Composer Nathan Felix to Premiere Music from Öcalan During SXSW

New York, NY, February 28, 2022 --(PR.com)-- Composer, Nathan Felix, is set to premiere music from his chamber opera, Öcalan, inspired by Kurdish Political Activist, Abdullah Öcalan. Inversion Ensemble will sing three excerpts from Öcalan at the KOOP Radio & Jungle Records Day Party in Austin Texas during SXSW Festival on Sunday, March 13th at 5:30pm.

Öcalan was scheduled to premiere during SXSW in 2020 before getting canceled due to the CoronaVirus pandemic. The ensemble decided to record Öcalan with Erik Wofford at Cacophony Recorders, in lieu of performing, in hopes of highlighting the ongoing Kurdish struggle. Felix collaborated with a Kurdish refugee for the libretto. Öcalan was released to critical acclaim both in the United States and abroad. The full recording can be found on all major streaming platforms. Now with the return of SXSW in 2022, Inversion Ensemble will premiere three movements from Felix’s Öcalan on Sunday March 13th at 5:30 pm at the KOOP Radio & Jungle Records Day Party at 903 E. 14th st, Austin TX 78702.

Inversion ensemble is the brainchild of singers/composers Trevor Shaw and Robbie LaBanca who formed the ensemble in 2017 as a vehicle to commission and perform timely new works by living composers. Their themed concerts shed light on myriad topics, including LGBTQIA+ rights, racial justice, immigration, climate change, and democratic rights as well as space exploration, philosophy, natural science, and the ancient elements. Inversion Ensemble will perform original works from their members at the KOOP Radio & Jungle Records Day Party during SXSW along with three movements from Felix’s Öcalan album. The three movements that will premiere on Sunday March 13th will be Naked Kings & Unmasked Gods, My Soul : His Free Ideas, and South Mother.

For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact Nathan Felix from his website Electrochestral.

Who: Inversion Ensemble premieres Öcalan by composer Nathan Felix
What: KOOP Radio & Jungle Records Day Party at SXSW
When: Sunda,y March 13th - Event is 12 - 6 pm (Inversion Ensemble performs at 5:30 pm)
Where: 903 E. 14th St., Austin, TX 78702

About Nathan Felix
Nathan Felix (born 1981) is a Mexican-American, music composer known for his immersive operas and experimental films. His music has premiered in Bulgaria, Portugal, Spain, Japan, China, Sweden, Denmark, Mongolia and the United States and his music has been featured on the BBC, MTV, NPR & PBS.

In 2016, Felix was featured on PBS and nominated for a Lonestar Emmy for work on his 6-Piano project in which he restored six pianos for a concert featuring two new compositions. After the concert, Felix donated the pianos to schools in lower income neighborhoods in Austin. The 6 Piano Project has since been commissioned in San Antonio (2016), Barcelona (2017), Melbourne (2017) and Houston (2019).

In 2018, Felix won awards for his “Opera on a Bus” and the “2018 Tobin Prize for Artistic Excellence” for which he premiered his “Headphone Opera” titled, THE WAR BRIDE at Luminaria Arts Festival.

In 2019, Felix completed his critically acclaimed commission for immersive opera. Alien Wanderers : Alien World : Alien Home featuring soloist Katrina Saporsantos. Premiering at the Blanton Museum, Alien addressed discrimination and issues surrounding the United States’ southern border, marginalized groups and re-appropriation of borders.

In 2020, Felix released Öcalan, a chamber opera inspired by Kurdish Political Activist, Abdullah Öcalan.

In 2021, Felix premiered his chamber opera, Ribas-Dominicci, on Texas Public Radio. Ribas-Dominicci, is inspired by the life of Major Fernando Luis Ribas-Dominicci, a pilot in the U.S. Air Force who was killed during Operation El Dorado Canyon in 1986.