Opera Double Bill features One-Act Operas by David T. Little and Kamala Sankaram

Mannes Opera at The New School’s College of Performing Arts presents a duo of one-act operas by Mannes faculty members and prolific composers David T. Little and Kamala Sankaram. The Opera in Concert Double Bill features the New York City premiere of David T. Little’s complete Vinkensport, or The Finch Opera with libretto by Royce Vavrek, and Kamala Sankaram’s The Infinite Energy of Ada Lovelace with libretto by Rob Handel, directed by New School Drama alumna Alison Pogorelc and conducted by Christopher Allen.

Vinkensport, or The Finch Opera (2010/2018), composed by David T. Little on a libretto by Royce Vavrek, receives its New York City premiere of the complete work in these performances. Vinkensport is a bitter-sweet comedy in one act, which explores obsession, desire, and the need to win, through the frame of an obscure Flemish folk sport, “finch-sitting.” Trained finches race to sing the most “susk-e-wiets” over the course of an hour. As they compete, the joys, sorrows, delusions and all-too-stark realities of their trainers are revealed. The New York Times reports, “Vinkensport has an exuberant, rhythmically vibrant score by David T. Little with an infectious opening chorus,” while Opera Magazine writes, “Vavrek’s interweaving of the human characters is extremely touching and allows for nice musical counterpoint. Little’s music is tuneful but sophisticated and original. . .”

The Infinite Energy of Ada Lovelace (2019), composed by Kamala Sankaram with a libretto by Rob Handel, follows Ada, Countess of Lovelace and Lord Byron’s daughter, who has been asked to help Charles Babbage with his work on the Difference Engine. She struggles between her work in mathematics and upholding her reputation as a wife, mother, and public figure. The revolutionary concepts that she put forth in her notes about the potential ability of the Engine to carry out an algorithm led Ada to be considered the world’s first computer programmer. ArtsKnoxville writes, “Sankaram’s deliciously tonal score is loaded with poise and charm that feigns minimalism to suggest binary math, but wanders through some intriguing stylistic territory that has flavors and textures of jazz, blues, classical, and 19th century romanticism, among others.” The Infinite Energy of Ada Lovelace was commissioned by Opera Ithaca and is presented through special arrangement with UIA Talent Agency and Just a Theory Press.