Matthew Welch's And Here We Are at National Sawdust, May 6

Chamber opera portrayed with shadow puppets -

And Here We Are is a new shadow puppet opera composed by EiO co-founderMatthew Welch and librettist Daniel Neer. This evening-length opera tells Welch’s great-uncle Edgar Kneedler’s inspiring story of survival in a Japanese prison camp in the Philippines during WWII, and illustrates the power of music to create bonds between cultures and transcend the greatest adversities. Scored for four vocalists and an orchestra combining Welch’s ensemble Blarvuster and Mantra Percussion, And Here We Are will be staged using an innovative and macbre style of Asian shadow puppetry created by director and designer Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew.

Mark Utley, Percussion
Emily Manzo, Piano
Ian Riggs, Bass Guitar
Shayna Dunkelman, Drums and Electronics
Matthew Welch, Conductor, Saxophone and Electronics