Portland Opera presents ‘As One,’ a story about transitioning and ‘becoming one’s full self’

Updated Mar 21, 2019; Posted Mar 19, 2019



Hannah Penn as Hannah after and Lee Gregory as Hannah before in Portland Opera's production of "As One.: (Cory Weaver/Portland Opera)

Hannah Penn as Hannah after and Lee Gregory as Hannah before in Portland Opera's production of "As One.: (Cory Weaver/Portland Opera)

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247 shares By Richard Speer | For The Oregonian/OregonLive



“CNN Opera.” That’s shop talk for an opera with subject matter inspired by current events or recent history. The phrase was coined for composer John Adams’ 1987 masterpiece, “Nixon in China,” but could also apply to the 2014 opera “As One,” which explores issues relevant to our recent surge in visibility for transgender people.

Conceived and composed by Laura Kaminsky, with a libretto by Mark Campbell and Kimberly Reed, “As One” is a sensitive, sometimes wrenching coming-of-age story about a person navigating the challenges of transitioning from man to woman. The plot and themes, however, are much broader in scope and explore experiences we all can relate to, no matter where we fit on the gender continuum. As Kaminsky explains, “Gender is just one aspect of the quest for honest identity. All of us, ideally, are transforming and emerging. I think what we’re saying in this piece is about the universality of becoming one’s full self.”

To heighten the plot’s intimacy and intensity, Kaminsky has scored the opera not for full orchestra but for string quartet — two violins, a viola and a cello — and only two singers, a baritone and a mezzo-soprano, who share the role of the protagonist, “Hannah before” and “Hannah after.”

In keeping with this smaller scale, Portland Opera is mounting the production in the relatively cozy Newmark Theatre. Hannah before and after sing to each other in a running interior dialogue as the character struggles with the disorienting hormonal flush of adolescence, the threat of transphobic hate crimes and the wider journey toward authentic personhood.

Like the facets of Hannah’s identity, Kaminsky’s music traverses a wide spectrum of expression. The composer has integrated recognizable classical styles with pastiches of minimalism, atonal dissonance, jazz, African rhythms (she lived for a year in Ghana and fell in love with the northwest African country’s traditional music) and the distinctive scales and harmonies of the Middle East.



Lee Gregory as Hannah before and Hannah Penn as Hannah after in Portland Opera's production of "As One." (Cory Weaver/Portland Opera)

Lee Gregory as Hannah before and Hannah Penn as Hannah after in Portland Opera's production of "As One." (Cory Weaver/Portland Opera) The vocal writing also evokes the metaphoric places where traditional male and female identities commingle. “In fact,” Kaminsky notes, “there are a few moments where I have Hannah before and Hannah after sing in unison ... The very highest end of the baritone’s range and the very lowest end of the mezzo’s range have a few notes in common, so when they sing the same notes, you can feel the strain or tension of how hard these notes are to sing. I placed these moments very carefully, where they’re dramatically important.”

Since Kaminsky wrote “As One,” her first opera, her star has risen dramatically. She’s the subject of a thoughtful profile in the April issue of Opera News magazine, in which she discusses her latest project, “Today It Rains,” about Georgia O’Keeffe. She has also written an opera about the Mark Rothko Chapel in Houston.

Despite the interest these other projects have generated, she retains a special affection for “As One” and has traveled throughout the United States, as well as Germany and Canada, to watch productions. Only a few years ago, the opera’s subject matter might have elicited protest in some parts of the U.S., but according to Kaminsky, the only whiff of controversy thus far has come from a handful of LGBTQA operagoers who’ve questioned why the singers have not been trans but cisgender – people whose gender identity matches their birth sex. The composer is quick to note that the opera’s production history has included a trans conductor, trans stagehands and other team members, and that it’s only a matter of time and finding the right voices until one or both characters are played by trans singers.

In the meantime, she says, the opera has gained a cult following, with fans corresponding via websites and traveling to see each production, drawn by the affecting story, evocative music and message of hope for “finding the courage to change and emerge and hopefully find their true self.”

“As One”

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 22, Tuesday, March 26, Thursday, March 28 and Saturday, March 30; also 2 p.m. Sunday, March 24.

Where: Newmark Theatre, 1111 S.W. Broadway.

Tickets: Start at $35, portlandopera.org or 503-241-1802.