THE SONG POET

THE SONG POET

music by JOCELYN HAGEN
libretto by KAO KALIA YANG
directed by RICK SHIOMI

Mar 9 - 26, 2023

A FATHER’S LOVE, A FAMILY JOURNEY

The first Hmong story adapted for the operatic stage, The Song Poet comes to life in this world premiere. It tells the story of Kao Kalia Yang’s family and her song poet father as war drives them from the mountains of Laos into a Thai refugee camp and ultimately on to the challenging world of life as an immigrant. With his poetry, Kalia’s father inspires hope in his family, polishing their reality so that they might shine.

Sung in English with English captions projected above the stage. Recommended for ages 6 years and older.

GENERAL INFORMATION

DATES

Mar 9-26, 2023, at the Luminary Arts Center in Minneapolis.

TICKETS

Minnesota Opera has given Mu a special 50% discount on tickets! The only way to access it is through the ticket link on our website page. If for some reason the discount isn’t applied, try entering promo code TMU50.

Update: Tickets are now sold out! If you have any box office questions, please contact Minnesota Opera at (612) 333-6669 or at hello@mnopera.org.

VENUE INFORMATION

The Song Poet will be at the Luminary Arts Center (formerly the Lab) at 700 First N St., Minneapolis, MN 55401. A small paid lot and street parking is available, and the location is along the route of several public transit routes. Visit Minnesota Opera’s information page on the Luminary for more information.

IN COLLABORATION

The Song Poet is brought to you by a collaboration led by Minnesota Opera with Theater Mu.

Photos

photos by Cory Weaver

MEET THE AUTHOR & LIBRETTIST

KAO KALIA YANG (she/her) is a Hmong American writer. She is the author of the memoirs The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir, The Song Poet, and Somewhere in the Unknown World. Yang is also the author of the children’s books A Map Into the World, The Shared Room, The Most Beautiful Thing, Yang Warriors, and From the Tops of the Trees. She co-edited the ground-breaking collection What God is Honored Here?: Writings on Miscarriage and Infant Loss By and For Native Women and Women of Color. Yang’s work has been recognized by the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Book Critics Circle Award, the Chautauqua Prize, the PEN USA literary awards, the Dayton’s Literary Peace Prize, as Notable Books by the American Library Association, Kirkus Best Books of the Year, the Heartland Bookseller’s Award, and garnered four Minnesota Book Awards. Kao Kalia Yang lives in Minnesota.

MEET THE COMPOSER

JOCELYN HAGEN (she/her) composes music that has been described as “simply magical” (Fanfare Magazine) and “dramatic and deeply moving” (Star Tribune, Minneapolis/St. Paul). She is a pioneer in the field of composition, pushing the expectations of musicians and audiences with large-scale multimedia works, electro-acoustic music, dance, opera, and publishing. Her first forays into composition were via songwriting, still very evident in her work. The majority of her compositions are for the voice: solo, chamber and choral. Her melodic music is rhythmically driven and texturally complex, rich in color and deeply heartfelt. Hagen’s commissions include Conspirare, the Minnesota Opera, the Minnesota Orchestra, the International Federation of Choral Music, the American Choral Directors Association of Minnesota, Georgia, Connecticut and Texas, the North Dakota Music Teachers Association, Cantus, the Boston Brass, the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra and the St. Olaf Band, among many others. Her work is independently published through JH Music, as well as through Graphite Publishing, G. Schirmer, ECS Publishing, Fred Bock Music Publishing, Santa Barbara Music Publishing, and Boosey and Hawkes.

MEET THE DIRECTOR

RICK SHIOMI (he/him) is a playwright, director, and artistic director who has been a leader in the Asian American theater community for four decades. He has written over 20 plays, including the award-winning Yellow Fever, Mask Dance, and Rosie’s Cafe. His plays have been produced across North America and in Japan. He was a co-founder of Theater Mu in 1992 and the artistic director there for 20 years, directing many plays including Into The Woods, Yellow Face, and The New Mikado. He has also directed at InterAct Theatre in Philadelphia and the Asian American Theater Company in San Francisco. He received the 2015 McKnight distinguished artist award, the 2012 Ivey award for lifetime achievement and the 2007 Sally Ordway Irvine award for Vision. He is a co-founder and co-artistic director of Full Circle Theater here and directed his play Fire in the New World for Full Circle at Park Square Theatre in October.