More Than Friends – Lowbrow Opera Collective @ 18th & Union (Seattle – Central District)

A triptych on queer love through the ages. Three one-act chamber operas from LGBTQIA+ contemporary composers and librettists come together to showcase the magic, poignance, and resilience of queer love.

Thirst
Composer: TJ Rubin
Librettist: Laura Barati

A 10-minute chamber opera for two femmes, THIRST is a magical realist exploration of intimacy and the tension between one’s desire for partnership and one’s desire for independence. The opera begins with Jill waking up gasping next to her girlfriend Jacqueline in the middle of the night. In the magical journey that ensues, the two are forced to face the unspoken tensions in their relationship. This dreamy opera offers queer representation at its most realistic – magic and all.

Emily & Sue
Composer: Dana Kaufman
Librettist: Aiden K. Feltkamp

Emily & Sue is an a capella pop opera that explores Emily Dickinson’s romantic relationship with her sister-in-law, Susan Gilbert. Weaving a new story from Emily’s poetry and love letters between the two women, the story follows Emily on the night before Susan’s wedding. Or, as most mainstream historians would put it, it’s an overly emotional piece about the passionate friendship between a spinster poet and her totally platonic gal-pal-turned-sister-in-law. Emily & Sue is a masterclass in grief, hope, and sapphic yearning.

Achilles & Patroclus
Composer: Erika Meyer
Librettist: James Theodore Washburn

Achilles & Patroclus is a chamber opera for two voices which takes place in Troy after Patroclus’ death. Through flashes of intimate memories, Achilles remembers his life with the love he lost in this achingly beautiful, unabashedly queer new work.

Tickets $10-$50 (sliding scale available to all) here.