Brooklyn’s boundary-pushing contemporary music collective, The Curiosity Cabinet, is back with an ambitious new work—No Man’s Land, the world premiere of an original opera by Whitney George. The two-night event takes place June 17 & 18 at 7 PM at Irondale in Brooklyn, promising an evocative, genre-defying experience rooted in folklore, despair, and the American Dust Bowl.

? Tickets are $30
? the-curiosity-cabinet.com

Reuniting for the first time since their acclaimed 2022 operetta Fizz & Ginger, George (composer/conductor) and stage director Attilio Rigotti return with a bold narrative: a Faustian tale set in 1930s Oklahoma. Mezzo-soprano Kayla Rodriguez Pérez stars as a desperate young farm girl who makes a dangerous bargain during the Great Depression, while tenor Shane Brown embodies the Devil, taking shape as a smooth-talking salesman with nefarious intent.

A highlight of No Man’s Land is George’s innovative score, supported by Opera America’s Composer’s Discovery Grant. The opera weaves American folk influences and modern experimentalism into an immersive soundscape, with Adam von Housen’s violin taking on the role of a musical trickster and narrator. The result is a sonic landscape that mirrors the opera’s emotional grit and dusty, high-stakes setting.

No stranger to sonic storytelling, Whitney George has been steadily building an impressive catalog of radical new works. Her 2023 live album Chasing Light, performed by The Curiosity Cabinet and available on Bandcamp, showcased her ability to blend intimacy and intensity across acoustic and electronic textures. No Man’s Land continues that trajectory, blurring the line between classical tradition and avant-garde risk.

With support from NYSCA, NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, and Opera America, No Man’s Land represents the next major chapter in The Curiosity Cabinet’s journey to challenge opera’s conventions and craft unforgettable live experiences.