Aliceheimer’s: A Chamber Opera

When composer Erik Nielsen approached me about turning Aliceheimer’s, my graphic memoir series about my mother Alice’s dementia journey, into an opera, I had to say yes. Alice loved opera. A daughter of the Armenian genocide who started life in a New York City tenement, for her opera was a vehicle to the American Dream. This single singer opera lets Alice tell her own story. As Alice lives her experiences in front of our eyes, we gain insight not just into her condition, but into Alice as a person. Whether remembering her childhood, loving food, struggling with memory loss, living with me or in a care home, Alice shows us love,humor, regret, wonder, confusion, sorrow, anger and so much more, all brought to life through the power of storytelling and music.

The preview performances of the opera feature Erik Nielsen’s music, my libretto, soprano Mary Bonhag as Alice, and pianist Alison Cerutti playing a score that will ultimately include ten musicians. We include scenes from both Act 1 and 2 with me providing some narration between scenes.  We plan to workshop and travel the previews as we gear up and create the full production. For this, we envision a silent actor | dancer joining Alice on Stage along with set and costume designs using Aliceheimer’s artwork. Composition of the music for Aliceheimer’s was made possible, in part, by funding from the Vermont Community Foundation. Creation of the libretto was supported by funding from the Vermont Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts.

To support the opera's full production, please consider a donation through our fiscal sponsor, the Monteverdi Music School.

Press

Seven Days: Dana Walrath and Erik Nielsen Team Up on an Opera About Alzheimer’s Disease

Rutland Herald: Erik Nielsen-Dana Walrath ‘Aliceheimer’s’: Can opera humanize Alzheimer’s?