The Raven

Jesse Preis debuts The Raven, a chamber opera composed for three voices and chamber ensemble from Edgar Allan Poe’s poem of the same name, directed by Melory Mirashrafi. In this opera, the narrator (split into two characters to capture the perspective of the Past and the Current at two different stages in life) deals with the loss of a loved one. These complicated, painful, and even terrifying emotions become personified through the character of the Raven. This work is composed with no specific voice types tied to the characters - anyone able to sing the part can and should sing them. This is a groundbreaking composing technique that unties the binds of gendered characters and allows vocalists to portray a character of any gender that is authentic to them and suits their voice. Preis seeks to expand our understanding of vocal writing to go beyond the gendered conventions of soprano, mezzo-soprano, tenor, and bass-baritone, and posits a world where characters are simply written and performed by a wide variety of voices.

THE RAVEN CAST
Past Narrator - Abigail Krawson
Current Narrator - Claire Robertson-Preis
The Raven - Madeline Ross

THE RAVEN CREATIVE
Composer - Jesse Preis
Librettist - Edgar Allan Poe
Director - Melory Mirashrafi.