and up. Performances are free and open to the public! Photos by Julie Smith
