Join us for a first listen to THE OPPOSABLE THUMB, an exciting new opera by Jorge Sosa and Julian Crouch!

THE OPPOSABLE THUMB is based on various true accounts of the last two hundred years, of what befell zoos, and the animals and workers there in times of war. It questions whether mankind is superior to the animals that are contained behind the bars of the cages, or just another ape with an opposable thumb, and a trigger pulling finger. 

Why is it that the human race finds itself in an endless cycle of war, and why are so many hungry, when there is more than enough to go around? How have we become so adept at creating the very seeds of our destruction? And what is the true nature of ‘home’? The Opposable Thumb follows the fortunes of five human characters and the choices they make, juxtaposing their journeys with a group of six animals who escape from the confines of the zoo, asking us to listen a little more closely to the world itself and to the creatures that we share it with.

We invite you to join us for our first InsightALT event of the season, which includes a concert reading of this remarkable new opera, followed by a discussion with the creators. 

PLEASE NOTE: Proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 is required of all audience members, and attendees must remain masked while in the venue. Performers are all fully vaccinated and tested, will be distanced from the audience, and will be unmasked during the concert.

CAST:

Eva - Flora Wall, soprano 
The Pilot - John Viscardi, tenor
Hagenbeck - Zachary James, bass
Greta - Heather Johnson, mezzo soprano
Finn - Christian Sanders, tenor
Monkey - Sydney Anderson, soprano
Rhino - Laura Soto-Bayomi, soprano
Hyena - Heather Hill, soprano
Lion - Chantal Freeman, soprano
Chameleon - Kimberly Sogioka, mezzo soprano
Ibis - Kirsten Sollek, contralto

Conductor - David Neely
Pianist and Assistant Conductor - Jason Wirth