

production



cosmia opera collective
est. 2023
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)
moth songs ii: thresholds (2025)
moth songs is a fundraiser concert series of art songs written by northwestern composers for northwestern vocalists. the art songs, written for voice, piano and/or electronics, have the option of using an original text written by the composer/singer/both, or a public domain text that resonates with both artists.
videographer and editor: declan franey
I DID, DID I? (2025)
I DID, DID I? opens on two women, one a dedicated homebody, one a socialite, chatting about the virtues and vices of going out. after one of the women notices something unusual, however, what seems at first like an innocuous conversation spirals out of control, revealing that all is not what it seems.
music by liza sobel crane
libretto by gina elia and liza sobel crane
producer: cecelia olszewski
movement director: mya vandegrift
conductor: jason gluck
woman 1: claire o’shaughnessy
woman 2: isabel yang
flute/alto flute/piccolo: maya ravi
bb clarinet/bass clarinet: jason chen
percussion: daniel kinney
piano: anya liu
violin: evelyn rushall
cello: naomi aires
movement actors: claire coven, caroline
humphrey, santina juma, georgia mann, rohan
purohit, william scarrow, holly simon
costume design: isabel yang
lighting design: otto vogel
makeup artist: georgia mann
videographer and editor: declan franey
special thanks to jonathan bailey holland, matthew lake, jerry tietz, joachim schamberger, leo mckenna, audrey marx, sydney astle, jon mandrell, and morgan mcerlean.
moth songs (2025)
moth songs is a fundraiser concert series of art songs written by northwestern composers for northwestern vocalists. the art songs, written for voice, piano and/or electronics, have the option of using an original text written by the composer/singer/both, or a public domain text that resonates with both artists.
videographer and editor: declan franey
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
conductor: cecelia olszewski
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
lighting design: otto vogel
set design: cecelia olszewski and azalea twining
textile artwork: rae bieda (@raebleda)
videographer and editor: declan franey
special thanks to hans thomalla, joachim schamberger, jerry tietz, linda jacobs, benjamin zucker, peter civetta, and missy mazzoli.
cosmia opera collective
est. 2023
I DID, DID I? opens on two women, one a dedicated homebody, one a socialite, chatting about the virtues and vices of going out. after one of the women notices something unusual, however, what seems at first like an innocuous conversation spirals out of control, revealing that all is not what it seems.
music by liza sobel crane
libretto by gina elia and liza sobel crane
producer: cecelia olszewski
movement director: mya vandegrift
conductor: jason gluck
woman 1: claire o’shaughnessy
woman 2: isabel yang
flute/alto flute/piccolo: maya ravi
bb clarinet/bass clarinet: jason chen
percussion: daniel kinney
piano: anya liu
violin: evelyn rushall
cello: naomi aires
movement actors: claire coven, caroline
humphrey, santina juma, georgia mann, rohan
purohit, william scarrow, holly simon
costume designer: isabel yang
lighting designer: otto vogel
makeup artist: georgia mann
videographer and editor: declan franey
special thanks to jonathan bailey holland, matthew lake, jerry tietz, joachim schamberger, leo mckenna, audrey marx, sydney astle, jon mandrell, and morgan mcerlean.
moth songs is a fundraiser concert series of art songs written by northwestern composers for northwestern vocalists. the art songs, written for voice, piano and/or electronics, have the option of using an original text written by the composer/singer/both, or a public domain text that resonates with both artists.
videographer and editor: declan franey
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
conductor: cecelia olszewski
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
lighting designer: otto vogel
textile artwork: rae bieda (@raebleda)
videographer and editor: declan franey
special thanks to hans thomalla, joachim schamberger, jerry tietz, linda jacobs, benjamin zucker, peter civetta, and missy mazzoli.
