Robot opera to open in the States

A groundbreaking new opera including robots will receive its US premiere in March.

Death and the Powers, by Tod Machover, is a one-act work telling the story of a world in which human beings are dying out and being replaced by robots.

The opera was developed at the MIT Media Lab by Tod Machover’s Opera of the Future Group. It features specially designed technology and an animated set, including a chorus of robots and a musical chandelier, comprised of long strings which are resonated by magnets.

Machover is able to make changes throughout performances via a customized iPad, and a customized audio system featuring 143 separate speakers creates a mini surround sound system in each of the boxes and balconies.

Death and the Powers was performed at l’Opéra de Monte-Carlo in September, to great acclaim. Its North American premieres will take place in Boston and Chicago in March.