"Seeds Under Nuclear Winter: An Earth Opera" is a recreation of spiritual visions, dreams, and stories through world and sacred music, performance art, movement, and light experiments, shared within an immersive and multi-sensory community experience.

The Earth Opera takes place in a post-apocalyptic atmosphere, and centers around rebirth, finding light and beauty in the darkest times, and our deep connection with all living things, our planet, and with each other.  Orchestrated for harps, ethereal choral voices, South American/Andean instruments, Indonesian gamelan, chamber strings, droning harmoniums, dulcimer, bells, piano, and an occasional tuba, the 'Earth Opera’ steps into otherworldly realms and unfolds upon a non-linear and timeless path, similar to the way we dream.

vision of Divine Mother
Earth Opera 2023 'Heartlight'
Gods emerge in Deity Waltz
Andes Manta and Elizabeth Clark, Traveling Song
Mythic Bird with Jaguar Mary X
Deities Neem Karoli Baba, Krishna, Hildegard of Bingen, Mother Mary. With Alvaro Romao, Jed Zaeb, Grace Woodard, Lisa B Kelley. Photo by Fionn Reilly
Doomsday clock and preacher from 'Truth'
Monks, Prophets from 'Apocalypto'
From 'Standing on Serpents' 2023
From 'Apocalypto'. Elizabeth Clark, narrator. Photo by Fionn Reilly.
Doomsday Clock from 'Truth'. Image: Annie Roland, photo by Stefan Lisowski. Clock by Anne Arden McDonald
'Selfie Squad' from 'Truth' with Arianna Noble, Lisa B Kelley, Grace Woodard, China Blue.
Elizabeth Clark, composer, vocalist, narrator
Andes Manta
Andes Manta including Luis and Bolivar Lopez
Catskill Mountain Gamelan
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Prophets and Earth Opera Choir
From 'Saint Margaret of the Parking Lot' with Jaguar Mary X, Elizabeth Clark, Lisa B Kelley, Dorcinda Knauth, Annie Roland. Photo by Fionn Reilly.
From 'Green Little Things'
Cloud Formation
Light/Speck 2022
From 'Rembeuy Bandung'
Mythic Bird with Jaguar Mary X
Widow Jane Mine
From 'Truth'. Narcissistic dictator, preacher, newscaster played by Phillip X Levine, Sharon Penz, Elwin Cuevas. Photo by Fionn Reilly.
Vision
Deity Waltz 2022
Andes Manta
From 'Saint Margaret of the Parking Lot'. Photo by Stefan Lisowski
Seraphim
From 'Standing on Serpents' 2022, choreographers by Charlotte Stickles and Sondra Loring
From 'Where to Find God' 2021. Toni Weeks, Goni Ronen, Elizabeth Clark
From 'Truth' 2022, with Elwin Cuevas, Noa Graham
Prophets, with Lisa Barnard Kelley, Jaguar Mary X, Grace Woodard
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Cast and Crew 2023

  • Mamalama

    Elizabeth Clark: Harp, Voice, Narrator, Composer, Director

    Henry Lowengard: Hammered Dulcimer, Glockenspiel, Harmonium, Voice

    Annie Roland: Cosmic Clock, Veiled, Seraphim

    with:

    Antonin Fajt: Piano, Waterphone, Voice

    Rusty Boris: Upright electric bass

    Cornelia Logan: Cello

    Bill Cochran: French Horn, Voice

    Alvaro Romao: Gongs, Euphone, Rattles, Voice

  • Andes Manta

    Luis Lopez: quena, guitar, charango, pipes, birds

    Bolivar Lopez: pipes, djembe, percussion, birds

    Fernando Lopez: guitar, pipes, mandolin, birds

    Jorge Lopez: bass, guitar, percussion, birds

  • Catskill Mountain Gamelan

    Dorcinda Knauth: Peking, Voice

    Amy Recchia: Peking, Voice

    Henry Lowengard: Panerus

    Ann Marie Tedesco: Jengglong, Voice

    Alvaro Romao: Bonang

  • Actors / dancers / choreography/choir

    Lisa Barnard Kelley: Seraphim, Prophet, Voice, bird murmurations, selfie squad

    Jaguar Mary X: Saint Margaret, Green Tara, prophet, voice, bird murmurations, selfie squad

    Elwin Cuevas: Hanuman, Preacher, voice

    Eric Archer Condevaux-Dahlberg: Jesus, Monk, voice

    Sharon Penz: “Truth” and “Apocalytpo” choreography, newscaster, voice, bird murmurations

    Phillip X. Levine: Narcissistic Dictator, voice

    Jed Zaeb: Prophet, voice, selfie squad, Deity

    Grace Woodard: voice, prophet, selfie squad, bird murmurations

    Arianna Noble: dance

    Amy Goldin: voice

    Amy Rechhia: voice, gamelan

    Alvaro Romao: gongs, euphone, voice, Deity

    China Blue: voice, bird murmurations, monk

    Eric Margan: voice, selfie squad, Deity

    Anne Arden McDonald: voice, props

  • Backstage

    James Adelman: Stage Director

    Erika McCarthy: Stage Director, Heartlight prop artist

    Anne Arden McDonald: Clock Artist

    7th Fire Wampum Belt replica made by: Kelsey Lowden

    Thank you to House of Collection for loaning Saint Margaret’s umbrella frame.

The Earth Opera Lyrics can be found on the Poetry and Lyrics Page

We couldn't have produced this year's expanded version of Seeds Under Nuclear Winter without the help of these generous sponsors. Thank you!

This project is made possible with funds from the Statewide Community Regrants Program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and administered by Arts Mid-Hudson.

Community Partner
The Ministry of Maåt