] tenth muse (2021)
] tenth muse is a twelve-track concept album. using the fragmented text of greek lyric poet sappho, the so-called "tenth muse", the song cycle pieces together a story of memory, obsession, and honey.
opera
GREEN ROOM (2026)
GREEN ROOM is a one-act chamber opera inspired by the article “The Disruptive Comforts of Drag: (Trans)Gender Performances among Prisoners of War in Russia, 1914–1920” by Iris Rachamimov.
in the green room of a WWI prison camp, captured Austrian officers stage theatrical productions to process the anxieties of captivity. but what is not being said?
music and libretto in english and german by cecelia olszewski
with primary source translations by iris rachamimov
and poetry by rainer maria rilke (1875-1926)
emmerich: soren ryssdal
prima donna: solamada pando-girard
komponist/onstage pianist: henry herbert
officer 1: matthew huang
officer 2: will schindler
officer 3: mason oberlin
guard 1: madeleine zuckerman
guard 2: claire coven
conductor: cecelia olszewski
trumpet 1: parisa tofigh
trumpet 2: brendan breen
horn 1: jonathan mandrell
horn 2: anton fernandez
trombone: adam uliassi
tuba: luke interrante
percussion: daniel kinney
electronics: cecelia olszewski
sound designer: jack hamill
producers: cecelia olszewski, claire coven
production assistant: ciara martinez
administrative assistant: santina juma
videography: declan franey
makeup designer: mark park
lighting designer: otto vogel
intimacy coordinator: charlie baker
additional choreography: mya vandegrift
textile artwork: rae bieda
supertitles: ciara martinez
special thanks to michał wilczewski, domenic desocio, joachim schamberger,
jay alan yim, peter civetta, jason carlson, jana anderson, and matthew johnson.
devoted (2024)
Undergraduate Research & Arts Exposition Award: First Place, 2024 Creative Arts Festival
devoted is a one-act chamber opera scored for two mezzo sopranos, flute/alto flute, harp, vibraphone, violin, cello, and electronics.
the virgin mary and mary magdalene have died and are now teenagers again, stuck in the liminal space between heaven and earth: a teenage girl’s bedroom. with no hope of escaping this purgatory, all that they can do to pass the time is reenact and reflect on their shared trauma and their relationships – with men, with womanhood, and with themselves.
music and libretto by cecelia olszewski
with quotes from "Annunciation Under Erasure" from Mary Szybist's Incarnadine
and "Mirror" by Sylvia Plath
director: mya vandegrift
mary: azalea twining
mary: isabel yang
harp: emily reader
violin: evelyn rushall
cello: naomi aires
flute/alto flute: maya ravi
vibraphone: seth lauver
electronics: nick chesemore
conductor: cecelia olszewski
set design: cecelia olszewski and azalea twining
lighting design: otto vogel
textile artwork: rae bieda (@raebleda)
photographer: raav ghuman
videographer and editor: declan franey
special thanks to hans thomalla, joachim schamberger, benjamin zucker,
peter civetta, and missy mazzoli.
] tenth muse (2021)
] tenth muse is a twelve-track concept album. using the fragmented text of greek lyric poet sappho, the so-called "tenth muse", the song cycle pieces together a story of memory, obsession, and honey.
music by cecelia olszewski
libretto by cecelia olszewski
with quotes from If Not, Winter: Fragments of Sappho by Anne Carson
album cover art by anna malina (@annaxmalina)
sappho: sabrina caputo
muses: anna tang, emily sampson
anactoria: isabella emmanouilides
violin: emma wei
cello: sara ventriglia
guitar: sam sentivan
flute: grace samaha
clarinet: claire samaha
electronics and mastering: cecelia olszewski
audio engineer: eleanora grossman
photographer: benjamin ainslie
recorded the summer after my junior year in my high school auditorium.
special thanks to chris emmanouilides, david trum, and john shankweiler.
small ensemble
No Roof, No Battlements - soprano, violin, cello, bass, vibraphone, piano (2025)
I approach you (Loure) - soprano, flute, piano (2025)
in our garden - string quartet (2022)
instant light - woodwind quintet (2022)
large ensemble
Unseen Presence - sinfonietta (2025)
joyride - symphony orchestra (2021)
film music
To My Younger Sister, dir. Elizabeth Davis - piano and electronics (2022)
Vindication, dir. Elizabeth Davis - string quartet (2023)
solo
False Spring - solo violin (2026)
bonedog - alto saxophone and tape (2023)
selected works
