opera

GREEN ROOM (2026)

GREEN ROOM is an upcoming one-act operetta 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 denglisch by cecelia olszewski 

with primary source translations by iris rachamimov

and poetry by rainer maria rilke (1875-1926) 

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.

further reading photos

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

music director: 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.

bandcamp youtube demos

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

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

bonedog - alto saxophone and tape (2023)