Without Ourselves

ELSA

Without Ourselves

Without Ourselves is an ambitious multi-media operetta produced by ELSA, by composer Emmanuel Deruty, Wayne Jackson (lyrics/libretto). Veronique Larcher, along with Mark Plummer, Dana Masse, and many others. The classically trained soprano Iwalani Faulkner plays opposite Aimee as ‘Lissandra”.

“Without Ourselves, 5 verses on Digital Identity, was the Rio Theatre’s first digital operetta. ELSA, supported in part by the Cultural Council of Santa Cruz County, presented this piece for two voices, a video-animated character, an actor, piano and electronics, on the pervasive nature of personal electronics, artificial intelligence, and modern communication etiquette.

Emmanuel Deruty, (Paris /IRCAM) created the role of Serenity specifically for Aimee, as the empathetic heart of the operetta, who sings about the nature of modern communication, emotion reduced to protocols, and the despair over personal contact in little scheduled increments. The delicate, minimalist score, by Emmanuel Deruty includes harpsichord, and electroacoustic elements.

Aimee- backstage still the Rio Theatre- Photo by Fatimata Vetu

Listen to “Once Upon a Protocol” HERE

Aimee and Emmanuel went on to create music for the Cross Pollination project, Ricochet, as well as another series : “The Witch Songs”.

ELSA

Without Ourselves

ELSA

Le Terrain Vague

ELSA

Part highbrow academic experimental music, part ‘hey kids lets put on a show’, and part international circus, ELSA (Elsewhere troupe) brought musicians from France and elsewhere together to create music, operettas, and showcases. From the ‘Electron Salon series to “Sounds French” - the production company, ELSA was committed to bringing French musicians to California, connecting artists, and building international community for the contemporary and experimental arts

Led by Veronique Larcher (IRCAM, Creative Labs, Sennheiser), the board of directors include Mark Plummer, Wayne Jackson (Google), Dana Massie (Apple), and the current general director of the Santa Fe Opera, Robert Meya .

With ELSA, Aimee performed in many shows, including performances at the French Consulate in San Francisco, New Music Works ‘Avant Garden Party” (which included felliniesque synchronized swimmers in a grotto), and collaborations with Stanford's CCRMA and CNMAT at Berkeley.

More about ELSA:

Encouraging New Forms of Performance Art
ELSA Productions is a non-profit organization that emerged from the first season of the ELectron SAlon concert series in Santa Cruz, California in 2002. Our group got together at the confluence of two inspirations and motivations: Wayne Jackson and his Woodstockhausen - "a tiny festival of esoteric music", bringing an expertise in the grass-roots experimental arts and his desire to multiply the performance opportunities for such live sound and visual experimentations; and on the other side, Véronique Larcher came with her own passion for new performing arts and an endeavor for the artists.
With ELSA Productions, we want to formalize the countless volunteer hours facilitating the most experimental artistic projects to reach the general public. To reach that goal, we invite artists to perform and we generate the appropriate medium, context and environment for these performances to intrigue a larger crowd and raise their interest and reaction. Our pleasure and mission is also to encourage new forms of arts by providing a space of creativity connecting artists, venues and new audiences, while building a community for the contemporary and experimental arts.