Emmeline

Based on the novel by Judith Rossner and with a libretto by J.D. McClatchy, Emmeline is an American retelling of the Oedipus myth from the mother’s viewpoint. The opera begins in 1841, when 13-year-old Emmeline is sent to work in a Massachusetts mill to earn money. Seduced by the factory supervisor, she gives birth to a child, who is then swiftly given away. Twenty years later, Emmeline marries a young man only to discover too late that he is in fact her son, becoming irrevocably ostracized by society.

Sung in English with supertitles.

Approximate running time: 2 hours