San Diego New Music presents Aeneas in the Underworld, a chamber oratorio by San Diego composer Christopher Adler Begun as a collaboration between former San Diego New Music Executive Director Colin McAllister and composer Christopher Adler in 2006, Aeneas in the Underworld is an ambitious and unique project combining oratory and music for a solo performer who recites the sixth book of Virgil's epic story, Aeneid, in the original Latin, while playing a guitar (which is subject to drastic retuning, preparations and playing implements). The soloist, embodying the extraordinary mastery of Aeneas, the hero, is accompanied by a second guitarist, string quartet and electronics. The story recounts the hero's descent into the underworld and fateful meeting with the shade of his father, which reveals to the hero the future glories of Rome. Projected subtitles will feature a brand new English translation by classicist Khang Le, commissioned specifically for this production.   

Act I of the oratorio was performed at the soundON Festival of Modern Music in 2011, and Act II was performed with San Diego New Music in 2015. Now, we are pleased to present the complete oratorio as part of the premiere tour along with performances at the Through a Glass Darkly: UCCS Symposium on Apocalyptic in Colorado Springs, and at MicroFest in Los Angeles. These performances are sponsored in part by a grant from the University of San Diego featuring:

Colin McAllister, guitar and Latin orator with

Pablo Gómez Cano, guitar  

Batya MacAdam-Somer and Emily Call, violins Annabelle Terbetski, viola  

Jennifer Bewerse, cello

$25 General Admission / $20 Athnaeum Members, seniors / $5 Students 

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