ABOUT
For Two Sopranos, Two Mezzo-Sopranos, Baritone, Supernumerary, Flute/Piccolo, Oboe, Clarinet, Bassoon, French Horn, Electric Guitar/Acoustic Guitar, Percussion, Two Violins, Viola, Cello and Bass
LIBRETTO BY JERRE DYE. With an original story inspired by Jerre Dye's roots in the Deep South, "Taking Up Serpents" calls into question faith, family, and destiny with shocking results.
"Taking Up Serpents" is the story of 25-year-old Kayla, the estranged daughter of a fire-and-brimstone preacher who is dangerously bitten by one of his own snakes. Kayla's journey home forces her to confront her troubled upbringing.
Press
"With a powerhouse, richly theatrical, regionally tinged score by composer Kamala Sankaram... the opera coils itself around you like the poisonous snakes so emblematic to the story. And it never lets go."
"…through Ms. Sankaram’s skillful, passionate vocal writing… [the] music deftly limns Kayla’s limbo state... It also ingeniously depicts her environment with choral writing inspired by the raw contours of shape-note singing…"
–Heidi Waleson, The Wall Street Journal
“Her intriguing, offbeat handling of the instruments in the pit, including whirly tubes creating a synthetic hum, was the strongest thing about her piece…The opera begins with a beautiful musical evocation of moths under a parking-lot light, drawn in little figures from the flute.”
–Anne Midgette, The Washington Post
Past Productions
Washington National Opera
The Glimmerglass Festival
Chicago Opera Theater
Baldwin Wallace Conservatory
Rice University
