Associate Professor David Henry Hwang’s new opera, The Rift, will premiere as a part of the Washington National Opera’s Written in Stone program for the Kennedy Center’s 50th anniversary celebration.
Written in Stone, which will run March 5–25, 2022, seeks to explore the stories our monuments tell, the legacies they embody, and the memories they cement. Inspired by Washington D.C.’s iconic monuments and the ideals embodied by President Kennedy, Written in Stone is a series of interwoven short works presented together in a single evening. The program will feature four world premieres from some of the most renowned and exciting artists working today.
Hwang collaborated with creative partner and award-winning composer Huang Ruo for The Rift. The piece takes its title from a phrase used by artist and architect Maya Lin in her original description of her proposed deisgn for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial as “a rift in the earth.” It is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial which is at the heart of the piece. The RIft dives into the memorial’s controversial origin, featuring interconnected yet conflicting characters: Maya Lin, the Chinese American student architect of the memorial’s design; a Vietnam War veteran; a Vietnamese refugee; and a government official. Hwang penned the libretto for The Rift while Ruo served as composer. The two have previously collaborated on M. Butterfly and An American Soldier.