Join us for series of events in Santa Fe and Albuquerque, in celebration of the American premiere of Tobias Picker and Aryeh Lev Stollman’s Lili Elbe on August 1. Set in Copenhagen and Paris, Lili Elbe is a two-act opera based on the true story of a Danish landscape painter who was one of the first transgender women to undergo gender affirmation surgery in the early 20th century, with the support of her wife, artist Gerda Wegener. Recipient of the 2023 OPER! Award for “Best World Premiere,” Lili Elbe is the first full-scale opera about a transgender protagonist and written for a transgender singer, former Santa Fe Opera Apprentice, Lucia Lucas, in the title role.

Film Series: Documenting Musical Lives

A series of films focused on the lives of trans and non-binary performers, featuring after-screening conversations and cocktails.

SANTA FE
Where: Jean Cocteau Cinema
418 Montezuma Ave, Santa Fe, NM 87501

July 9 at 7 PM
No Ordinary Man (The Life and Death of Jazz Legend Billy Tipton)
Introduced by Emerson Corley, Entourage Jazz

July 16 at 7 PM
Keyboard Fantasies (A Black Transgender Musician Becomes a Cult Icon)
Introduced by Adrien Lawyer, Transgender Resource Center of New Mexico

July 23 at 7 PM
The Sound of Identity (Lucia Lucas Performs as Don Giovanni)
Pre-screening panel with Lucia Lucas and post-screening DJ hosted by 505omatic

July 30 at 7 PM
Any Other Way (The Jackie Shane Story)
Introduced by D’Santi Nava, a New Mexico musician

No reservations necessary. Admission is free. First come, first served.

ALBUQUERQUE
Where: Guild Cinema
3405 Central Ave NE, Albuquerque, NM 87106

July 25 at 1 PM
The Sound of Identity (Lucia Lucas Performs as Don Giovanni)
Introduced by Adrien Lawyer, Transgender Resource Center of New Mexico

On Sale Soon!

CHATTER: Del Sol Quartet

Centering Tobias Picker’s Lili Elbe opera, the program explores the inner and outer landscapes of transformation, with chamber music by Picker, initi figgis-vizueta and world premieres by Aeryn Santillan & Andromeda Wen.

SANTA FE
When: Saturday, July 18 (10:30 – 11:30 AM)
Where: CHATTER NORTH
1050 Old Pecos Trail, Santa Fe, NM 87505

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ALBUQUERQUE
When: Sunday, July 19 (10:30 – 11:30 AM)
Where: CHATTER
912 3rd St NW, Albuquerque, NM 87102

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Culture and Cabaret

This night of art and celebration begins with a conversational panel about trans, non-binary and two-spirit culture work, culminates in a series of musical performances and ends with everybody on the dance floor.

When: Saturday, July 25
Panel (6:15 pm – 7 pm): Peshawn Bread, Marx Cassity
Transformative Voices Cabaret (7:15 pm– 8:45 pm): Marx Cassity, Lucia Lucas, Entourage Jazz
DJ (The Muse) and Dancing (9 pm – 10 pm)

Where: The Center for Contemporary Arts
1050 Old Pecos Trail, Santa Fe, NM 87505

Reserve FREE Tickets

Lili Elbe: Art, Life and Opera

An all-day event kicks off with a talk by the Transgender Resource Center of New Mexico, followed by a panel with the creative team of the opera including composer Tobias Picker, librettist Aryeh Lev Stollman, director James Robinson, set designer Allen Moyer, and performances by singers Lucia Lucas (Lili Elbe) and Sylvia D’Eramo (Gerda Wegener). The day ends with a panel of scholars reflecting on the life of Lili Elbe, the paintings of Lili and her wife, Gerda Wegener, and the gender fluidity of the operatic voice.

When: Sunday, July 26
Transgender Cultural Fluency (10 am – 10:30 am). Adrien Lawyer, Transgender Resource Center of New Mexico
Panel: Featuring the Creative Team of Lili Elbe (11 am – 1 pm). Moderated by Alexis Corbin of KHFM. Panelists: Tobias Picker, Aryeh Lev Stollman, Lucia Lucas, Sylvia D’Eramo, James Robinson, Allen Moyer
Panel: Scholars Respond to Lili Elbe (2 pm – 3:30 pm).
Panelists:

Pamela Caughie (Loyola University Chicago) Editor of Lili Elbe’s autobiography, Man Into Woman: A Comparative Scholarly Edition
Kirstin Ringelberg (Elon University) on the paintings of Lili Elbe & Gerda Wegener
Sasha Geffen author of Glitter Up the Dark: How Pop Music Broke the Binary

Edward and Maria Gale, Presenting Sponsors