Palaver Strings, Outstanding in the Field and Hogfish are collaborating on a production of Be the Oyster. The “immersive, multi-sensory performance” and dinner will be taking place May 27 – 29th at Broadturn Farm in Scarborough, and May 12-14th at the Brooklyn Grange in New York. Tickets are now on sale.
The chamber opera explores the “human experiences of food systems across agricultural America” and integrates music composed by Andrew Yee and performed by Palaver Strings with vocalists Eliza Bagg and Vuyo Sotashe with a multicourse dinner prepared by Outstand in the Field.
Composed by Grammy Award-winning, Andrew Yee, the work is scored for string ensemble and two singers. The opera unfolds across several musical vignettes and food and wine pairings, each centered on a distinct food and region, including oysters from the Northeast, citrus from the Southeast, fungi from the Pacific Coast, meat from the Southern Plains, sweet potatoes from the Delta, taro from the Pacific Islands, dairy from the Midwest, and grains from the Mountain States. The vignettes are presented in diverse vocal styles, exploring both regenerative and extractive agricultural practices, with librettos developed by visual storyteller Ariel Aberg-Riger and dramaturgy by Hogfish.
Palaver Strings (website, facebook, instagram) is a Grammy-nominated 13-person ensemble founded in 2014 and headquartered in Portland. Palaver is fundraising to support their element of the experience and to make a portion of the tickets available at an accessible price point.
Outstanding in the Field (website, facebook, instagram) is a roving table-to-farm restaurant and events production company that partners with local chefs and venues to produce outdoor dining experience all across the country. Their most recent dinner in Maine took place in August at the Perkins House Museum in York was a partnership with chefs Damian Sansonetti and Ilma Lopez from Chaval.
Hogfish (website, facebook, instagram) is Hogfish is a performing arts organization in Cape Elizabeth which seeks to “[heal] the division of our times by cultivating a new genre of Regenerative Arts – stories and artistic experiences that help us remember our connection to each other and the earth.”