“New Opera as Art and Social Discourse”: A Conversation with the Creators of “A Marvelous Order”

Watch the live event at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, February 10. A recording will be available for streaming from 7:30 p.m. Friday, February 12–7:30 p.m. Friday, February 19.

Joshua Frankel and Judd Greenstein will discuss their multimedia opera, “A Marvelous Order,” which explores the epic struggle between Robert Moses, master builder, and Jane Jacobs, self-taught oracle of urban insight, over the fate of New York City in the mid-20th century.

The conversation will include a video featuring highlights of their work in progress. Their discussion will center on the genesis and development of the opera, which features a libretto by former U.S. Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith.

Frankel, the opera’s animator and director, and Greenstein, the composer, will also discuss the work’s themes, including the intersection between urban design and social justice, and how control over our built environment can be reclaimed by communities from oppressive leaders who abuse their authority.

“A Marvelous Order” humanizes the struggle between power and protest movements in a way that only opera can.

The free live conversation will be broadcast via the Zoom video app, and questions will be taken in real time from audience members through the chat function.