About
Aeolus is an opera-in-progress combining throat singing, multiphonics indie-rock and electronics. Written and performed by Ken Ueno (Rome and Berlin Prizes winner), the opera is a collaboration with FLUX Quartet (“legendary for its furiously committed, untiring performances,” Alex Ross), Rome Prize-winning architect Thomas Tsang, and vocalist Majel Connery. Aeolus is inspired by the mythological keeper of the winds, Aeolus, from the Odyssey. In the classic tale, wind shapes human destiny. In the opera, wind, reinterpreted as breath, is a compositional tool. Aeolus charts Ueno’s personal odyssey, linking impressionistic scenes from memories, found objects and literary fragments from the composer’s past. Work in progress performances were presented at High Concept Labs (Chicago, 2015); Starline Social Club (Oakland, 2016); Wellesley College as part of a Mellon Visiting Artist Residency (Wellesley, MA, 2017); and at National Sawdust (Brooklyn, 2017). More Aeolus videos here.