Kait has been commissioned to create an original opera composition for staged recital “Awakening” at City Lyric Opera.

AWAKENING is a staged, collaborative song recital inspired by the tradition of protest music. This intimate, original program of songs, chamber works, and spoken poetry centers themes of rebellion and solidarity and poses the question: what does freedom look like to you? Spanning five languages (Chinese, English, French, German, and Persian), AWAKENING addresses social injustices of gender, race, and class through an international lens. When we acknowledge the illusions of the Western, capitalist, imperialist system, we open the door to join in the collective movement for creating a radical, community-centered world. Through a range of stories, from heroism to survival to friendship, this recital serves as an invitation to unpack the societal structures imposed upon our minds and move towards structures of connection, joy, and love. 

This program features works by György Kurtág, Eve Beglarian, Gilda Lyons, Juhi Bansal, among others, as well as three world premiere chamber works by Iranian composer Nastaran Yazdani, UK composer Angela Elizabeth Slater, and American composer Kait Warner. Featured spoken texts include a new poem written by Bee Gilmore for this performance, as well as a recently published poem by Palestinian-American author George Abraham.