the knock
June 23 (sold out)
June 27 (SOLD OUT)
July 2 (sold out)
July 5, 2023 | 7:30 pm (SOLD OUT)
july 7, 2023 | 3:00 pm (Added performance!)
July 7, 2023 | 7:30 pm (SOLD OUT)
Music Hall • Wilks Studio
Music by Aleksandra Vrebalov
Libretto by Deborah Brevoort
Sung in English with projected lyrics.
our hearts are on the line.
A group of military wives gathers after rumors of a possible incident on the battlefront. Their husbands are fighting the war in Fallujah. Meanwhile, a young Army officer makes the long journey to their gathering place. Named for the expression military spouses use for notifications of death, The Knock explores what must be endured by the loved ones of those who serve. Based on years of interviews with real spouses of American soldiers, this new opera tells dramatic stories of heroism that often go unheard, tragedies that go far beyond the conflict.
The Knock was co-commissioned by the Glimmerglass Festival and Cincinnati Opera through a grant from the Mellon Foundation.
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PHOTO GALLERY
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Cast & Creative Team
Lt. Roberto Gonzalez – Armando Contreras
Joella “Jo” Jenner – Mary-Hollis Hundley
Aishah McNair – Briana Elyse Hunter
Alto/Commanding Officer’s Wife – Stephanie Sanchez
Soprano 1 – Felicity Tomkins
Soprano 2 – Erin Keesy
Conductor – Stephanie Rhodes Russell
Stage Director – Alison Moritz
Scenic Designer – James Rotondo
Costume Designer – Trevor Bowen
Lighting Designer – Thomas C. Hase
Wig & Makeup Designer – James Geier
Featuring the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
DISCOVER MORE
Opera Insights
Enhance your knowledge and appreciation of The Knock with a pre-curtain discussion one hour before each performance in Music Hall’s Corbett Tower. Evans Mirageas, The Harry T. Wilks Artistic Director, provides overviews and insights into the opera's history, music, and production. Free to all ticket holders. No reservations required.
Post-performance Talkback
The subject matter is deeply stirring. The emotions are complicated. Immediately following each performance of The Knock, ticketholders are invited to stay for an informal talkback with fellow audience members and a selection of guests from the stage and/or our community. Together we’ll discuss the effect of the performance, the piece, and the issues and feelings they raise for us all.
The Glimmercast: The Knock
Listen to the podcast created and hosted by Charlotte Maskelony of the Glimmerglass Festival, co-commissioners of The Knock with the Cincinnati Opera, and featuring members of The Knock creative team including composer Aleksandra Vrebalov and librettist Deborah Brevoort.
Interview with The Knock stage director Alison Moritz
Evans talks with Alison Moritz about Cincinnati Opera’s world stage premiere of The Knock.
NEWS & REVIEWS
Opera News: “The performers were uniformly excellent, so much so that the sense of performance disappeared immediately; instead, it became a shared human experience, at times painfully intimate in the small Wilks Studio. … [The Knock] deserves a wide hearing.” [Read the review] (subscription required)
Cincinnati Business Courier: “The opera was alternately poignant and gut-wrenching. Ultimately, it painted a dramatic picture of the sacrifice thousands of military families have made in America’s wars, a story that is little known.” [Read the review]
All About the Arts: “The Knock vividly dissects the experiences of both the messengers and the recipients of the worse possible news delivered when there is a dreaded knock at the door … [a] superb opera.” [Read the review]
WVXU-FM Cincinnati Edition: “With The Knock, Cincinnati Opera explores the struggles of military families” [Listen to the interview]
Movers & Makers: “Cincinnati Opera’s The Knock: Bringing a third dimension to the lives of military wives” [Read the story]
CityBeat: “Cincinnati Opera’s The Knock Explores the Stories of Three Women Waiting for News of Their Deployed Husbands” [Read the story]
MEET THE COMPOSER
Aleksandra Vrebalov
“Vrebalov scores with broad strokes and bold gestures in lush orchestration. There’s no minimalist picking and plonking here and there, but huge swaths of strings and floating melodies with violent interjections of stabbing brass and percussion.”
- From Opera Journal’s review of “Mileva”
Veteran Community Outreach Partner
Lead sponsor
Performance Sponsor
The company debut of Stephanie Rhodes Russell was partially supported by OPERA America’s Opera Grants for Women Stage Directors and Conductors, generously funded by the Marineau Family Foundation.
“The Knock” Illustration: © Daria Petrilli - Licensee Chiara Roilo