About the OPERA

T

he Falling and the Rising​ is a new American opera conceived by Sergeant First Class Ben Hilgert of the U.S. Army Soldiers' Chorus, inspired by Opera Memphis' Ghosts of Crosstown project in 2014.  

This world premiere opera chronicles the imagined journey of a soldier suspended inside a coma after a roadside attack. We follow our soldier as she makes her way through a coma-induced dreamscape punctuated by powerful encounters with other fellow service members, each on the brink of discovery. Together, they must find clarity, consciousness, and communal hope inside a strange and ever-shifting universe. Created from compiled interviews from returning soldiers at Walter Reed National Medical Center, Arlington Cemetery, and Fort Meade, The Falling and the Rising is an inspirational story of service, sacrifice, and connection inside uncertainty. This operatic soldier’s odyssey was created to honor the indomitable spirit of our military veterans and to shed light on the power of their often overlooked stories.

Words by Jerre Dye. 
Music by Zachary Redler.

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The Falling and the Rising Trailer

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More information:

Opera Prelude: Pre-Show Talks

Plan your evening at the opera! (FAQs)

Midtown Opera Festival Schedule