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Two clever works anchor the program: Gian Carlo Menotti’s The Telephone (1947) and Gabriel Kahane’s Craigslistlieder (2006). Local favorite Bill Ivins brings his artistic eye to the direction, seamlessly weaving these two pieces together. Accompanying the evening on the iconic Story & Song piano is Amelia Island Opera’s Season 5 Music Director, Keith Chambers.
In The Telephone, Ben — sung by AIO Co-Founder and Artistic Director John Tibbetts — tries to propose to his girlfriend Lucy, played by returning company favorite Kyaunnee Richardson. But Lucy’s constant phone chatter keeps getting in the way. With his train departure looming, Ben is forced to use the very device that’s been disrupting their time together. Full of charm and satire, this one-act opera is a light-hearted commentary on how technology can complicate even our most heartfelt intentions.
After intermission, Richardson and Tibbetts are joined by tenor Dylan Elza, a rising talent whose charisma and vocal agility bring fresh energy to the stage. Together, they perform Craigslistlieder, a contemporary song cycle that sets real Craigslist ads to music. Composer Gabriel Kahane transforms these quirky digital missives into surprisingly moving and often laugh-out-loud portraits of modern loneliness, hope, and human eccentricity.
Together, these two works offer a comic, clever, and refreshingly modern take on love in the wired world — where connection is just a ring or a click away.