production

cosmia opera collective

est. 2023

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?

further reading

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.

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)

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.