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NYC Premiere of and we, each an Opera by Michael Hersch with Text by Shane McCrae

Feb. 27, 2025

and we, each, a new opera by Michael Hersch with texts by Shane McCrae was performed at National Sawdust on February 5, following premieres in Baltimore and Washington D.C. Hersch describes the opera as, "an exploration of the treacherous territories of relationships - between individuals, within societies and, ultimately, the collapse of both," while poet Shane McCrae notes:

"I have outgrown my youthful assumption that I have easy access to truths about human nature, but I have never stopped trying to say true things about people. Over the years, I have found that many of the things it seemed right to say, things that seemed true, have also been difficult to say, often touching upon subjects even I would rather not say anything about. I have not been able to avoid writing about race, and money, and power, though most days I would have been happy writing love poems ... I was obligating myself to look long and hard at people, and so obligating myself to write about the difficulties between them. This obligation has led me to write some poems that are hard for me to read, and I imagine they must be hard for others to read, though I have always tried to make my poems as beautiful as I could make them—when beauty was appropriate. But I was also obligating myself to love people despite the difficulties they make for each other, and as a consequence, even when I’m not writing love poems, I’m writing love poems."

and we, each was brought to life by Hersch's soprano Ah Young Hong and baritone Jessie Blumberg in a production directed by James Matthew Daniel, conducted by Tito Muñoz, and produced by Mind on Fire.


Trailer for and we, each at National Sawdust

To learn more about Michael Hersch, visit psnymusic.com or michaelhersch.com.

Michael Hersch
and we, each (2024)
an opera in two acts
text (Eng) by Shane McCrae
for soprano, baritone, and five players
135'

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