Biophilia (2021)

TWO-ACT CHAMBER OPERA [75 minutes]

Music by Samuel Beebe. Libretto by Sara Costantino.

Roles: 1 tenor, 1 mezzo-soprano, 2 soprano
Scoring: hn., pno., e. gtr., vln., vc., d. b., & electronics (fixed and live)

In a future close enough to touch, on farmland ravaged by massive clouds of dust and continental drought, Biophilia tells the story of Ody and Sye, and the decisions they make in the three days leading up to a great and final storm. Sye, a lifelong farmer with fiercely strong ties to his family’s land, trusts he can endure anything nature can create. Ody, city-born and afflicted by a worsening cough, insists they leave and take shelter in the Citadel before the storm hits. Met with conflicting prophecies from an unseen voice, each must decide their own fate.

During the spring of 2021, Biophilia was workshopped remotely by Stony Brook Opera, directed by Brenda Harris, with music preparation from Daniel Beckwith. With contributing musicians from Michigan to Korea, all performances were self-recorded in compliance with Covid-19 restrictions. The workshop was captured in a video production of the complete opera, produced by the opera’s creators and Ms. Harris, which is available on the Stony Brook University Music Department YouTube channel, Fall 2021.

For inquires about piano/vocal score & full score: beebe.sa@gmail.com