Composed by Anthony Davis with a libretto by Allan Havis, Lear on the 2nd Floor is a contemporary take on Shakespeare’s King Lear. It tells the story of Nora Lear, a prominent neuroscience researcher beset with early onset Alzheimer’s. As Nora loses her bearings and her autonomy, she is increasingly at the mercy of her three quarreling daughters. Nora’s dead husband Mortimer is Shakespeare’s fool in this version and is her constant companion as she walks through a world where the past and present blend and reality bends. Davis’s arrangement and instrumentation reflect diverse influences ranging from classical opera to jazz to reggae.

Lear on the 2nd Floor is the fourth chamber opera production of kallisti. The cast includes Tiffany Du Mouchelle, Bonnie Lander, Sara Perez, Alice Teyssier, Philip Larson and Susan Narucki in the title role.   Steven Schick serves as music director and conductor of UCSD's contemporary music ensemble Palimpsest.  The creative team includes Mark DeChiazza, director, Victoria Petrovich, set designer, Mary Ellen Stebbins, lighting designer, and Halei Parker, costume designer.

General: $15.50

UCSD Faculty, Staff, FOM, Alumni: $10.50

Student Rush: Free, one-hour before concert, with ID

Box Office: 858-534-3448