Thu, May 15, 2014 from 7pm – 9pm
215 Centre Street,
New York, NY 10013
Admission is free
Due to overwhelming response, the program is now fully subscribed. We will be setting up a separate space for a live feed of the program. Please Click here to RSVP for admission to the live video feed of the program.
Tony Award®-winning playwright David Henry Hwang and composer Huang Ruo will discuss the world premiere of their new opera, based on the true story of Pvt. Danny Chen, a Chinese American soldier in Afghanistan. This conversation will be moderated by Rachel Cooper, Director of Cultural Programs and Performing Arts at Asia Society.
An American Soldier, an hour-long, world premiere opera composed by Huang Ruo with a libretto by David Henry Hwang, is based on the true story of Pvt. Danny Chen, a Chinese American soldier in Afghanistan. This new opera will receive a complete staging with accompaniment by a chamber orchestra as part of Washington National Opera’s American Opera Initiative.
On October 3, 2011, Chinese-American Army Pvt. Danny Chen was found dead in a guard tower at his base in Kandahar province, Afghanistan. The real circumstances behind his death, though, illustrate a culture of racism in the military. Based on a true story, and drawing from the ensuing courts-martial of Chen’s fellow soldiers, An American Soldier explores what happens when the very people who are supposed to protect you in a combat zone become your enemy.
For more information, please click here.