Count the Stars
Greenway Court Theatre
544 North Fairfax Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90036
Saturday, December 5th
5:30pm & 8:00pm
A workshop presentation of a new chamber opera telling the story of the family that forms the core of the Abrahamic religious traditions
Composer Fahad Siadat and writer Aaron Henne intertwine the Jewish and Islamic interpretations of a fundamental Biblical/Quranic origin story in a performance that explores the differences and similarities between the different narratives. The piece investigates the ways in which, amidst the uncertainty of living in an evolving world, people strive to transcend this Earthly plane and hope to create a more secure future for their descendants.
The performance will include a trio of musicians from Brightwork and feature the new music vocal ensemble HEX. This is an unstaged workshop performance.
Performers
Aurora Chaj
Aurora Chaj is a K’iche’ Maya architect, researcher, musician, and artist from Guatemala. Her multidisciplinary work integrates cultural heritage, research into Maya textile geometry, architecture, and contemporary music, creating connections between ancestral knowledge and artistic expression today.
Through her project Mayab’, Aurora develops original compositions that fuse traditional instruments, vocals, soundscapes, and electronic production. The result is a distinctive artistic language that bridges ancestral memory with contemporary musical expression.
Her artistic and research work has been presented at universities, cultural institutions, and international venues, offering new ways to engage with and experience the Maya worldview through contemporary art.
Aurora Chaj es arquitecta, investigadora, música y artista maya K’iche’ originaria de Guatemala. Su trabajo integra patrimonio cultural, investigación sobre geometría maya en los textiles, arquitectura y creación musical contemporánea.
A través de su proyecto Mayab’, desarrolla composiciones originales que fusionan instrumentos tradicionales, voces, paisajes sonoros y producción electrónica, construyendo un lenguaje artístico que conecta la memoria ancestral con las expresiones musicales del presente.
Su trabajo artístico y de investigación ha sido presentado en universidades, instituciones culturales y espacios internacionales, promoviendo nuevas formas de acercarse a la cosmovisión maya mediante el arte contemporáneo.