What would you do to save the world?

Set in a world devoid of color and inspired by the imagery of surrealist painter Remedios Varo, a lone tree holds within its rings the memory and possibility of music, poetry, and art. An herbalist struggles to heal a community afflicted by a siege of maladies, and a homesick boarding-school student dreams of escape. An ancient medicinal, written in Spanish (one of countless forbidden languages), just may hold the key — to transcendence, or complete obliteration. This searing new opera looks at a culture rapidly strip-mining itself of its riches, and embraces the realm of the imagination as fertile ground for regeneration. 

COT thanks Nancy Dehmlow for her generous support of the 2024/25 Season. Leadership support for the Vanguard Initiative has been provided by the Mellon Foundation, with additional support from Orli and Bill Staley and Fred and Phoebe Boelter.