The Many Deaths of Laila Starr
Second Piano Workshop
Friday, September 19 at 7pm
MN Opera Center, Bemis Hall
620 North First Street
Minneapolis, MN 55401
Join us for an inside look at the New Works commissioning process with The Many Deaths of Laila Starr Second Piano Workshop! This workshop will feature the continuing development of a new opera of mythic proportions in which the Goddess of Death is fired from her job and cast down to Earth to live a mortal life as twenty-something Laila Starr. Based on the celebrated graphic novel by Ram V. (Ramnarayan Venkatesan), the opera is set in Mumbai and will explore the fine line between living and dying through the lens of magical realism and eastern philosophy.
Premiering at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in Fall 2026.
Capacity is limited. RSVP today to reserve your spot!
ARTISTS
This workshop features principal artists and chorus, composer Kamala Sankaram, and librettist Minita Gandhi.
Kamala Sankaram is “one of the most exciting opera composers in the country” (The Washington Post), known for pushing the boundaries of the operatic form. Recent commissions include the Glimmerglass Festival, Washington National Opera and the PROTOTYPE Festival. As a biracial Indian-American and trained sitarist, Kamala has drawn on Indian classical music in many of her works, including Thumbprint and The Jungle Book. Awards include Composer-in-Residence at the Kaufman Music Center, NEA ArtWorks, MAP Fund, Opera America, HEREArtist Residency Program, the MacDowell Colony, and the Watermill Center.
Minita Gandhi is a Los Angeles based writer and actor who was born in Mumbai, India. Minita just finished her writing residency with The Ground Floor at Berkeley Repertory Theatre where she began to develop their newest play, Nerve. Gandhi is the lyricist for Rising Tide, a choral-orchestral piece on climate change activism composed by Emmy-award winning composer Jonathan Beard.
What to Expect
The piano workshop of a new opera is an intimate invitation into the creative process as the work comes to life. With only piano accompaniment, the spotlight is on the voices and storytelling, giving you a rare chance to experience the music and drama in their purest form. For the composer and librettist, this workshop is a crucial step – hearing the piece performed by live singers, testing both brand-new and revised sections, and discovering how the opera resonates in real time. For the audience, it’s a behind-the-scenes glimpse into an opera’s growth and the exciting directions it may take next.
MN Opera’s New Works Initiative
An industry leader in new works, MN Opera is investing in long-term commissioning relationships with three composers and three librettists, over a period of seven years. The engagement of these six artists will pioneer the next phase in the company’s New Works Initiative and create a total of nine unique works. The Initiative’s new commissioning model fosters long-term creative partnerships that will invigorate the operatic art form with a diverse infusion of contemporary vocal works.