Immersive Opera Comes to Columbia Museum of Art

Columbia, SC, April 07, 2023 --(PR.com)-- Mexican-American composer Nathan Felix will present his new immersive opera titled The Great Hurricane at the Columbia Museum of Art (1515 Main St., Columbia, SC 29201) on Thursday, April 20 at 6:30 pm. The Great Hurricane explores the history of hurricanes and floods in South Carolina as well as themes that a river can bring both life and death while also being a source of nourishment or division. It features sopranos Anna Flynn, Ally Halchak, Kay Marion and tenor James Allen. This immersive opera will occur in and around numerous galleries within the Columbia Museum of Art and will weave amongst the audience.

The Great Hurricane is a chamber opera told in 6 short acts by composer Nathan Felix that will premiere at the Columbia Museum of Art on April 20, 2023. In this story, we follow a group of colleagues in 2015 as they prepare to leave their city and escape an impending storm that ultimately leads to a flood in Columbia. Persephanie played by Anna Flynn and her socially conscious younger sister, Xandy played by Kay Marion, lost their parents in a flood caused by hurricane Hugo in 1989 and are worried about their future and fate. Salvatore, played by James Allen learns that his fiance, Cordelia played by Ally Halchak, is pregnant with their first baby and are concerned about the future the baby will be born into as social division within their community is on the rise.

Felix is known for his guerilla-style approach in presenting classical music and opera in unconventional spaces and The Great Hurricane is no exception, with a performance utilizing space, movement, and acoustics to activate the Columbia Museum of Art. The idea behind Felix’s immersive opera is similar to a flash mob as it revolves around blurring the line between performers and audience by having musical performers move amongst the audience as they perform a cohesive musical composition. The audience is encouraged to follow the narrative of the piece which entails following the soloists but they are ultimately given agency to explore based on feeling, sight and soundscape. The ensemble also includes conductor David Gordon, violinist Lily Perez, violist Alex Lopez Arrocha and cellist Mary Ann Watson.

More information & interview requests, visit Nathan Felix's website.

What: World premiere of The Great Hurricane, a new immersive opera by Nathan Felix
When: Thursday, April 20 at 6:30pm
Where: Columbia Museum of Art
Address: 1515 Main St., Columbia, SC 29201
Tickets: Free

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.

His first large work for orchestra was featured by the BBC and later made into a documentary titled, The Curse & The Symphony. The award winning documentary screened at 52 film festivals, and was distributed by Gaiam TV. In 2015, PBS featured Felix's 6-Piano Project, in which he restores abandoned pianos to premiere his works written for six pianos and then donates the pianos to lower income schools. 6-Pianos was nominated for a Lone Star Emmy. The 6-Piano Project has since been commissioned in San Antonio (2016), Barcelona (2017) Melbourne (2017) and Houston (2019). Find more information about Nathan Felix on his website.