Michel van der Aa's Upload
Michael van der Aa (stage director), Otto Tausk (conductor) — With Roderick Williams (Father), Julia Bullock (Daughter), Katja Herbers (Psychiatrist) ...
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Cast
Michel van der Aa — Stage director, screenwriter
Theun Mosk — Lighting, scenography
Elske van Buuren — Costumes
Madelon Kooijman — Dramaturgy
Niels Nuijten — Dramaturgy
Darien Brito — Motion capture, real-time graphics
Joost Rietdijk — Director of photography
Julius Horsthuis — VFX supervisor, fractal artist
Roderick Williams — Father
Julia Bullock — Daughter
Katja Herbers — Psychiatrist
Ashley Zukerman — CEO
Esther Mugambi — Scientist
Claron McFadden — Childhood friend
David Eeles — Friend 1
Tessa Stephenson — Friend 2
Hank Botwinik — Friend 3
Program notes
What if our minds could live forever—if advances in artificial intelligence and neuroscience offered us a way to transfer our memories and experiences into a sustainable digital consciousness? Against the backdrop of present-day and near-future technologies, Michel van der Aa’s provocative new opera Upload explores age-old philosophical questions: What are the limits of human memory, and what happens when we are unable to forget? Where do our identities really reside—in our minds, our bodies, our relationships? And how far do the raw data of our lives determine our fate?
Acclaimed British baritone Roderick Williams and American soprano Julia Bullock, one of the most exciting and fastest-rising stars of the opera stage, play the roles of a father and daughter ineluctably confronted with such questions when his consciousness is “uploaded” following a traumatic event. Van der Aa, who wrote the music and libretto for the opera, also directs this stylistically inventive version for the screen, with the operatic duo’s stellar performances complemented by a cast of compelling screen actors. Motion capture graphics by Darien Brio and striking visual effects by fractal artist Julius Horsthuis add to the uncanny immersiveness of this unique production from one of opera’s most audacious creators.
Photo © Marco Borggreve