[brinspotting] Angels outside of America
This month, brin will be spotted…
Having an aria performed in England!
I'm very excited to announce that my manic, mantic aria "And Still the Last Abandoned Angel Sings" will be performed as part of the RETUNE festival at Oxford University on the morning of Tuesday, March 11. The song is a bravura showstopper that sounds a little bit like you took a conventional ecstatic psalm setting and threw it down a flight of stairs, and I suspect the rest of the program will be equally impressive. There won't be a livestream, but we are hoping to record the event for future reference.
And also:
Come to The Quality of Mercy in May!
On this side of the Atlantic, tickets for the reading of the first act of my new opera, The Quality of Mercy, are now live! You can come in person, or snag a link to the livestream, depending on your preference. A queer Jewish reworking of The Merchant of Venice, The Quality of Mercy is a show about foolish lovers, mystical visitations, and cruel jokes that escalate to the point of death after death. Tickets are free, but donations are gratefully accepted to help support continued development on the project.
(NB: In a previous newsletter, I announced that this would be happening in April; due to life's vicissitudes, this reading is now happening on Thursday, May 8, 2025, at 7:30pm ET.)
From the blog...
I've been continuing my project to write about one word in each week's Torah portion over on my website. It's been a fun way to engage with the Torah from a different angle, and I've gotten some lovely feedback from others. Some recent favorites since the last newsletter are the entries from Tolədot (on the vulnerability of physical needs), Shəmot (on the perils of intelligence and power), and Yitro (on the obliteration of unification). Check back every Friday for the latest installment!
OK, that's all from me for now. I have nothing to say on the current moment that hasn't been said more eloquently and forcefully by others. Be excellent to one another!
brin