| Duration | 75 min |
| Part of | Sideways |
The sound of the female gaze
In Passio, female and non-binary stories of sacrifice speak louder than ever. What does that sound like? Absolutely incredible. When traditional passion narratives of death, betrayal, hope, and resurrection are no longer told from a single (read: male) perspective, they reveal a much more colourful spectrum of human emotion.
In this testimonial oratorio with musical direction by by Lucie de Saint Vincent and her ensemble, we meet witnesses, survivors, and trailblazers. Expect fortepiano, jazz, blues, South Asian percussion, and Baroque strings. Discover why director and soprano Maribeth Diggle, along with Laïla Amezian and Joyce Scott, are the perfect voices to bring these unheard stories to life.
This French pianist, composer, and founder of Collectif Trytone has a diverse musical background spanning multiple genres with a speficif focus on female narratives in works such as Ascensions, Geen Vaarwel and Alles in mij. She won the Diapason d’Or for her solo album dedicated to female composers, Des dentelles à l’Echafaud. Lucie has performed at Présences Féminines (FR), Festival Oude Muziek (NL), Abbaye de Royaumont (FR), and the Nuoro Jazz Festival (IT). She specialises in fortepiano and early music, as well as piano and composition. She is a resident of the Camargo Foundation with her album Back to Bach, where she works with Fabrizio Cassol, Magic Malik, Joëlle Léandre, Ashram Sharif Khan, and Joce Mienniel.
This American soprano and director has worked in opera for more than twenty years, dedicating herself to bringing new stories for women to life, both onstage and off. She also tours as a soloist with Alain Platel, choreographer of les ballets C de la B, under the musical direction of Fabrizio Cassol, performing pieces such as VSPRS, Pitié! (ARTE TV), and Requiem pour L. Maribeth directed and created SOLA SOLETTA for Opera Ballet Vlaanderen (2022), exploring gender roles within the classical music canon, and also directed Love Songs (2020) and Las Místicas de México (2024) for IN Series in Washington DC and Let Me Be Frank for Arena Stage. She is currently pursuing a PhD in Breath Art at the RITCS School of Arts in Brussels.
Maribeth Diggle: Director, soprano
Lucie de Saint Vincent: Musical direction
Rajna Swaminathan: Indian percussion
Alejandra Borzyk: Saxophone
Tina Chancey: Viola da gamba
Laïla Amezian: Jazz and Moroccan vocals
Joyce Scott: Blues vocals
Timothy Nelson: Artistic advisor
Gaia Saitta: Dramaturgy