Opera for change

---

The women in my operas are not one-dimensional characters, waiting to be saved by their knights in shining armor. They are the knights in shining armor, however flawed or brilliant.

'touch' is an opera in progress about Helen Keller. Music by Carla Lucero and libretto by Carla Lucero and Marianna Mott Newirth. It is slated for premiere January 2024 with Opera Birmingham.  

I was fortunate enough to study with the late, great film composer, Leonard Rosenman -East of Eden, Rebel Without a Cause, Sybil - while studying composition at California Institute of the Arts (CalArts). After graduating in 1986, there were few opportunities for young women like me in Hollywood, so I ran into the arms of my other love, opera. Now, as studios have finally cracked their doors open for women composers, I am eager to step into this new realm of possibilities and bring with me the passion and conviction that has fueled my career in the opera world.

Heidi Duckler Dance’s Reckoning Ramona is a retelling of the Ramona legend through the lens of Ramona reclaiming and embracing her own Indigenous heritage. This compelling dance film premiered in 2021.