New Opera Creative Lab

Two new short-lived operas close the 2025 cycle with which GAM brings this new contemporary and intimate lyrical format to its theaters and is committed to offering new repertoires and experiences for the public. On this occasion, the so-called “new opera” will have the story of a queen bee in trouble and that of a miner's wife in mourning, all accompanied by singers, actors and the UC Contemporary Music Workshop Ensemble directed by national composer Pablo Aranda.

“La mina”, by composer Rodrigo Herrera, with libretto by Cristián Dittmann and régie by Ignacio Ramírez, is conceived as a lyrical scene for soprano and ensemble. Set in a mining town high in the Andes, the work presents a woman crying over the death of her husband as a result of an explosion. She hides her tears because her children don't know and she doesn't find the courage to tell them.

The proposal, which puts the protagonist in a constant conversation with her deceased husband, seeks to immerse the public in a visual and emotional experience, touching on topics such as the feeling of helplessness, absence, desolation and loss of a loved one and the precariousness of women's jobs.

What value does my reign have if I don't want to be a mother? is the question of the protagonist of "The Society of Bees", composed by Gabriel Gaete, with libretto and stage direction by Francisca Santibáñez. In the scene, the queen bee is in the main room of the hive and questions her role, since she does not want to be a mother, her soul only wants to be free. However, the worker bees do not agree and decide to kill her.

Regarding the format, the director affirms that it is new for everyone involved: "For the ensemble it is very interesting, because the musician not only faces the score, there are other expressive elements that intervene in the staging, such as the lights and everything visual. The performer also faces a new language and is taken to a different space that is designed for theater. For the audience it is visually attractive and with a new sound. In addition, there are two actors who are also protagonists, characters who act and interact with the music. Thus It is a super interesting format for the public, the composer, the ensemble and we are very happy that GAM has taken this idea. It is a great challenge,” concludes Aranda.

The presentation will feature the participation of actors Eduardo Herrera and Víctor Montero and soprano Nancy Gómez. The Contemporary Music Workshop Ensemble will be composed of the musicians Karina Fischer, Fernanda Ortega, Miguel Ángel Muñoz, Celso López, Dante Burotto and Gerardo Salazar. 

Creative Lab is a project in agreement between Ópera Latinoamérica (OLA), the UC Music Institute, the Municipal Theater of Santiago and GAM, with the purpose of promoting the generation and circulation of new works that link opera with current social problems and reflections. In this first version, the thematic axes were sustainability, diversity, digital transformation, vernacular sounds and rhythms, and the dialogue between tradition and avant-garde.

Contemporary Music Workshop Ensemble Pablo Aranda, direction| Karina Fischer, flute | Fernanda Ortega, piano | Dante Burotto, clarinet (Wednesday) | Arlette Camino, clarinet (Thursday) | Celso López, cello | Tomás Moreno, percussion | Nancy Gómez, mezzo-soprano | Actors Víctor Montero, Eduardo Herrera | La Mina stage director Ignacio Ramírez  | Stage Director of The Bee Society Francisca Santibañez