For my opera, it will be set in modern times.  While walking around one day before we saw “The Magic Flute”, I stopped to have lunch in a very magnificent place, and I knew that this place would be the perfect setting for the Opera.  I am talking about the Manhattan Palace.

I was so enchanted by its beauty, that I knew it would translate what I wanted to say.  I wanted this play to have some old antiquated feelings about women to show through, before being overpowered by today’s feminist and female empowerment feelings.  Surrounded by skyscrapers, this is exactly what it looks like.

Yet this is the only negative.  I also wanted to translate the beauty of the unexpected and unordinary.  Because it is a palace surrounded by skyscrapers, I wanted the uniqueness of the Manhattan Palace also be a striking quality.

Finally, it demands presence: just like women today.  Today, women are fighting for equal rights in this country in pay, healthcare, and treatment.  They are making their voices heard.  Just like this building is making itself known, because the minute you look at it you can’t take your eyes off of it.

Now even though the beauty of the Palace should be enough, I also added a statue in the center that is not there originally: a statue of Minerva.  Minerva, or Athena as she is known to the Greeks, was a powerful female figure in ancient history.  I wanted her to be like an overseer, who is watching the events unfold and gives guidance when it is needed.

I always loved Athena/Minerva when I was younger, as I had a big fascination with mythology.  And letting her into the mythos that is my opera only seems right.  She was powerful, beautiful, and wise: a great female role model.