On May 31 at 8 pm, the San Francisco International Arts Festival is presenting a staged reading of the libretto for Niloufar Talebi’s new opera, Abraham in Flames, inspired by the life and writings of the Nobel Prize nominated Iranian poet, activist, translator, and folklorist Ahmad Shamlou (1925-2000). Talebi is developing the opera in collaboration with Merola Opera Program, composer Aleksandra Vrebalov, and director Roy Rollo. The finished work will be sung in English by Merola Opera Program alumni soloists and members of the San Francisco Girls Chorus, and is scheduled to premiere the San Francisco International Arts Festival’s 2018-19 season.
Audience feedback is sought in conversation with Niloufar Talebi following the reading. Tickets are available.