The Echo Drift
Convicted murderer Walker Loats is trapped in a timeless prison. Unexpectedly befriended by a moth with an offer of a perceived way to freedom, Walker must choose between paying her dues or taking a shortcut that offers to rig the game in her favor. Oscillating between the confines of a tiny cell and an expansive visual world of animation, The Echo Drift unravels a cycle of deceit, temptation, seduction, and fantastical perception. Featuring a live chamber ensemble, electronics, and a six-channel surround sound system, this world premiere opera explores the freewheeling nature of the mind when it is robbed of external stimuli and questions, when in extreme circumstances, is it possible to act in a way that goes against one’s nature?
The Echo Drift was originally developed by Mikael Karlsson and Elle Kunnos de Voss in a full-length workshop presented by the Embassy of Sweden in Washington DC in 2014. The Echo Drift was commissioned, developed and produced by Beth Morrison Projects, HERE, and American Opera Projects.
The Echo Drift is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.
Photos by Maria Baranova.
Music — Mikael Karlsson
Librettists — Elle Kunnos de Voss & Kathryn Walat
Director — Mallory Catlett
Conductor — Nicholas DeMaison
Environment Designer — Elle Kunnos de Voss
Projection Designer — Simon Harding
Lighting Designer — Christopher Kuhl
Costume and Prop Designer — Andreea Mincic
Animations — Dara Hamidi & Simon Harding with drawings by Elle Kunnos de Voss
Orchestration — Mikael Karlsson & Michael P. Atkinson
With — the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE)
Pianist — Aaron Likness
Show run time — 70 minutes