A Look Inside Contemporary Opera

By Tom Carlson

When most people think about opera, they imagine an archaic musical production only available to the cultural elite and rich. Contemporary opera and contemporary opera companies however prove to be the opposite.

Greg Nahabedian does a lot of things. Nahabedian is a composer, performer in the band “Cheap City," runs the record label "Dollhouse Lightning,” runs the "Boston New Music Calendar” and is part of an opera company called Strange Trace. At around 15 or 16 Nahabedian discovered and began studying the opera “Tannhauser,” learning its namesake in the song “Tannhauser / Dérive” from Refused’s album “The Shape of Punk To Come.” Nahabedian later studied composition at Hampshire College.

"I signed up for an opera survey course, literally because a girl I had a crush on told me I should learn more about opera. It was a dumb reason to take a class but it had a huge effect on me, and I ultimately devoted all of my time studying music to learning about opera.” Nahabedian’s company, Strange Trace, is primarily based in Boston but members live all around the country. "Strange Trace exclusively performs contemporary works and tries to do so in a way that is welcoming and inclusive for all, especially those who have traditionally felt outcast or marginalized by the opera industry.”

Dominic Matthews’ early interests were in rock/punk, and found interest in classical composition in college. (Dominic Matthew’s | Bandcamp)

Nahabedian is aware of the common conception of opera describing it as still primarily used as a tool for the wealthy with limited streaming from home access. "Traditional opera often sets up a lot of educational barriers to being able to engage with art. There are also a lot of financial barriers to being able to take part in the art form. For that reason, many are feeling outcast by the opera industry. Actually, opera is generally a representative microcosm of neoliberal capitalist ideology: The system is set up in a way that only the wealthy can engage in the work, but only by investing an astronomical amount of money over a long period of time at an incredible risk."

Strange Trace is founded on four pillars, 1. only perform new works, 2. tour with them (as opposed to doing a two night run in one city), 3. record them, 4. sell the recordings. 

Nahabedian pitches Strange Trace as an opera co-op that would function almost like a band. All collaborators are paid and treated as full members of the group. "Our real goal is to create engaging work that can be fun, political, and engaging — Independent opera in 2020 feels to me a bit like how podcasting 10 years ago….the wild west... there are no real gateways into the industry, indie opera productions have no rules to follow.”

May I include that Strange Trace started during the Covid-19 Pandemic and has so far been 100% digital and streamable? Their method is truly a testament to the belief that art should be accessible. 

Strange Trace has also just announced a short works film festival, Stencils, happening early summer 2021. Strange Trace has also recently put out a new production titled, "The Missing Piece." A fundraising event will be held Dec. 5. Works and information are available at strangetrace.org.

However, Greg Nahabedian’s organization isn’t the only one doing changing the landscape of opera. I recently caught up with Dominic Matthews, composer/musician/conductor, from Worcestershire, UK about his latest projects. 

As a composer Matthews is interested in color in music, meaning timbre and harmony. Matthews also aims to collaborate with artists of different disciplines.

"When I'm writing it's also really important to me that there should always be a physical, visceral, primordial feeling…a piece of music should be truly exhilarating, the audience should feel as if they are inside the music, not an outside observer. 

Like Nahabedian, Matthews’ early interests were in rock/punk, and found interest in classical composition in college. Matthews did theatre studies where he was exposed to the works of Antonin Artaud and Steven Berkoff which had a huge impact on his writing. 

“It's also going to gigs that got me inspired towards creating something exhilarating. When you're at a big gig or a festival, the pound of the bass drum literally goes through you, everything about the music rocks you and it's an incredibly physical thing...so I'd never considered myself a classical or even a "contemporary classical" composer, I'm just someone who tries to present you with an exciting experience you've hopefully never experienced before."

Matthews describes that opera now is for everyone to experience and enjoy. Opera now attacks issues that affect everyone."When I write an opera I try and avoid the notion a lot of people have that it's only for the well-educated sorts. If you were to go back in time and see the Magic Flute, etc...There would be a huge difference (then one experiences seeing it today). For one people wouldn't be sitting through it listening quietly! There'd be whooping and cheering throughout and some wouldn't be listening at all: It was more of a social spectacle back then which is a real shame because Magic Flute is a great opera! Today's audience comes to listen to an opera because they want to be immersed in it and so I would say there is more emphasis on a gesamtkunstwerk, where all art forms are working equally towards the finished product, it's not just the music!"

Matthews thinks about rituals and ceremonies where music and gesture communicate something far beyond themselves. Atavism (reverting to something ancient or ancestral) is a big component when he is writing opera. Matthews and Sam Redway (librettist) found themselves interested in exploring atavism in their new work "Tiresias 2.0".

"Tiresias 2.0 was workshopped at Tete a Tete Opera Festival in September with the final performance to be held in 2021. It takes influence from the concept of "humanity 2.0" where technological and medical advancements have altered ourselves…” Matthews continues, "the internet could be seen as an extension of ourselves…”

Tiresias 2.0 concerns the prophet Tiresias who bears the gift of foresight. "Tiresias' advice always falls on deaf ears." The opera is set far in the distant future; humanity is gone. The opera comments on current times. Matthews describes it as "partly a sci-fi kaleidoscopic odyssey,” with an underlying message about us. "The opera offers hope for humanity and that we can still change. This opera is meant as a work of fiction, but one that can become reality if nothing is done."

Matthews is also working on an experimental film and music project. More information can be found on Twitter @ComposerDominic, as well as his Soundcloud.

Tom is a culture writer for La Tonique.