Eyes and ears will be on Opera Philadelphia in September as the company’s 2024-2025 Season begins with the highly anticipated American Premiere of The Listeners, the newest opera from the Philadelphia-born, Grammy-nominated composer Missy Mazzoli and librettist Royce Vavrek. Their 2016 world premiere, Breaking the Waves, was a phenomenon that won the inaugural Best New Opera Award from the Music Critics Association of North America and has been performed all over the world since its Philadelphia debut. Performed at the historic Academy of Music from Sept. 25-29, The Listeners is a thriller about social rejection, suburban loneliness, and the seductive power of cults and charismatic leaders in our increasingly polarized times.
“It is the realization of a personal dream to work at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia,” said Mazzoli, who grew up in the Philly suburb of Lansdale. “I have a clear memory of walking by that building as a teenager and thinking, ‘one day, my music will be performed here.’ The Listeners was a fantastic project to debut with Norwegian National Opera in 2022 and I cannot wait to bring it to the U.S. with my hometown company, Opera Philadelphia.”
Based on an original story by Canadian writer Jordan Tannahill, The Listeners is inspired by an actual phenomenon called “the global hum,” a low-pitched sound that 4% of the global population claim to hear. Tannahill’s story became a best-selling novel in 2021 and is being adapted into a limited BBC television series by Element Pictures (Normal People, Poor Things) starring Rebecca Hall.
The story centers on a middle-class mother (soprano Nicole Heaston in her company debut) living in a southwestern U.S. suburb who notices a “hum,” a high-frequency environmental noise that only a select few people, the “Listeners,” can hear. A community organization quickly forms to solve the mystery of the hum, but when the de facto leader (Kevin Burdette) suggests a spiritual significance, the meetings become increasingly cult-like. Is this community of “Listeners” on a collision course with destruction?
“It’s both a psychological thriller and an intimate portrait of modern family life,” says Mazzoli. “From the first words that are sung – ‘This is how we live now. Unbelievable.’ – to the shocking final twist, this piece has been a joy to write and a thrill to bring to life with our amazing creative team, led by director Lileana Blain-Cruz. Jordan Tannahill’s story and Royce Vavrek’s libretto cut through to the reality of the chaos and longing that roils underneath every seemingly ‘normal’ family, and in the hearts of everyone who dares to pursue their true destiny.”
The Philadelphia cast includes baritone Troy Cook as Claire’s husband, Paul Devon, and soprano Lindsey Reynolds as their teen daughter, Ashley. Bass Kevin Burdette returns in the role of Howard Bard, charismatic leader of the Listeners, with mezzo Rehanna Thelwell as Angela Rose, Howard’s right-hand woman. Baritone John Moore (Breaking the Waves) and tenor Aaron Crouch also star as members of the group.
The Listeners is directed by Tony Award nominee Lileana Blain-Cruz, recipient of the Drama League’s 2022 Founders Award for Excellence in Directing and current resident director of Lincoln Center Theater.
If You Go:
The Listeners
Music by Missy Mazzoli
Libretto by Royce Vavrek
Based on an original story by Jordan Tannahill
American Premiere
Sept. 25, 27, 29, 2024
Academy of Music
Performed in English with English supertitles
Ticket link: Opera Philadelphia