Where Elephants Weep: A Contemporary Cambodian Opera
Catherine Filloux, Librettist
Eric Bass, Director
Kay George Roberts, Conductor
The story focuses on a refugee from Pol Pot's terror, Sam, who returns to his homeland from America. Committed to the preservation of Cambodia's great and ancient culture, he surprisingly falls in love with Bopah, a pop-karaoke star. The struggle of traditional and modern, East and West, is played out through a musical score drawing on classical western, ancient Cambodian, and popular American music traditions - against the backdrop of a hauntingly beautiful land torn by war and genocide.
Attend the only American Preview Performances of this work before its World Premiere in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Commissioned by Cambodian Living Arts and John Burt.