My project is a one-act music theater piece for a solo soprano/actor and fixed media, for which I will write, compose, and star. The work presents Orpheus—part vaudevillian, part tragic icon, part composer nerd—alone in a bunker in the postapocalyptic future. Fragments of disembodied music weave around him as he shares his views on art, love, and fate with the audience, along with the tale of his exploits in the underworld—which may have happened differently than has been reported. Ultimately, I want to make a case for the future of music, even amid catastrophe, and in the enduring presence of the human voice. The electronic media will consist of processed orchestral and vocal recordings. In Rome I plan to complete a full draft to perform for the fellows by the end of the year.

The photograph of Kate Soper was taken by Maggie Shannon.