American Modern Opera Company (AMOC*) celebrates Latin American poets and the voices of women with its production of John Adams’ El Niño: Nativity Reconsidered, a chamber-music arrangement that will tour around the United States before returning for its second annual presentation by The Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City. With libretto by Peter Sellars and concept by AMOC* member Julia Bullock, the piece will tour from December 11-21, 2023 at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska; Stanford Live in Stanford, California; Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut; and finally presented by The Cathedral of St. John the Divine as a new holiday tradition where they will be joined by New York guest musicians and The Choir of Trinity Wall Street.
El Niño: Nativity Reconsidered features AMOC* members soprano Julia Bullock, guest soloist contralto Jasmin White, countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo, bass-baritone Davóne Tines, violinists Keir GoGwilt and Miranda Cuckson, cellist Coleman Itzkoff, bassist Doug Balliett, flutist Emi Ferguson, pianist Conor Hanick, and percussionist Jonny Allen.
El Niño: Nativity Reconsidered will be conducted by Christian Reif, who created the new arrangement and premiered the initial, distilled arrangement as part of Julia Bullock’s residency at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where The New York Times called it “intimate, affecting and quietly rich with activism.”
“When devising this distilled rendering of El Niño: Nativity Reconsidered, it was always with the hopeful intention to bring this music and poetry to as many people as possible. What a gorgeous opportunity to share the magnificence and magic of El Niño with more communities and individuals,” said Bullock.
El Niño: Nativity Reconsidered
Music by John Adams
Libretto compilation by Peter Sellars
Concept and musical selections by Julia Bullock
Musical Arrangement by Christian Reif
An AMOC* production
El Niño: Nativity Reconsidered at Creighton University
Monday, December 11, 2023 at 7:30 pm
Lied Education Center for the Arts, 2500 California Plz # 101, Omaha, NE 68178
Tickets start at $35 are and are available at https://elnino.rsvpify.com/?securityToken=TQ0iF0tj8PBl4VRBzajGAZQ8J5fM9k2A
El Niño: Nativity Reconsidered at Stanford Live
Wednesday, December 13, 2023 at 7:30 pm
Bing Concert Hall, 327 Lasuen Street, Stanford, CA 94305
Tickets start at $55 are and are available at https://live.stanford.edu/calendar/december-2023/el-ni%C3%B1o-nativity-reconsidered.
El Niño: Nativity Reconsidered at Yale Schwarzman Center
Friday, December 15, 2023 at 7:30 pm
Commons, 168 Grove Street, New Haven, CT 06511
https://schwarzman.yale.edu/events/el-nino-nativity-reconsidered-american-modern-opera-company-amoc
El Niño: Nativity Reconsidered presented by The Cathedral of St. John the Divine, NYC
Featuring AMOC* with The Choir of Trinity Wall Street, conducted by Christian Reif
Thursday, December 21, 2023 at 7:30 pm
1047 Amsterdam Ave, New York, NY 10025
Tickets are “Choose-What-You-Pay” (ranging from $5-125) and are available online at https://www.stjohndivine.org/calendar/44882/el-nino-nativity-reconsidered or in person at The Cathedral’s box office.
“El Nino is one of my favorite pieces of music,” said Bullock. “It’s one of John and Peter’s greatest collaborations.”
“We believe that El Niño is a resonant part of the holiday canon and are thrilled to share it coast to coast, returning home to The Cathedral of St. John the Divine where it will be presented again without the barrier of cost,” said Courtenay Casey, Executive Director, American Modern Opera Company.
“The Cathedral has always seen art as human participation in the creative action of God. Our great building itself is a sign of how much we value the human search for beauty. John Adams’ El Niño is a contemporary example of art meeting faith. Art doesn’t have to have a religious theme to be a window into God’s creative life, but it is a happy coincidence when the two so beautifully meet. We hope that El Niño will be a permanent part of The Cathedral’s Christmas celebration and a part of how people across the city mark the feast,” said The Very Reverend Patrick Malloy, PhD, Dean of The Cathedral.
