EVENTS & PRESS
Events
| Date | Location | Details |
|---|---|---|
| January 29, 2024 | Dutch National Opera, Amsterdam, The Netherlands | Lili Elbe named "Best World Premiere of 2023" at the OPER! AWARDS 2024 ceremony. The OPER! AWARDS are Germany's only international opera prize, presented annually to the most outstanding creative talents in the global opera industry, chosen by a jury of music journalists. |
| December 14, 2023 | Mayo Clinic, Center for Humanities in Medicine, Phoenix, AZ | Composer Tobias Picker and librettist Aryeh Lev Stollman discuss their recent world premiere operas: Awakenings, based on the book by Oliver Sacks, and Lili Elbe, the story of one of the first persons to undergo gender affirmation surgery. |
| October 22, 29, November 2, 5, 11, 17, December 3, 2023 | Theater Saint Gallen, Switzerland | World Premiere: "Lili Elbe," an opera by Tobias Picker, libretto by Aryeh Lev Stollman, based on the life of Lili Elbe. |
| February 25, 2023 | Odyssey Opera, Huntington Theater, Boston, MA https://odysseyopera.org/awakenings/ | East Coast Premiere: "Awakenings," an opera by Tobias Picker, libretto by Aryeh Lev Stollman, based on the book by Oliver Sacks. |
| June 5, 9, 11, 18, 24, 2022 | Opera Theatre of Saint Louis https://opera-stl.org/whats-on/awakenings/ | World Premiere: "Awakenings," an opera by Tobias Picker, libretto by Aryeh Lev Stollman, based on the book by Oliver Sacks. |
| April 5, 2020 7:30pm | The Guggenheim Museum, New York, NY guggenheim.org/event/opera-theatre-of-saint-louis-awakenings | Works & Process: A Talk about the Creation and Process of Contemporary Works "Awakenings," an opera by Tobias Picker, libretto by Aryeh Lev Stollman, based on the book by Oliver Sacks. Discussion with Roberto Kalb and James Robinson, performances by original cast members Joyce El-Khoury, Paul Groves, Jarrett Logan Porter, and David Portillo. |
| November 1-11, 2019 | Wilks Studio, Music Hall, Cincinnati, OH ofnw.org/projects#/awakenings/ | Workshop: "Awakenings" Opera Fusion:New Works will workshop the opera "Awakenings" by Tobias Picker, libretto by Aryeh Lev Stollman, during a 10-day residency in Cincinnati, utilizing the facilities, personnel, and talent of both Cincinnati Opera and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. The workshop will be cast with a combination of CCM students and professional artists. |
| November 11, 2019 7:30pm | Wilks Studio, Music Hall, Cincinnati, OH ofnw.org/projects#/awakenings/ | Public presentation The conclusion of the 10-day workshop of "Awakenings," the new opera by Tobias Picker, libretto by Aryeh Lev Stollman. This public concert performance of excerpts from the opera will be followed by an audience Q&A session. |
| February 18, 2016 | George Washington University davidbrucesmith.com/jewish-literature-live/ | Jewish Literature Live! Spring Semester 2016 Writers "The Far Euphrates" |
| February 21-26, 2015 | Salzburg Global Seminar Schloss Leopoldskron, Salzburg, Austria www.salzburgglobal.org/calendar/2010-2019/2015/session-547.html | The Neuroscience of Art Invited Guest: The Written Word |
| November 6, 2014 | Western New England University D'Amour Library, Room 319 www1.wne.edu/artsandsciences/index.cfm?selection=doc.10434 | Fall 2014 Authors Series Reading and discussion: "The Little Poet" |
| March 12, 2014 | The College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, VA www.wm.edu | Author Discussion "The Far Euphrates" |
| April 18, 2012 | Binghamton University SUNY www2.binghamton.edu/judaic-studies/courses.html | Author Reading and Discussion "The Far Euphrates" |
Press
Review: "'Awakenings' is the stuff of dreams" (A.Z. Madonna, The Boston Globe): https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/02/27/arts/awakenings-is-stuff-dreams/
"Oliver Sacks Gets an Opera" (Eren Orbey, The New Yorker): https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/02/27/oliver-sacks-gets-an-opera
The New York Times covered the creation of the opera in their piece, "An Oliver Sacks Book Becomes an Opera, With Help From Friends" which can be read here: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/25/arts/music/awakenings-opera-oliver-sacks.html
