Pew Center for Arts and Heritage

Get our monthly newsletter in your inbox for the latest on cultural events, ideas, conversations, and grantmaking news in Philadelphia and beyond.

Main page contents

Breaking the Waves

Opera Philadelphia
Kiera Duffy as Bess in Breaking the Waves. Photo by Dominic M. Mercier, courtesy of Opera Philadelphia.
Kiera Duffy as Bess in Breaking the Waves. Photo by Dominic M. Mercier, courtesy of Opera Philadelphia.
Baritone John Moore as Jan Nyman and soprano Kiera Duffy as Bess McNeill in Breaking the Waves. Photo byDominic M. Mercier.
Baritone John Moore as Jan Nyman and soprano Kiera Duffy as Bess McNeill in Breaking the Waves. Photo byDominic M. Mercier.
The oil workers, portrayed by members of the Opera Philadelphia Chorus, toil on the rig in Breaking the Waves. Photo by Nicholas Korkos.
The oil workers, portrayed by members of the Opera Philadelphia Chorus, toil on the rig in Breaking the Waves. Photo by Nicholas Korkos.
Soprano Patricia Schuman as Bess' mother in Breaking the Waves. Photo by Dominic M. M
Soprano Patricia Schuman as Bess' mother in Breaking the Waves. Photo by Dominic M. M

Opera Philadelphia presented Breaking the Waves, a new chamber opera by composer-in-residence Missy Mazzoli and librettist Royce Vavrek. Inspired by the 1996 film by Danish auteur Lars von Trier, the work tells the complex, harrowing tale of Bess, a naive newlywed who has chosen to marry outside of her strict Calvinist community in coastal Scotland. Mazzoli's score paid homage to Von Trier's directorial style in the vocal and orchestral balance, as well as the multilayered approach to characters. The opera presented a raw and sparse sound, portraying a dichotomy of dark and light through music and voice, and was performed by a cast of eight featured singers, a chorus, and a 15-piece chamber ensemble drawn from the Opera Philadelphia Orchestra.


*Additional unrestricted funds are added to each grant for general operating support.*
uestions of ractice
The Magic Flute, LA Opera. Photo by Robert Millard.
Interview

Questions of Practice: Opera Philadelphia's David Devan on Excellence and Accessibility

Read More
Photo by Dominic M. Mercier, Courtesy of Opera Philadelphia.
Interview

Translating Film to the Stage: Composer Missy Mazzoli and Librettist Royce Vavrek on Breaking the Waves

Read More
Recipient
Opera Philadelphia

Opera Philadelphia

Opera Philadelphia is committed to embracing innovation and developing opera for the 21st century. The company presents both traditional and new repertoire and a wide array of programming that aims to diversify opera audiences. Center-supported projects include Silent Night, which received the 2012 Pulitzer Prize for Music for composer Kevin Puts. 

More info
News

The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage Announces 2015 Grants for Philadelphia Artists and Organizations

Jun 15, 2015

Introducing the 2015 Grantees of The Pew Center for Arts & Heritage

Jun 15, 2015
Explore Connections
Eva Wu, 2021 Pew Fellow. Photo by Ryan Collerd.
Four Pew Fellows to Experiment and Expand Practices in Artistic Residencies
Barbara Earl Thomas, A Joyful Noise, 2022, paper cut with hand-printed color. Photo by Spike Mafford / Zocalo Studios, courtesy of Claire Oliver Gallery, New York, and the artist. 
Spring Culture Fix: 11 Events to See and Hear in Philadelphia This Season
James Sprang, 2022 Pew Fellow. Photo by Neal Santos.

Pew Fellow James Allister Sprang on Creating Installations with “Spatial Sound” 
Interview Practice & Process
Ahn Sekwon, Lights of Wolgok-dong, 2005, digital C-print, 70.8" x 94.5". Photo courtesy of the artist.
On Tour: Where to Find Center-Supported Projects Around the World
Terence Nance, film still from Swimming in Your Skin Again, 2014. Courtesy of Terence Nance.
Artist Terence Nance on Presenting Film in a Gallery Space
Video Cross-Disciplinary Practices
Adebunmi Gbadebo and Odili Donald Odita, 2022 Pew Fellows.

Fellow to Fellow: Adebunmi Gbadebo and Odili Donald Odita on Meaning in Materiality 
Interview Practice & Process
The Barnes Foundation, Returning to Before, performed as part of William Edmondson: A Monumental Vision exhibition, choreographed by Brendan Fernandes. Photo by Daniel Jackson for Embassy: Interactive.
How Dance Converges with Sculpture in Barnes Foundation Exhibition
Video Site-Specific Performance
TOWN, 2022, Theatre Horizon, Norristown, PA. Photo by John C. Hawthorne.
Building a Sense of Belonging through Community-Centered Theater
Essay Social & Community-Based Practices