Apolaki: Opera of the Scorched Earth
| Date | 02.18.23 |
| Time | 3pm–5pm |
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| Admission | Free |
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| 02.16.23 | Five Things to Catch at OUTsider Fest by James Scott (Austin Chronicle) |
Continuing her mission to celebrate and center precolonial mythologies of the Philippines, Soprano and Sound Artist Micaela Tobin presents a preview of her upcoming experimental opera. APOLAKI tells the story of the God of Sun and War, as a means to discuss larger issues of settler colonialism, decolonization, diaspora, immigration, and climate change.
This installation performance features an interactive walking labyrinth designed by Carlo Maghirang, activated by movement artist Jay Carlon as the god Apolaki, with live music by Adam Starkopf and Micaela Tobin. This performance is a preview of the full-scale opera, which will premiere in Los Angeles in Summer of 2023.
Jay Carlon is a queer Filipinx American contemporary dance artist and community organizer based between LA and NYC. He is committed to connecting his art practice to sustainability and his personal and collective journey of decolonization. He is co-manager and educator of homeLA’s inSite program, where he is responsible for developing the education curriculum and teaching students site-specific considerations for live performance and film. Carlon was named Dance Magazine’s 25 to Watch, and his work has been featured throughout the United States, Mexico, Australia, Thailand, and the Philippines. Jay is associate director of Australian spectacle performance company, SWAY — where he has performed at the 2014 Olympics and the 2018 Super Bowl. Carlon has also performed with the Metropolitan Opera, Bill T. Jones, jumatatu m. poe, The Industry Opera, Oguri, Solange Knowles, Rodrigo y Gabriela; and choreographed works for Kanye West and Mndsgn. www.jaycarlon.com
Carlo Maghirang (he/they) is an installation artist and scenic designer from Los Angeles, CA. He specializes in sculptural and kinetic spaces, bridging the gap between art object and environment, with a particular emphasis on new works. Previous credits include ‘Sweet Land’ (The Industry), ‘Terra’ (LA Contemporary Dance Company), and ‘Vibration Group’ by Anna Luisa Petrisko (LACE). www.carlomaghirang.com
Micaela Tobin is a soprano, sound artist, and teacher based in Los Angeles, CA who specializes in experimental voice and contemporary opera. As a sound artist with a background in opera, Micaela integrates voice and electronics within the genres of noise and drone music. Her work incorporates ritualized gesture and amplified object-symbolism and explores her diasporic identity as a first-generation Filipina-American. Micaela’s vocal practice is based in building connections between the physical voice as a means of empowering one’s ‘inner’ voice and challenging colonial stories and systems. www.micaelatobin.com
Adam Starkopf is a drummer and composer born and raised in Los Angeles, California. With a background in jazz and free improvisation, Starkopf co-led an eight piece brass band called Brass Magic in New York City and Oakland, CA, performing at SF Jazz, Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival and Live Oak Music Festival. Brass Magic released three studio albums, one of which was included in Bandcamp’s Staff Picks playlist, featuring an original composition of Starkopf’s, ‘Song For Ghostship’. Starkopf was also an avid collaborator with the New York City Dance community, having played with the Ailey II company. He currently co-leads Palm Tree Players, a guitar trio rooted in coastal surf and exotica sounds, and plays drums and sensory percussion in Micaela Tobin’s experimental opera project, White Boy Scream. https://www.adamstarkopf.com/
