Long Beach Opera to Premiere Experimental Work at Aquarium of the Pacific

Gavin Bryars’ The Paper Nautilus will debut for the first time in the U.S. on September 7, 8, and 9, 2012 at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach

LONG BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Experience opera that takes you beneath the sea as avant-garde theater meets science. The nonprofit Aquarium of the Pacific in Southern California will be the site of a U.S. premiere when the Long Beach Opera presents Gavin Bryars’ The Paper Nautilus on September 7, 8, and 9, 2012. The opera is based on ocean-themed writings of Lebanese-American writer Etel Adnan, Jackie Kay, Marie Curie, and Pope Leo XIII, and passages from the Bible. The performance will examine the beauty, magic, and mystery of the ocean. This ocean-themed production is part of Long Beach Opera’s “Outer Limits” series that features musical outliers that include a broad spectrum of music styles, theatrical innovation, and experimental storytelling.

Gavin Bryars is a British experimental music composer who worked with John Cage in the 1960s and was instrumental in founding the Portsmouth Sinfonia. His first major work, The Sinking of the Titanic, was released on Brian Eno’s Obscure label in 1975. He has composed three operas, as well as chamber music and choral works. Bryars has collaborated with many visual artists, choreographers, and other musicians, including Merce Cunningham, Tom Waits, and Kathleen Brennan.

The Aquarium aims to make science more accessible through the arts. It hosts art exhibitions throughout the year and was recently the site for a performance by the Long Beach Symphony Orchestra. In addition, the Long Beach Ballet will perform at the Aquarium this October. Musicians, dancers, storytellers, and artists regularly share their work at the Aquarium’s annual cultural festivals. These performances and art exhibits often communicate stories and messages about the ocean and environment in new ways.

The Aquarium of the Pacific is a nonprofit institution dedicated to conserving and building nature and nature's services by building the interactions between and among peoples. Beyond its animal exhibits, the Aquarium is a community gathering place where diverse cultures and the arts are celebrated and a place where important topics facing our ocean planet are explored. Address: 100 Aquarium Way in Long Beach, CA. For more information call [phone] or visit http://www.aquariumofpacific.org/events/info/long_beach_opera/ : facebook : Twitter : YouTube.