Tales Feature for the Opera America New Works Forum
tales from a safe distance
Ten friends last saw one another on a starlit rooftop in Florence.
Now, their only way to share a toast is via a video call from their pandemic lockdown locations. How to pass the time when no one has new developments to share? Make up stories! But will they inspire one another to overcome their COVID-era ennui?
Tales from a Safe Distance is a 21st-century operatic adaptation of Boccaccio’s 14th-century novel The Decameron in an unprecedented co-creation from the newly formed Decameron Opera Coalition. Nine indie opera companies from across the U.S. reimagined Boccaccio’s stories for our own pandemic times, each with a unique team of creators and artists.
The idea originated with the composer-librettist team of Peter Hilliard and Matt Boresi, who together created the tenth wraparound story, “The Happy Hour”, featuring one character storyteller from each of the other 9 tales, and a special guest star, the world-renowned bass-baritone Luca Pisaroni. The result was an unprecedented operatic co-creation - a new opera, straight to film, that is an anthology of 10 world premieres written by 10 creative teams, and engaging a total of 86 artists from around the world.
Tales premiered in four episodes in October 2020 and ran through December 31, streaming to an audience on 6 continents, in 17 countries, and 43 states and territories. In February 2021, the DOC launched a new partnership with IDAGIO, the leading streaming app for classical music, where Tales from a Safe Distance was remounted in the Global Concert Hall with “DOC Week”. The four episodes were released throughout the week of February 21-27 for audiences to enjoy in 160 countries worldwide, running through December 31, 2021.
Now Streaming on:
Episodes
both gladsome & grievous
Episode 1
• The Happy Hour (Introduction) by Peter Hilliard and Matt Boresi
Commissioned by the Decameron Opera Coalition
• Everything Comes to a Head by Rachel J. Peters, Margi Preus, and Jean Sramek
Commissioned by Lyric Opera of the North - Duluth, Minnesota
•The Late Walk by Jasmine Barnes and Nikolaus Hochstein Cox
Commissioned by Bare Opera - New York, New York
prompted by appetite
Episode 2
• Dinner 4 3 by Michael Ching and Deborah Brevoort
Commissioned by Fargo-Moorhead Opera - Fargo, North Dakota
• The Roost by Marc Migó and John de los Santos
Commissioned by UrbanArias - Washington, D.C.
• The Happy Hour (Interstitials) by Peter Hilliard and Matt Boresi
so noble a heart
Episode 3
• Orsa Ibernata by Elizabeth Blood and Danny Brylow
Commissioned by Milwaukee Opera Theatre - Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• Seven Spells by Donia Jarrar
Commissioned by Opera in the Heights - Houston, Texas
• The Sky Where You Are by Maria Thompson Corley and Jenny O’Connell in collaboration with Brenisen Wheeler, Women’s Advocates
Commissioned by An Opera Theatre - Minneapolis, Minnesota
• The Happy Hour (Interstitials) by Peter Hilliard and Matt Boresi
the bolts of fortune
Episode 4
• Sourdough: Rise Up by Gilda Lyons
Commissioned by Resonance Works - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Corsair by K.F. Jacques
Commissioned by Chicago Fringe Opera - Chicago, Illinois
• The Happy Hour (Finale) by Peter Hilliard and Matt Boresi
TALES FROM A SAFE DISTANCE Collaborators
Learn more by watching each episode’s Afterparty and The Happy Hours with our creative cohorts!
What People Are Saying
“Ingenious project”
— Wall Street Journal
“The Decameron project does genuinely new things with opera, and has lessons to teach the industry.”
— Minneapolis Star Tribune
“an unbridled success - edgy, novel, richly detailed, musically intriguing”
— Houston Press
Awards and recognition
In February 2021, the entire Decameron Opera Coalition series was inducted into the Library of Congress as part of their Performing Arts Covid-19 Response Collection. This collection includes works by nationally and internationally renowned creators to document the new work created during the pandemic.
We are honored to have Tales From A Safe Distance and the work of the 86 artists and 9 member companies of the DOC recognized and preserved in this monumental collection.
Excellence in Opera
2020 Freddie Awards
Best Collaboration
2020 360° of Opera Awards
Top Industry-Defining Moments of the Year
OperaWire’s Best of 2020