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Emily & Sue - More Than Friends: A Triptych on Queer Love Through the Ages
80
English
Synopsis
Emily & Sue is an a cappella pop opera/musical by composer Dana Kaufman (danakaufmanmusic.com) and librettist Aiden K. Feltkamp with an accompanying film featuring Jasmine Muhammad and the Iris Trio directed by Ron Bashford and produced by Four/Ten Media.
Emily & Sue focuses on the little-known romantic relationship between Emily Dickinson and her sister-in-law, Susan Huntington Dickinson. Emily spent much of her life in seclusion and particularly in her room, where Emily & Sue takes place. Letters between Emily and Sue, as well as Emily’s poetry, document an intimate relationship that wasn’t socially acceptable or legally recognized in 19th-century Massachusetts; the plot of Emily & Sue extrapolates from their correspondences.
Emily & Sue was commissioned by Amherst College (which owns Dickinson’s house) and is available for downloading and streaming on Amazon, iTunes, Spotify, Bandcamp & Adhyâropa Records. A film version of the opera, filmed in Dickinson’s actual bedroom, has been screened at events around the United States. The opera has been performed at Amherst College, the National Opera Center, and the NYU Free Play Festival, as well as by Lowbrow Opera Collective. Emily & Sue was also Finalist for “Noteworthy Project.” OPERA America Digital Excellence in Opera Award.
Composer
Dana Kaufman
Lyricist / Librettist / Playwright
Aiden K. Feltkamp
Year of composition/publication / premiere
2023
Genre
Other:
LGBTQAI+ category
Bisexual, Lesbian, Queer
Level of centrality
Main character
Characters
Emily Dickinson, Susan (Sue) Gilbert Dickinson
Voice type
Mezzo-Soprano, Soprano
Pronouns
she/her
Publisher / Rights holder
Where to buy / access the work
Performance rights
For performance rights, please contact the composer and/or publisher to ensure legal compliance.
Official website
Audio recording(s)
Video performance(s)
Keywords
Queer opera, chamber opera, triptych, a cappella, magical realism, Emily Dickinson, Achilles and Patroclus, Lowbrow Opera Collective, Seattle, 2023