
Terce: A Practical Breviary
Terce: A Practical Breviary is a radical rethinking of a monastic 9:00 AM mass and an adaptation that reimagines the face of the “Holy Spirit” through the lens of the Divine Feminine. Sung by a community choir of 30-plus caregivers and makers, it is a wild meditation/celebration of the sacred mothers alive in all of us and how that manifests in regard to the Earth, each other, and ourselves. Inspired by ideas taken from three primary female mystics (Julian of Norwich, Hildegard von Bingen, and Robin Wall Kimmerer) this non-narrative song cycle blends new music, neo-soul, and gospel with traditional medieval organum— is percussed with active caretaking and craft making and is danced wildly. More of an event than an opera, it is built as an active ritual to celebrate and venerate our feminine alignment with nature and recover from living in the confines of a civilization built to control or ignore it.
Commissioned, developed, and produced by HERE as part of PROTOTYPE: Opera/ Theatre/Now. Terce: A Practical Breviary is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. Commissioning support provided by OPERA America’s Opera Grants for Female Composers program, supported by the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation. Additional support provided by Café Royal Cultural Foundation, and The Aaron Copland Fund for Music Inc., and Frances Goelet Charitable Lead Trusts. Commissioned, developed, and produced through HERE&Back as part of PROTOTYPE: Opera/Theatre/Now. We are also grateful for the generous leadership support from Charlotte Isaacs and additional support from Andrea Kihlstedt. TERCE is also supported by the HERE's Fund for Women Artists, which was generously established by Jennifer Suh Whitfield and Benjamin Whitfield. They are joined by Abigail Gampel, Amy Segal, Christie Snider and Tommy Young.
Masking is required for audience members at this performance when not actively eating or drinking, due to the rising case levels and intimate nature of this show. Thank you for your understanding!





Team
Heather Christian (Creator)
Keenan Tyler Oliphant (Director)
Mona Seyed-Bolorforosh (Music Co-Director)
Jacklyn Riha (Music Co-Director)
Composed by — Heather Christian
Libretto by — Heather Christian
Music Directed by — Mona Seyed-Bolorforosh & Jacklyn Riha
Directed by — Keenan Tyler Oliphant
Produced by — HERE Arts Center
Featuring — Heather Christian, Terry Dame, Viva DeConcini, Mel Hsu, Mona Seyed-Boloforosh, Maya Sharpe
With — Rima Fand, Jessica Lurie, Divya Maus, Kait Wamer, joined by Raquel Cion, Marisa Clementi, Ciera Cope, Nadine Daniels, Sandra Gamer, Audrey Hayes, Mercedes Hesselroth, Frances Higgins, Davina Honeghan, Beau Kadir, Rachel Karp, Sarah Lefebvre, Aris Louis, Teri Madonna, Grenetta Mason, Mickaila Perry, Eleanor Philips, Avery Richards, Kayleigh Rozwat, Amy Santos, Kayla Sklar, Sharyn Thomas, Shelley Thomas, Vanessa Truell, Grace Tyson, Madrid Vinarski, Jessie Winograd, and Allison Zhao
Environmental Design by — Nick Vaughan & Jake Margolin
Lighting Design by — Masha Tsimring
Costume Design by — Brenda Abbandondolo
Sound Design by — Nick Kourtides
Percussion Instrument Designer & Fabricator — Terry Dame
Libretto Illustrations by — Alice Leora Briggs, Koomah, Lovie Olivia
Movement by — Heather Christian, Darlene Christian, & Keenan Tyler Oliphant
Assistant Director — Mahayla Laurence
Assistant Scenic Designer — Jacqueline Brockel
Associate Lighting Designer — Emily Schmit
Associate Costume Designer — Karen Boyer
Associate Sound Designer — Angela Baughman


