Lowell House Opera

Reserve your tickets today!

Come see “Viva La Vie Bohème” at Lowell House on Friday, April 12th at 8:30pm. Reserve your tickets today using the link in our bio or at lowellhouseopera.com/tickets.

What next? Learn more about what LHO is up to in the coming weeks!

Follow us on social media to stay updated and check out our website lowellhouseopera.com for more information.

AUDITION: Calling all opera and musical theater performers!

We’re thrilled to announce auditions for our upcoming show: “Viva La Vie Bohème: A Musical Conversation Between La Bohème and Rent”.

This innovative and thought-provoking concert of Jonathan Larson’s RENT and Giocomo Puccini’s LA BOHÈME aims to highlight shared themes, historical contexts, and storytelling techniques of the two shows.

Alternating musical numbers from both works will create a dynamic dialogue between the urban struggles of RENT and the romanticized bohemian life depicted in LA BOHÈME with meaningful commentary from moderators between pieces.

We invite both opera and musical theater performers to audition and help us bring our vision to life!

Visit lowellhouseopera.com/audition for more information and audition materials.

As the curtain falls on “The Unknowable”, we want to thank our incredible audience, cast, crew, supporters, and the outstanding creative minds that brought this story and production to life. Yet another LHO production in the books!

Stay tuned for more content from “The Unknowable” and updates on what we’re up to moving forward!

📸: Joshua Halberstadt
Lighting Design: John Holmes

LHO held a preview of “The Unknowable” this weekend in the Lowell House dining hall at Harvard. Thank you to our fantastic cast and musicians who performed and all of you who attended!

Come see the WORLD PREMIERE of “The Unknowable” on February 10th and 11th. Visit lowellhouseopera.com/tickets to buy tickets or for more information.

Meet THE UNKNOWABLE Cast!

Today we are featuring Emerald Barbour, "The Unknowable"'s Anna Reminwake.

Emerald is excited to return to Lowell House Opera after making her operatic role debut as Dorabella in the 2019 production of Così fan tutte. She has sung Deborah (Non Motus by Marc Hoffeditz, premiere), Barcarolle (The Bremen Town Musicians), and excerpts of Orfeo, Octavian, Hänsel, and Carmen. In 2022, she joined the chorus in the East Coast premiere and Grammy-nominated recording of John Corigliano and Mark Adamo’s The Lord of Cries, performed by the Boston Modern Orchestra Project and Odyssey Opera.

Also a chamber and concert music enjoyer, especially of the baroque variety, Emerald has performed the solos of Bach’s St. John Passion, his cantatas 12 and 116, Handel’s Messiah, and his secular cantata Lucrezia. She was a 2019 vocalist of Emmanuel Music’s Bach Institute, and a 2017-18 Young Artist of the Bach Society of St. Louis. On the newer side of the coin, she has sung contemporary works such as Brigitta Muntendorf’s “abschminken” and Nicholas Ford’s “Ritual Learn Tongues,” and frequently premieres new vocal music with Nightingale Vocal Ensemble, of which she has been a member since 2021.

Emerald is a winner of the Rhode Island Civic Choral and Orchestra’s 2019-20 Vocal Competition, and received an Honorable Mention in the 2020 Brookline Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition. She holds degrees in Voice Performance from the Boston Conservatory at Berklee (M.M) and Webster University (B.M).

Meet THE UNKNOWABLE cast!

Introducing Kathryn Nairn, who plays Hannah in “The Unknowable.”

Kathryn is a Sophomore at Harvard College studying Neurobiology and English, and is a proud resident of Lowell House. This is her second Harvard Opera after performing as a Grisette in Harvard College Opera’s 2023 production, The Merry Widow. At Harvard, she serves as a Producer for the Harvard-Radcliffe Modern Dance Company, and is a member of Harvard Ballet Company. She began her ballet training at age three at Salt Creek Ballet and fell in love with performing. Continuing her pre-professional training at Faubourg Ballet Theater, Hinsdale Dance Academy, the Joffrey Academy Pre-Professional Program, and Ruth Page School of Dance, she has performed solo roles such as Dew Drop in the Nutcracker, Peaseblossom Fairy in Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Prayer Solo in Coppélia. Kathryn has also participated in summer intensives at American Ballet Theatre, Harid Conservatory, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre and BalletMet. She is thrilled to be performing in The Unknowable with Lowell House Opera!

Meet THE UNKNOWABLE cast!

Today we are featuring Aurora Martin, who plays Edith Brookenberg in "The Unknowable."

Aurora Martin is quickly becoming known throughout New England for her colorful, warm soprano. Aurora Martin recently won 2nd place in The American Prize Frederick & Virginia Schorr Memorial Awards for Women in Opera. She was named a semi-finalist in the prestigious Partners for the Arts 9th National Opera Competition in 2022. She joined the ensembles of Boston Baroque and Boston Lyric Opera in 2022. Aurora collaborates regularly with Odyssey Opera, The Boston Modern Orchestra Project, Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra, Sounds of Stow, the Arlington-Belmont Chorale, Opera del West, and as performer and board member of Opera on Tap. She joined Opera Company of Middlebury as a 2021 Young Artist, covering "Agnès Sorel" in The Maid of Orleans.

Following a love and aptitude for early music, Aurora can be found performing with some of Boston’s, and the nation’s, leading organizations. She performed the role of Dalila in Cambridge Chamber Ensemble’s September 2023 production of Handel’s Samson. The previous year, she joined them covering Venus and singing as Grace in John Blow’s Venus & Adonis. She had her debut with Boston Baroque in Bach’s B minor Mass in October 2022 and looks forward to singing in their exciting ’23-‘24 season. She sings with both Emmanuel Music and Marsh Chapel. In December of 2020 Aurora performed and recorded two Bach Cantatas (BWV 211 & 212) with the Lowell Chamber Orchestra.

Her solo concert performances include Haydn’s Harmoniemesse Hob. XXII/14, Satie’s Socrates, Mahler’s Das Knaben Wunderhorn, Beethoven’s Mass in C Major, Mozart's Coronation Mass, Saint-Saëns’ Christmas Oratorio, and Fauré’s Requiem and Handel’s Messiah. Operatic highlights include Dalila, Pamina, Micaëla, Miss Silvertone, Noèmie, Liesgen, and Mieke. Aurora holds a MM from The New England Conservatory and degrees in Music and Chemistry from Virginia Tech.

Aurora is very excited to be working with LHO for the first time!

“The form of ‘operatic ballet’ found in ‘The Unknowable’ interweaves dancers and vocalists like never before. This story explores how artists can communicate and understand one another not only with words, but also with kinesics and haptics. Empathy, frustration, compassion, and inquisitiveness mysteriously blossom in this multi-sensorial experience.” - LHO Executive Director and “The Unknowable” composer and librettist, Benjamin T. Rossen.

Attend the WORLD PREMIERE of Benjamin T. Rossen’s new operatic ballet, “The Unknowable”, February 10th and 11th in Sanders Theatre at Harvard University. Get your tickets today using our Facebook event, or visit lowellhouseopera.com for more information!

Meet THE UNKNOWABLE Cast!

First up, we have Lavinia Kosher, who plays Edna in "The Unknowable."

Lavinia, from Farmington, CT, is a senior at Boston University getting her BA in International Relations and minoring in Dance and Anthropology. She has trained for 15 years in classical ballet, modern and contemporary dance, and 4 years of jazz and hip hop. Lavinia is currently the Concert Coordinator, a performer, and a choreographer in the Dance Theatre Group at BU as well as a dancer with the Harvard Ballet Company. She has worked as an administrator, dancer and teacher with BU’s Outreach/Teen Apprenticeship Summer Dance Program (a nonprofit which aims to teach dance to youth across Boston), as a dance teacher for BU’s Dance Arts Summer Program, and she is currently a freelance ballet instructor. Additionally, she has served as a panelist for 3 years for the annual Day of Dance Competition at the Methuen Center of Performing Arts and has performed in professional dance gigs with Margot Parson’s Dance Visions company in Boston. Finally, her choreography has been showcased and adjudicated for the past two consecutive years at the American Collegiate Dance Association in Vermont and New Jersey, respectively.

Lavinia’s dance training primarily took place at The Nutmeg Conservatory of the Arts in CT, and she has attended summer/winter intensive programs including with Complexions Contemporary Ballet (NYC), Paul Taylor Dance Company (NY), Boston Conservatory, Boston Ballet on full scholarship, the Joffrey Ballet School (NYC), and The Kaatsbaan Ballet Academy( NY). She has also performed leading roles in The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, and Carmen and performed with Exit 12 Dance Company in NYC and Dimensional Dance in CT.

In addition to pursuing professional dance, Lavinia ultimately aims to go into public defense and environmental justice, starting by getting her Masters in International Relations. She is excited and honored to be a part of this production!

With so much to celebrate entering the new year, we bring you some LHO highlights from 2023! Some of these include Harvard’s Club Involvement Fair, the LHO Cocktail Party, performing at the Lowell House High Table, auditions and casting for “The Unknowable,” our first cast libretto reading, and so many more memories with the LHO team!

Happy New Year from Lowell House Opera!

We’re so grateful to celebrate such a phenomenal year for LHO that was made possible by the dedication of our team, Executive Board, and amazing supporters. As we enter 2024, we’re so excited to continue to spread the LHO mission and bring incredible performances to the stage!

Calling All LHO Alumni!

We want to spotlight your journey with Lowell House Opera. Share your experiences and what you're up to now by filling out the short form below. Your story is part of our legacy, and we can't wait to showcase the amazing things you all have contributed to LHO and celebrate your current successes! We will reach out to you for more information if you're interested in being featured on our social media platforms.

Link to form: https://forms.gle/hvV6Vqv2sv8QeN7V7

“The Unknowable” cast came together with members of our creative team this Saturday to read through the libretto for the first time. With rehearsals just around the corner, we are so excited to begin working with this amazing group of people. Stay tuned through the holidays for updates about all things LHO and “The Unknowable!”

Meet the LHO Executive Team!

Benjamin T. Rossen (he/him)
Hometown: Great Neck, New York

Native New Yorker Benjamin T. Rossen is the Executive Director of Lowell House Opera and the composer and librettist of LHO’s 2024 production, “The Unknowable: an Operatic Ballet in Two Acts.” Concurrently, Benjamin is completing his Master’s in piano performance at the New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) as a candidate of the Harvard / NEC Dual Degree Program. Before his tenure at LHO, Benjamin ‘23 graduated from Harvard College in three years with a double concentration in Economics and Music. During his time as an undergraduate, Benjamin founded the Harvard Ballet Orchestra, which premiered original student choreography set to ballet repertory in Spring 2023. By extension, he was the inaugural Music Director of the Harvard Ballet Company for its 30th season. Further, Benjamin was Music Director for the Harvard College Opera’s (HCO) 30th season. He led HCO in its Winter 2023 production of Lehár’s “The Merry Widow,” which also saw the premiere of Benjamin’s original overture. For this composition, he was awarded by the Harvard Music Department the 2023 Hugh F. MacColl Prize.

Meet the LHO Executive Team!

Ross Simmons (he/him)
Hometown: Higginsville, Missouri

Ross is a 2021 alumnus of Harvard and Lowell House. Since graduating, he has been working as a Senior Marketing Analyst for an insurance tech company called Insurify. He is very excited to return to Harvard theater as the Business Manager of the Lowell House Opera. At Harvard, he was the President of the Harvard-Radcliffe Gilbert and Sullivan Players and a performer in several of their other shows. As a board member of the HRG&SP, he was instrumental in two of their initiatives to expand the canon and revive interest in the artform. He was also a co-chair of the Lowell House Committee and a leader in various other campus organizations. He has always loved musical theater and, since college, has harbored a love for opera.

We had a fantastic time at the Lowell House High Table on Monday evening! High Table is a Lowell House tradition that gives students, faculty, and Senior Common Room members the opportunity to dine closely and connect with each other. It serves as time for networking, learning about new fields, and developing relationships. Monday’s High Table featured a performance from our very own Executive Director, Benjamin T. Rossen, as he performed selections from our upcoming show, “The Unknowable.” We are so happy to share our mission, music, and story with the Lowell community!

It’s Giving Tuesday! Looking to support young performers and artists? Donate to LHO today.

https://givebutter.com/nxku67

Happy Thanksgiving from the LHO family!

Casting for “The Unknowable” is complete! Our creative team has worked the past three weeks to put this fantastic cast together. We are so excited to welcome them to the LHO family and have such a talented group of performers bring the show to life this winter for its world premiere. These singers and dancers are professionals from the Boston area as well as students at Harvard and neighboring conservatories. Stay tuned for more updates on all things LHO. Next Up: rehearsals!

Looking to contribute to LHO and our incredible cast and team? Donate now to directly support these young professionals! Click the link below for more information or message us to learn more about how you can get involved.

https://givebutter.com/nxku67

Happy Friday! We’ve got another LHO historical fun fact to share:

LHO has performed 74 shows in the Lowell Dining Hall and this season, will be performing “The Unknowable” in Sanders Theater at Memorial Hall.

Meet the LHO Executive Team!

Liza de Figueiredo (she/her)
Hometown: Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Liza is currently a sophomore at Harvard College residing in Winthrop House. She's pursuing a degree in Applied Mathematics with a focus on Economics. Originally from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, she has a background in musical theater and classical singing. Before her time at Harvard, Liza served as the Director of North Carolina for MyVote Project, a voter education nonprofit. At Harvard, Liza is a member of the Harvard LowKeys acapella group and serves as their Vice President. She's also a part of The Crimson Multimedia Board, where she enjoys taking photos of campus life. Liza is thrilled to be a part of the LHO team!

Follow us on Instagram to watch our story updates on Tuesday and learn more about Liza and the work she does for LHO!

We had a wonderful time at LHO's cocktail party this Saturday! Attendees had the chance to connect with the LHO team, enjoy a captivating piano performance by composer and Executive Director, Benjamin T. Rossen, and share the excitement about our upcoming show and season. Stay tuned for an early glimpse of “The Unknowable,” as Benjamin plays an excerpt from the show. A sincere thank you to all of our patrons and guests; your support is truly appreciated and makes everything possible.

Your continued support ensures more shows and enriching experiences for students and young professionals. Please consider contributing to LHO this season!

Link to Donate: https://givebutter.com/nxku67

As the oldest opera company currently performing in New England, LHO has a rich history dating back to its establishment in 1938.

Check out our Facebook and Instagram every Friday to learn a new historical fact about the Lowell House Opera!