World Premiere of “Look Both Ways” a chamber opera in eight scenes by Steve Roens & Katharine Coles
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"Tense, abundantly researched, and heartbreaking . . . Coles makes sense of the unique forces that shaped women in the twentieth century."
Foreword Reviews
"LOOK BOTH WAYS"
A Chamber Opera in Eight Scenes
By Steve Roens and Katharine Coles
with
Emily Nelson, Soprano (Miriam)
Christopher Puckett, Tenor (Walter)
Cheryl Hart, Mezzo Soprano (Mandy)
Jared Oaks, Conductor
Intermezzo Chamber Orchestra
Walter Link and Miriam Wollaeger, a young geologist couple in 1920s Wisconsin, set out to find oil to supply the surging U.S. demand. This exciting work will allow them to build their lives in South and Central America, Indonesia, and Cuba. But from the first posting in Columbia, they quickly discover that no women are working in the field in these places. While Walter faces the hardships and thrills of exploration in the jungles and mountains, and eventually becomes chief geologist for Standard Oil, Miriam is left behind in the colonial capitals during Walter's often lengthy times away. She defines herself through the limited means left to a woman within their small societies: playing bridge or polo by day and dancing into the wee hours with early KLM pilots, diplomats, and the footloose sons of moneyed Americans and the European aristocracies. She also raises three children, has intimate involvements, learns the local languages, and takes up teaching. But she is not satisfied. And finally she does something about it.
Following in her grandparents' footsteps, Katharine Coles looks backward and forward, through documents and imagination. She looks at their journeys and hers, and mingling their words with her own, examines the delicate balances that must exist in a successful marriage and a feminist life.
Get your TICKETS now - season subscribers get PREFERRED SEATING! For complete programming information and the 2025 Artist Roster please visit www.intermezzomusic.org
Get Tickets
Foreword Reviews
"LOOK BOTH WAYS"
A Chamber Opera in Eight Scenes
By Steve Roens and Katharine Coles
with
Emily Nelson, Soprano (Miriam)
Christopher Puckett, Tenor (Walter)
Cheryl Hart, Mezzo Soprano (Mandy)
Jared Oaks, Conductor
Intermezzo Chamber Orchestra
Walter Link and Miriam Wollaeger, a young geologist couple in 1920s Wisconsin, set out to find oil to supply the surging U.S. demand. This exciting work will allow them to build their lives in South and Central America, Indonesia, and Cuba. But from the first posting in Columbia, they quickly discover that no women are working in the field in these places. While Walter faces the hardships and thrills of exploration in the jungles and mountains, and eventually becomes chief geologist for Standard Oil, Miriam is left behind in the colonial capitals during Walter's often lengthy times away. She defines herself through the limited means left to a woman within their small societies: playing bridge or polo by day and dancing into the wee hours with early KLM pilots, diplomats, and the footloose sons of moneyed Americans and the European aristocracies. She also raises three children, has intimate involvements, learns the local languages, and takes up teaching. But she is not satisfied. And finally she does something about it.
Following in her grandparents' footsteps, Katharine Coles looks backward and forward, through documents and imagination. She looks at their journeys and hers, and mingling their words with her own, examines the delicate balances that must exist in a successful marriage and a feminist life.
Get your TICKETS now - season subscribers get PREFERRED SEATING! For complete programming information and the 2025 Artist Roster please visit www.intermezzomusic.org
Get Tickets
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