A Lake View woman is debuting her first opera as a composer, a coming-of-age story with LGBTQ+ themes.
Gillian Rae Perry, a fellow with the Chicago Opera Theater's Vanguard program for emerging artists, composed The Weight of Light, which premieres at 7:30 p.m. April 27 at the Epiphany Center for the Arts, 201 S. Ashland Ave.
The Weight of Light is about a mother and daughter who have inherited their family's magical ability to talk to objects, Perry told Windy City Times. The mother feels the ability should be hidden, while the daughter finds it to be a gift worth celebrating.
"The story follows their relationship as they struggle with being different from everyone else around them," Perry said. "I'm really proud of the show we've put together."
Perry wrote the show's music, which mixes classical, contemporary and popular styles. She worked collaboratively with librettist Marcus Amaker, an award-winning poet who wrote the opera's story.
"It was a really special collaboration," Perry said. "I love the words that Marcus wrote, so getting to write the music for it was very precious to me."
The story touches on several themes relating to the LGBTQ+ community, something that was important to her as a queer composer. The characters of the mother and daughter have something that makes them different from everybody else, and they struggle with whether or not they should hide it—something many LGBTQ+ people face when coming out, Perry said.
Additionally, the daughter's best friend in the opera, Trevor, is coming to terms with their gender identity as a nonbinary person, Perry said. That was important for Perry because Karlos Piñero-Marcado, who plays Trevor, is also nonbinary, she said.
"The through-line of the opera is all these themes of self-acceptance," Perry said. "So we explore those LGBTQ+ themes symbolically and literally."
The show is the culmination of Perry's work under the Chicago Opera Theater's Vanguard Initiative, a two-year residency that includes participation in all Chicago Opera Theater productions, sessions with industry leaders, extensive writing studies and education on the behind-the-scenes processes of opera.
The program is funded by the Mellon Foundation and has given rise to composers like Stacy Garrop, Matthew Recio, Wang Lu and Shawn Okpebholo.
"Since its inception in 2018, the Vanguard Initiative has provided vital support to essential compositional voices from a wide range of backgrounds," said Lidiya Yankovskaya, director of the program. "This innovative, artist-driven program immerses participants in all facets of opera as an art form, with individualized opportunities that thoroughly prepare some of the most inspiring composers writing today to create the future of opera."
Perry said the program helped her learn to trust herself when creating art.
"I put a huge amount of pressure on myself writing my first opera, even though it was such a joyful process," Perry said. "The imposter syndrome can sneak in there, but this program has given me the confidence to overcome that, and now I have something worthwhile to share."
People can learn more about The Weight of Light and Perry's work in a pre-premiere conversation between Yankovskaya and Perry happening 6:30 p.m. April 27. Tickets cost $55 and are available at chicagooperatheater.org/season/light .
