Michel van der Aa

News

25 April 2021

Premiere of new opera ‘Upload ‘

The 2021/22 season will see the world premiere of Michel’s new film opera Upload. This multimedia work is co-commissioned by Dutch National Opera, Park Avenue Armory, Oper Köln, Bregenzer Festspiele and Ensemble MusikFabrik and features live performances by Julia Bullock and Roderick Williams. Actors Katja Herbers, Ashley Zukerman, Esther Mugambi, Samuel West and Claron McFadden will be featuring in the film part. Ensemble Musikfabrik will perform conducted by Otto Tausk.

Upload explores the possibility of eternal life through an upload of a digital version of ourselves. Investigating what this means for our ‘humanness’, our identity, and our relationship with others.

Upload

Film opera (2019-2020)

Eight

Virtual reality installation (2018-2019)

Violin Concerto

for solo violin and orchestra (2014)

Blank Out

chamber opera (2015-2016)

Up-close

for solo cello, string ensemble and film (2010)

Hysteresis

for solo clarinet, ensemble and soundtrack (2013)

Michel van der Aa is a truly multidisciplinary figure in contemporary music. A unique voice, he combines composition with film and stage direction, and script writing. Classical instruments, voices, electronic sound, actors, theatre and video are all seamless extensions of his musical vocabulary.

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