MOCACITIZEN: David Henry Hwang & Huang Ruo on their new opera “An American Soldier”
Thu, May 15, 2014 from 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Admission is free
Advanced reservation required: email: programs[at]mocanyc.org
Tony Award®-winning playwright David Henry Hwang and composer Huang Ruo will discuss the world premiere of their new opera, based on the true story of Pvt. Danny Chen, a Chinese American soldier in Afghanistan. This conversation will be moderated by Rachel Cooper, Director of Cultural Programs and Performing Arts at Asia Society. This conversation will be moderated by Rachel Cooper, Director of Cultural Programs and Performing Arts at the Asia Society.
An American Soldier, an hour-long, world premiere opera composed by Huang Ruo with a libretto by David Henry Hwang, is based on the true story of Pvt. Danny Chen, a Chinese American soldier in Afghanistan. This new opera will receive a complete staging with accompaniment by a chamber orchestra as part of Washington National Opera’s American Opera Initiative.
On October 3, 2011, Chinese-American Army Pvt. Danny Chen was found dead in a guard tower at his base in Kandahar province, Afghanistan. The real circumstances behind his death, though, illustrate a culture of racism in the military. Based on a true story, and drawing from the ensuing courts-martial of Chen’s fellow soldiers, An American Soldier explores what happens when the very people who are supposed to protect you in a combat zone become your enemy.
