An opera by Kate Soper (music, book and lyrics)
WORLD PREMIERE
San Pedro, CA---LONG BEACH OPERA, February 2023
director and production
james darrah
conductor
christopher rountree
costume designer
molly irelan
scenic designer
prairie t. trivuth
lighting designer
pablo santiago
sound designer
carlos mosquera
hair and makeup designer
berenice gallegos
Desert In ……is impossible to contain in a portfolio. SO: Here’s just a slew of photos that show this once in a lifetime coven….
Music of G. F. Handel
with Martha Graham Dance Company
Segerstrom Center for the Arts, LBO Spring 2023
production and direction
james darrah
co-production and choreography
janet eilber
Ellen Reid (music) and Roxie Perkins (libretto)
NEW PRODUCTION- WORLD PREMIERE
Los Angeles, CA---LA Opera (Production and World Premiere), December 2018
New York, NY---Prototype Festival and LA MAMA (NYC Premiere), January 2019
director and production
james darrah
conductor
julian wachner and daniela candillari
costume designer
molly irelan
scenic designer
adam rigg
lighting designer
pablo santiago
choreographer and associate director
chris emile
with Anna Schubert and Becca Jo Loeb
(All Production photographs by Noah Stern Weber and Maria Baranova, 2018-19, production creatively produced by Beth Morrison Projects)
A new music video for JAKUB JOZEF ORLINSKI's 2018 Album:
ANIMA SACRA
director and designer
james darrah
director of photography
nathan mercury kim
editor
adam larsen
lighting designer
pablo santiago
producers
warner classics and james darrah
styling
ysabel riina
cast
jakub orlinski (countertenor), sasha rivero (dancer)
Produced by Warner Music, Erato, Ltd-Copyright and All Rights Reserved, 2018.
Missy Mazzoli (music) and Royce Vavrek (libretto)
NEW PRODUCTION PREMIERE
Based on the short story by Karen Russell
Omaha, NE---Opera Omaha ONE FESTIVAL (Production Premiere), April 2018
New York, NY---Miller Theater (NYC Premiere), September 2018
conductor
christopher rountree
director and production
james darrah
costume designer
chrisi karvonides
scenic designer
adam rigg
lighting designer
pablo santiago
cast
michael slattery (miles), john moore (pa zegner), talise trevigne (ma zegner), andrew harris (sodbuster), cree carrico and abigail nims (daughters), and sam shapiro (peter zegner)
Missy Mazzoli (music) and Royce Vavrek (libretto)
WORLD PREMIERE
Based on the film by Lars von Trier (Zentropa Entertainments3)
Philadelphia, PA---Opera Philadelphia (World Premiere), September 2016
New York, NY---PROTOTYPE Festival (NYC Premiere), January 2017
conductor
steve osgood (philadelphia) and julian wachner (new york)
director and production
james darrah
costume designer
chrisi karvonides
scenic designer
adam rigg
projection designer
adam larsen
lighting designer
pablo santiago
cast
kiera duffy (bess), john moore (jan), eve gigliotti (dodo)
Music video for JOYCE DiDONATO's 2017 Album:
IN WAR AND PEACE: HARMONY THROUGH MUSIC
HANDEL: Lascia ch'io pianga
director and production designer
james darrah
director of photography and editing
adam larsen
lighting designer
pablo santiago
line producer
michelle magaldi
production assistance
théa morton
cast
joyce didonato (mezzo soprano), manuel palazzo (dancer)
Shot on location in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Produced by Warner Music, Erato, Ltd-Copyright and All Rights Reserved, 2016. Joyce DiDonato, creative producer
Julian Wachner (music) and Cerise Lim Jacobs (libretto)
NEW PRODUCTION- NEW YORK PREMIERE
New York, NY---Prototype Festival (NYC Premiere), January 2020
director and production
james darrah
conductor
daniela candillari
costume designer
molly irelan
scenic designer
adam rigg
lighting designer
pablo santiago
associate director
anderson nunnelley
(All Production photographs by Maria Baranova, 2020)
16 EPISODES OF ORCHESTRALLY-INSPIRED CONTENT OCTOBER 2020 to JUNE 2021
with Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra
with artists (current, and always updating season-long):
Yee Eun Nam, Yuki Izumihara, Shauna Davis, Zackary Drucker, Chris Emile, Ardeshir Tabrizi, Wang HuiMeng, Ben Guillory, Michael Thomas, Frank Mohler, Jonny Black, Ellen Reid, Geneva Jacuzzi
G. F. Handel
PREMIERE- NEW PRODUCTION
Karlsruhe, Germany---Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe, February 2018
INTERNATIONAL HANDEL FESTSPIELE, 2018 (revival 2019)
conductor and music director
andreas spering
director and production
james darrah
scenic and lighting designers
macmoc design
costume designer
chrisi karvonides
projection designer
adam larsen
dramaturgy
michael fichtenholz and boris kehrmann
cast
layla claire (alcina), david hansen (ruggiero), benedetta mazzucato (bradamante), aleksandra kubas-kruk (morgana), alexey neklyudov (oronte), carina schmeiger (oberto) and nicholas brownlee (melisso)
Jonathan Dove (music) and April de Angelis (libretto)
Opera Omaha, April 2017
The Juilliard School, November 2016
conductor
steven osgood (new york)
christopher rountree (omaha)
production
james darrah
projection design
adam larsen (new york)
scenic design
ellen lenbergs
costume design
mattie ullrich
lighting design
cameron jaye mock (new york and omaha)
pablo santiago (omaha)
Kurt Weill (music) and Bertolt Brecht (libretto)
NEW PRODUCTION PREMIERE
Boston, MA---Boston Lyric Opera, March 2018
conductor
david angus
director and production
james darrah
costume designer
charles neumann
scenic designer
julia noulin-mérat
lighting designer
pablo santiago
Leonard Bernstein
San Francisco Symphony, May-June 2016
conductor
michael tilson thomas
production
james darrah
projection design
adam larsen
scenic design
mac moc design
costume design
peabody southwell
lighting design
pablo santiago
Francis Poulenc and Jean Cocteau
Philadelphia, PA— Opera Philadelphia O18, September 2018
as “Ne Quittez Pas”, featuring additional art songs by Poulenc and texts by Cocteau and Apollinaire
director
james darrah
costume designer
chrisi karvonides dushenko
production design
tony fanning
lighting design
pablo santiago
cast
patricia racette (woman), christopher allen (piano), edward nelson (baritone), marc bendavid (paul), mary tuomanen (lise), and ames adamson (owner)
San Antonio, TX---Opera San Antonio, March 2015
director
james darrah
co-director and costume designer
peabody southwell
scenic, lighting and properties designers
emily anne macdonald and cameron jaye mock
cast
anna caterina antonacci (woman), donald sulzen (piano)
Lisbon, Portugal---Teatro Nacional de São Carlos (São Carlos Premiere), January/February 2016
conductor
david peter bates
production
james darrah
costume designer
chrisi karvonides
scenic and lighting designer
emily anne macdonald and cameron jaye mock
cast
alexandra deshorties (iphigéngie), john moore (thoás), william berger (oreste), colin ainsworth (pylade)
Pietro Mascagni
Annandale on Hudson, NY---BARD Summerscape 2016
production
james darrah
costume designer and dramaturg
peabody southwell
scenic design
macmoc design
projection design
adam larsen
lighting design
neil peter jampolis
cast
talise trevigne (iris), gerard schneider (osaka), douglas williams (kyoto), cecelia hall (geisha), WIFE, and samuel levine
Missy Mazzoli (music) and Olivia De Prato (violin) for her album STREYA, 2018 on New Focus Recordings
ORIGINAL MUSIC VIDEO based on Mazzoli’s “Vespers for Violin”
National Public Radio (NPR) FIRST WATCH (Exclusive World Premiere), April 2018
National Sawdust (Live Screening Premiere) Brooklyn, NY, April 2018 with Jennifer Koh, violin
director and designer
james darrah
costume designer
sarah schuessler
cinematography and editing
adam larsen
produced by
james darrah
cast
sam shapiro
Omaha, NE---Opera Omaha, February 2015
conductor
christopher rountree
director
james darrah
projection design
adam larsen
associate director
zack winokur
scenic+properties design
emily macdonald
lighting+scenic design
cameron mock
costume design
sarah schuessler
cast
andriana chuchman (kumudha), andrew staples (the prince), franco pomponi (storyteller) with dancers julia eichten, robbie moore, ana maria lucaciu, morgan lugo, jason collins, and yusha marie sorzano
Rockport, ME---Bay Chamber Concerts Festival (US Staged Premiere), August 2015
director + designer
james darrah
costume designer
peabody southwell
music director
gerald steichen
cast
douglas williams (pluto)
with marnie breckenridge (persephone)
YEAR ONE
Arnold Schoenberg: Pelleas und Melisande
director and curator
james darrah
conductor
louis langrée
projection design and photography
adam larsen
scenic design
francois-pierre couture
costume design
peabody southwell
cast
WIFE (kristen leahy, jasmine albuquerque, nina mcneely)
YEAR TWO
October 2016
Gabriel Fauré: Pelléas et Mélisande with text my Maeterlinck
New Translation world premiere: Stephen Wadsworth
director and curator
james darrah
conductor
louis langrée
projection design
adam larsen
production design
macmoc design
photography
quinn wharton
cast
naomi o'connell (melisande), blake berris (pelleas), adam greer (golaud), francesca faridany (genevieve), frank corrado (arkel)
Cincinnati, OH---An ongoing project with Louis Langrée exploring three composers' responses to Maeterlinck's great play over three years.
YEAR THREE in collaboration with CINCINNATI OPERA
October 2017
Claude Debussy: Pelléas et Mélisande
production
james darrah
conductor
louis langrée
projection design
adam larsen
scenic design
adam rigg
costume design
mattie ullrich
lighting design
pablo santiago
production photography
nicholas korkos
cast
brian mulligan (golaud), naomi louisa o’connell (mélisande), phillip addis (pelléas), nancy maultsby (génevieve)
a new play by Christopher Adams Cohen
NEW PRODUCTION - WORLD PREMIERE
Berlin, Germany- May 2019
director and production
james darrah
scenic installation designer
antoinette adams
choreographer
andrea galad
EP RELEASE SHOW for Alex Black’s debut EP “Baby”
HUMAN RESOURCES, December 2017
production designer
james darrah
video editing
yuki izumihara
lighting design by
pablo santiago
G. F. Handel
Seattle, WA---Pacific MusicWorks, May 2014 (initial staging/workshop)
Omaha, NE---Opera Omaha, April 2016 (production premiere)
Philadelphia, PA---Opera Philadelphia, TBA
conductor
stephen stubbs (Seattle and Omaha)
production + stage director
james darrah
choreographer
gustavo ramirez sansano
projection design
adam larsen
scenic+properties design
emily macdonald
lighting+scenic design
cameron mock
costume design
sarah schuessler
cast (omaha)
mary feminear (semele), anthony gregory (jupiter), peabody southwell (juno/ino), ray chenez (athamus), aubrey allicock (cadmus/somnus), liz lang (iris)
cast (seattle)
haeran hong (semele), aaron sheehan (jupiter), peabody southwell (juno/ino), nathan medley (athamus), colin ramsey (cadmus/somnus), valerie vinzant (iris)
W. A. Mozart
Milwaukee, WI- Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, September 2014
conductor
edo de waart
director
james darrah
production design
cameron jaye mock and emily anne macdonald
milwaukee cast
daniel okulitch (don giovanni), tamara wilson (donna anna), nicole cabell (donna elvira), matthew rose (leporello), grazia doronzio (zerlina), james morris (il commendatore), andré courville (masetto)
San Francisco, CA---San Francisco Opera/ Merola Opera Program, July + August 2014 (pictured)
conductor
martin katz
production
james darrah
production design
cameron jaye mock and emily anne macdonald
sf merola cast
edward nelson (don giovanni), amanda woodbury (donna anna), karen ho (donna elvira), szymon wach (leporello), yujin kim (zerlina), scott russell (il commendatore), rhys lloyd talbot (masetto)
New York, NY-- 12th Night Festival, Trinity Wall Street
conductor
julian wachner
director
james darrah
associate director + choreographer
julia eichten
scenic, lighting and costume design (saul, david, jonathan)
emily macdonald and cameron mock
costume design (merab, michal, witch)
robert and rachel danes
cast
anthony roth costanzo (david), christopher dylan herbert (saul), jessica muirhead (merab), ryland angel (jonathan), marie-eve munger (michal), dashon burton (samuel), melissa attebury (witch of endor)
Benjamin Britten
San Francisco, CA---San Francisco Symphony, June 2014
conductor
michael tilson thomas
production
james darrah
projection design
adam larsen
scenic+lighting design
cameron jaye mock and emily anne macdonald
costume design
sarah schuessler and james darrah
cast
stuart skelton (peter grimes), elza van den heever (ellen orford), alan opie (balstrode), ann murray (auntie), nancy maultsby (mrs. sedley), john relyea (mr. swallow), richard cox (boles), kim begley (horace adams)
photography for san francisco symphony by stefan cohen
a multi-media concert installation between wildUp and chromatic
Santa Barbara, CA---wildUp at SB Arts and Lectures series/ Music Academy of the West
conductor and wildUp artistic director
christopher rountree
production design
chromatic (james darrah, cameron mock, peabody southwell and emily macdonald)
program
satie, esquivel, zorn, jarvinen, kallmyer (premiere), deyoe and julia holter (premiere)
Art Jarvinen – Endless Bummer
Erik Satie – Furniture Music & Gymnopedie No. 1, arr. by Jodie Landau
John Zorn – for your eyes only
Chris Kallmyer – amplified orange juice, a louder remembering
Art Jarvinen – Egyptian Two-step
–intermission–
Julia Holter – Endless Song for the End of Summer
Esquivel – music makers / surfboard, arr. by Andrew Tholl
John Zorn – A Rebours, ft. Derek Stein on cello
Nicholas Deyoe – a new anxiety, ft. Archie Carey on amplified bassoon
Andrew Tholl, violin
Andrew McIntosh, violin
Linnea Powell, viola
Derek Stein, cello
Maggie Hasspacher, bass/voice
Erin McKibben, flute/picc
Claire Brazeau, oboe
Brian Walsh, clarinets/saxophones
Archie Carey, bassoon/amplified bassoon
Richard Valitutto, piano/melodica
Chris Kallmyer, trumpet/guitar/bass
Allen Fogle, horn
Danielle Ondarza, horn
Aaron Smith, trumpet
Matt Barbier, trombone
Jeremy Swem, trombone
Luke Storm, tuba
Derek Tywoniuk, percussion
TJ Troy, percussion
Jodie Landau, percussion/voice
Charissa Barger, harp
photography by jodie landau
G. F. Handel
Opera Omaha, February 2014
new performance edition professional premiere
conductor
stephen stubbs
production
james darrah
projection design
adam larsen
scenic+properties design
emily macdonald
lighting+scenic design
cameron mock
costume design
sarah schuessler
cast
peabody southwell (agrippina), jennifer rivera (nerone), hadleigh adams (claudio), nathan medley (ottone), jamie-rose guarrine (poppea), douglas williams (pallante), and zachary wilder (narciso)
G. F. Handel
The Clark Library, Los Angeles, CA- June 2014
Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, Waimea, HI- July 2012 (pictured)
conductor
stephen stubbs
production
james darrah
scenic+properties design
emily macdonald and cameron mock
costume design, los angeles
rebecca guzzi
costume design, hawaii
sarah schuessler
G. F. Handel
Juilliard Opera, November 2013
conductor
julian wachner
production
james darrah
scenic+lighting design
cameron jaye mock and emily anne macdonald
costume design
sara jean tosetti
Frank Zappa
Los Angeles Philharmonic, October 2013
world premiere
conductor
esa-pekka salonen
production
james darrah
visual design
emily macdonald
lighting+visual design
cameron mock
costume design
chrisi karvonides
projection design
adeline newmann
cast
matt marks, jeff taylor, joel david moore, joe fria, morris robinson, hila plitmann, sheila vand, diva zappa, zach villa, michael des barres, rich fulcher
Ibsen with the music of Grieg, Schnittke, and Robin Holloway
San Francisco Symphony, January 2013
conductor
michael tilson thomas
direction and costume design
james darrah
projection design
adam larsen
scenic and lighting design
cameron jaye mock
cast
ben huber (peer gynt), joelle harvey (solveig), peabody southwell (the woman in green), janice lancaster (ingrid), jesse merlin (the troll king), rose portillo (aase), brian ruppenkamp , mark deakins (button moulder)
G. F. Handel
Chicago Opera Theater, April 2012
US Midwest premiere
conductor
michael beattie
direction and costume design
james darrah
scenic design
francois pierre couture
lighting design
julian pike
cast
cecelia hall (teseo), renée tatum (medea), manuela bisceglie (agilea), gerald thompson (egeo), deanna breiwick (clizia), david trudgen (arcano)
Marc-Antoine Charpentier
Chicago Opera Theater, April 2011
US Midwest professional premiere
conductor
christian curnyn
direction and costume design
james darrah
scenic+properties design
francois pierre couture
lighting design
julian pike
Los Angeles, CA- Los Angeles Philharmonic, January 2015
conductor
john adams
director, chromatic
james darrah
stage director and costume design
roxie perkins
projection design
adam larsen
scenic design
ellen lenbergs
lighting design
pablo santiago
cast
peter embrechts (chansonnier), nathan medley (klaus nomi soloist)
John Blow
Cornish Opera Theater, November 2012
conductor
stephen stubbs
production
james darrah
projection and visual design
susie j lee
lighting design
connie yun
costume design
christine meyers
Claudio Monteverdi
Opera UCLA, June 2012
new performance edition premiere
conductor
stephen stubbs
production
james darrah
scenic+properties design
kaitlyn pietras
lighting design
cameron mock and john a. garofalo
costume design
raquel barreto
Henry Purcell
Opera UCLA, February 2009
conductor
peter rutenberg
production
james darrah
scenic+properties design
marika stephens
lighting design
cameron mock
costume design
sarah schuessler and james darrah
Peter Brook after G. Bizet
Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, July 2010
Hawaiian Islands Premiere
conductor
ben malensek
production and scenic design
james darrah
lighting design
cameron jaye mock
costume design
sarah schuessler