The texture of herstory: New Wave Opera's evening of songs by and about women * Oregon ArtsWatch

"New Wave Opera put on a preview show at Revolution Hall's Show Bar on August 16, titled "Herstory." They presented music from their upcoming opera double-header, "Atoms and Artifacts: Alice Tierney and Marie Curie Learns to Swim."New Wave Opera also performed music by NWO founder Lisa Neher, local composers Dianne Davies and Theresa Koon, and others including Jodi Goble and Libby Larsen. We also got a brief preview of an upcoming opera by Caroline Miller, Deep Water."

""Herstory" was a Mendelssohn's event, even though it was at Show Bar at Revolution Hall. Portland's classical-themed bar has been closed for renovations - and, typical of renovations, it has cost more time and money than expected. In the interim, Mendelssohn's has put on some of their most cherished events like Opera-oke at Show Bar, and their three-year anniversary show at Mississippi Studios."

"Anti-Suffragist Reasons by Paul Ayres sets the satirical poems of first-wave feminist poet and novelist Alice Duer Miller, collected in Are Women People? The audience found themselves laughing at much of Lindsey Rae Johnson's performance, mocking the hypocritical attitudes of the anti-suffragist movement. Miller's poems poke fun at this through obvious contradictions. For instance, reason five is "because bad women will corrupt politics," and reason six is, "because bad politics will corrupt women.""

New Wave Opera presented a preview performance titled "Herstory" at Revolution Hall's Show Bar on August 16, offering selections from the upcoming opera double-header Atoms and Artifacts: Alice Tierney and Marie Curie Learns to Swim. The program included music by NWO founder Lisa Neher, Dianne Davies, Theresa Koon, Jodi Goble, Libby Larsen, and a preview of Caroline Miller's upcoming opera Deep Water. The event reflected Mendelssohn's programming while Mendelssohn's bar remains closed for renovations, with past events staged at Show Bar and Mississippi Studios. Themes emphasized women in history, defiance, rejection of traditional gender roles, and sardonic humor, including satirical settings of Alice Duer Miller's poems.

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