Sweet Land, a new opera by The Industry
For Your Consideration, in the following GRAMMY® categories:
- Best Contemporary Classical Composition
- Best Engineered Album (Classical)
- Best Opera Recording
- Producer of the Year, Classical — Lewis Pesacov
Heralded as “An excellent, hauntingly horrifying album,” by The New York Times, Sweet Land confronts America’s foundational myth and explores the unknowably dark truth behind settler colonialism and westward expansion. Du Yun and Raven Chacon’s score garnered praise from the Los Angeles Times as “enraptured”; The New Yorker described the opera’s libretto, by Douglas Kearney and Aja Couchois Duncan, as “chaotic, conflicted, implacably honest”.
If you are a voting member of the Recording Academy, please consider nominating Sweet Land, recently named “Best Opera of 2020” by the Music Critics Association of North America.
“An excellent, hauntingly horrifying album.” — Joshua Barone, The New York Times
“Sweet Land astonishes…” — Mark Swed, LA Times
“An extraordinary new album...This has changed opera forever.” — John Schneider, KPFK
“Chaotic, conflicted, implacably honest.” — Alex Ross, The New Yorker
“Utterly entrancing music.” — Falling James, LA Weekly
“Mesmerizing.” — Heidi Waleson, Wall Street Journal
About Sweet Land
The initial run of Sweet Land, which took place from February 29 to March 8 in 2020 at Los Angeles State Historic Park, was the subject of praise from The LA Times, The New York Times, and The New Yorker upon its debut. Joshua Barone of the New York Times called it “A head-spinning abstraction of colonialism and whitewashed mythology.”
Sweet Land was recorded live on set at the Los Angeles State Historic Park on March 15, 2020, the evening Los Angeles County issued the first lockdown orders due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Thanks to the incredible work of our ensemble, creative, and production teams, we captured one final impassioned performance to preserve what the Los Angeles Times called "opera as astonishment." Over the next year, we collected additional studio recordings to complete the album.
As part of California PBS station KCET’s Emmy® award-winning arts and culture series ARTBOUND, the creation and performance of Sweet Land will be discussed in a new documentary directed by Jonathan Stein entitled “Sweet Land: The Making Of A Myth.” The episode airs on Wednesday, October 27 at 9pm PST.
SWEET LAND Credits
Music by Raven Chacon and Du Yun
Libretto by Aja Couchois Duncan and Douglas Kearney
Music Direction by Marc Lowenstein
Co-conducted by Marc Lowenstein and Jenny Wong
Original production by The Industry
World premiere February 29, 2020
Directed by Cannupa Hanska Luger and Yuval Sharon
For the entire Sweet Land program book (including the full libretto, production credits, and in-depth interviews with interviews, essays) please visit: theindustryla.org/
FEAST CAST
Micaela Tobin, Coyote
Sharon Chohi Kim, Wiindigo
Jenny Wong, Totaa’ar
Kelci Hahn, Makwa
Derrell Acon, Grandfather
Babatunde Akinboboye, Father
Fahad Siadat, Son
Scott Belluz, Jimmy Gin
TRAIN CAST
Carmina Escobar, Coyote
Jehnean Washington, Guide
Lindsay Patterson Abdou, Bow
Nandani Sinha, Drum
Jon Lee Keenan, Captain
Richard Hodges, Preacher
Joanna Ceja, Rifle
Peabody Southwell, Scribe
FEAST ENSEMBLE
Maria Elena Altany
Richard An
Adam Faruqi
David Harris
David Hobbs
Laurel Irene
Molly Pease
Theodosia Roussos
TRAIN ENSEMBLE
Luvi Avendano
Jessica M. Choi
Mindy Ella Chu
Mana Contractor
Angelica Rowell
David García Saldaña
Jaquain Sloan
THE CROSSROADS CAST
Carmina Escobar, Coyote
Micaela Tobin, Coyote
Sharon Chohi Kim, Wiindigo
ECHOES & EXPULSIONS CAST
Leander Rajan, Speck
Nandani Sinha, Hera
Joanna Ceja, Dolores
Sharon Chohi Kim, Chinese Woman
Molly Pease, Rosa
Jordan Curcuruto, Corey Fogel, Derek Tywoniuk, Percussion
ORCHESTRA
Maiani da Silva, Concertmaster
Adrianne Pope, Violin
Mona Tian, Violin
Marta Honer, Viola
Diana Wade, Viola
Jennifer Bewerse, Cello
Derek Stein, Cello
Hakeem Holloway, Bass
Ben Finley, Bass
Erin McKibben, Flute
Damon Zick, Flute & Saxophone
Brian Walsh, Clarinet & Saxophone
Andrew Conrad, Clarinet & Saxophone
Sarah Belle Reid, Trumpet
Mattie Barbier, Trombone
Luke Storm, Tuba
Brad Moller, Tuba
Lily Maase, Guitar
Michel Von Loh, Guitar
Lucy Yates, Piano
Milena Gligic, Piano
Corey Fogel, Percussion
Jordan Curcuruto, Percussion
Derek Tywoniuk, Percussion
ALBUM CREDITS
Produced and mixed by Lewis Pesacov
Studio recordings by Lewis Pesacov
Live recordings by Bill Knight
Additional recording at Knobworld Studio
Mixed at Ahata Sound
Mastered by Reuben Cohen at Lurssen Mastering
Marc Lowenstein, Additional Music Direction
Elizabeth Cline, Executive Producer
Daniel Anderson, Graphic Design
Released September 24, 2021