NYC premiere | Chamber opera

The year is 1147 and the brilliant, pioneering composer Hildegard von Bingen is receiving visions from God. Despite the constant threat that the church will turn on her as a heretic, she decides to document her visions, enlisting her fellow nun Richardis von Stade to illustrate the manuscript. As their passion project bleeds into passion, the two women are forced to confront the powers that would see them struck from history rather than making it. ⬥ January 9-11, 14, 16-17 ⬥ BRIC ARTS MEDIA, 647 Fulton St, Brooklyn ⬥ Elkhanah Pulitzer, Director ⬥ Gabriel Crouch, Conductor

World premiere | Retrospective concert

Beth Morrison Projects presents BMP: SONGBOOK, a live performance and multi-prong celebration marking 20 years of groundbreaking contributions to American Opera. BMP: SONGBOOK is a 2-night-only performance celebration, featuring selections from BMP’s most memorable productions, performed by the distinguished artists who brought them to life. A launch party and fundraiser will follow the first performance, celebrating the exclusive first release of the BMP: SONGBOOK Anthology, a two-volume collection of sheet music of over 75 arias from BMP’s 60+ opera commission history; the BMP: SONGBOOK album featuring arias from the songbook with accompanying “Best of BMP Vinyl”; and a commemorative visual history book featuring interviews with core artists and collaborators. ⬥ January 7 — 8 ⬥ National Sawdust, 80 N 6th St, Brooklyn

NYC premiere | Post-rock opera

For the first time in 20 years, What to Wear — the comedic post-rock opera by composer Michael Gordon and the late downtown theater renegade icon Richard Foreman — returns to the stage in its New York Premiere. The production brings back to life Foreman’s original staging and production, with creative direction by Big Dance Theater co-founders Annie-B Parson and Paul Lazar. This bitingly funny post-rock opera offers a commentary on the superficial pressures of society, at a moment when our contemporary world of Instagram, fast fashion, and influencer culture render Foreman and Gordon's critiques more cutting and relevant than ever. A collaboration between PROTOTYPE, BAM, Beth Morrison Projects, and Bang on a Can, this historic re-staging honors Foreman’s legacy and confirms Gordon as a singular voice in contemporary music. ⬥ January 15 — 17 ⬥ BAM ⬥ Alan Pierson, Music Director ⬥ Original Production and Direction by Richard Foreman ⬥ Creative Direction by Annie-B Parson & Paul Lazar

World premiere | Object theater & chamber opera

Precipice sets an intimate story of a young woman’s struggle in the epic landscape of America’s mountain west. Like the land around her, her wild spirit is crushed by disregard. She escapes to the precipice and leaps, awakening mute in a wilderness in which she must fight to find her voice. The opera’s visual world is evoked by miniature dioramas and large-scale video. The score, inspired by American folk music, art song, and the sounds of nature, features seven singers, string quintet, piano and mandolin. By drawing parallels between environmental and emotional damage, PRECIPICE looks at how we are silenced and exiled, and how we find our way to connection, both with each other and the natural world. ⬥ January 8 — 11 ⬥ La MaMa Experimental Theater Club, 66 E 4th St, New York ⬥ Mila Henry, Music Direction ⬥ Mallory Catlett, Director ⬥ Presented by La MaMa and PROTOTYPE

World premiere | Choral work

The All Sing is an ode to song and human connection, uniting hundreds of voices in a vibrant tapestry of sound, poetic justice, and hope. From those who tread the boards of our most hallowed stages to those who tread the tiles of their shower, all are invited to join the choir for this world premiere choral work and raise their voices in a powerful communal experience. ⬥ January 11 ⬥ The Red Steps in Times Square

immersive performance salon

Art Bath draws from the tradition of the art salon to create a multi-sensory artistic journey. Known for fusing disciplines such as opera, music, theater, puppetry, and visual art, Art Bath presents an eclectic range of world-class performers, unexpected collaborations, and the thrill of new work unfolding in real time—all in a space transformed to invite curiosity, connection, and creative surprise. ⬥ January 16 — 17 ⬥ TBD

underground cabaret

This immersive, subversive, underground cabaret event takes its name from the Tiergarten — “The Garden of Beasts” — a sprawling central park around which the Third Reich rose to power. The program traces a path backwards in time, exploring historic moments of societal madness through music ranging from Verdi to Kylie Minogue, Dean Martin to Max Richter, William Byrd to Brecht & Weill, with a panoply of performers that includes singers, dancers, actors, shadow puppets, and more. ⬥ January 15 — 17 ⬥ Roulette, 509 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, NY. 11217 ⬥ Kim David Smith, Master of Ceremonies ⬥ Gordon Au, Musical Director