Weds, May 29th, 7:00 – 8:30 pm
Bowker Auditorium (Stockbridge Hall)
Free event, open to the public
The UMass Amherst Initiative on Neurosciences is staging the first half of a new Opera titled, “The Onion”, which deals with issues of thought and consciousness. It was composed and directed by Amherst College professors, Eric Sawyer and Ron Bashford. Two cast members are UMass alums.
The opera unfolds on an island in the Pacific Northwest where a neuroscientist has sequestered herself with her daughter, her co-inventor, and their invention, the Onion. Rounding out the singing roles are her ex-partner, summoned in memory by both mother and daughter, and the Onion itself, which seems to gain its own personality with each use.
This semi-staged performance of the opera’s first half will be followed by a conversation with noted philosopher and author on the subject of consciousness, Daniel Dennett, and Harvard neuroscientist, Florian Engert. They will be joined by composer/librettist Eric Sawyer, director/librettist Ron Bashford, and members of the cast. The conversation will be moderated by the director of the UMass Initiative on Neurosciences, Paul Katz.
For more information and to see a cast listing, please visit the event website here.