Yale School of Music presents East Coast premiere of Siddhartha, She

The Yale School of Music presents the East Coast premiere of Siddhartha, She, a new oratorio by composer Christopher Theofanidis and librettist Melissa Studdard, on November 15 at Woolsey Hall. Performed by the Yale Philharmonia, School of Music faculty artists, Yale Choral Artists, Yale Glee Club, and singers from Yale Opera and Yale Voxtet under the direction of conductor Jeffrey Douma, the large-scale collaboration marks only the second staging of the work. 

Siddhartha, She reimagines Herman Hesse’s classic spiritual journey with a female protagonist (mezzo-soprano Adriana Zabala), exploring themes of self-discovery and enlightenment. A striking, blue fabric symbolizing the river of transformation winds through the performance space, while singers placed throughout Woolsey Hall envelop the audience in a surround-sound experience. 

Directed and designed by Anne Patterson, who helmed the Aspen premiere, the Yale production will be adapted to the unique acoustics of Woolsey Hall. While not fully staged, the performance will blend visual and sonic elements to amplify the emotional depth of Theofanidis’s score and Studdard’s libretto. Siddhartha, She builds on the duo’s longstanding creative partnership, following previous collaborations such as Door Out of the Fire and Like a Bird with a Thousand Wings. 

“We are calling this a ‘ritual music drama,’ because of the immersive quality of the experience,” Studdard and Theofanidis say. “We needed to write a story that was ours as much as it was Hesse’s, and that is emblematic of the ideas that the story of personal evolution is everyone’s story: It was Buddha’s, it was Siddhartha’s, it was Hesse’s, it’s ours, and it’s yours.”  

Regarding the protagonist’s gender swap, the duo explains: “Whereas the original story consists of primarily male characters, Siddhartha, She features many female characters, with Siddhartha herself now being a woman. The minor strands of patriarchal thinking have been supplanted by non-hierarchical, relational interactions intended to recognize the divinity in all beings, regardless of their stage in their own evolution.”  

“Our performance of Siddhartha, She — the epic scope of the work and the performing forces involved — will be the most expansive of any work I have conducted during my 22 years at Yale,” says conductor Jeffrey Douma. “The themes of self-discovery and interconnectedness that the work explores are equally expansive. Those who know Chris’s work well know that he has a unique ability to embody such universal themes in his music, which is why I have been so excited about bringing Chris and Melissa’s beautiful vision to life on the Woolsey stage.” 

“Getting to interpret the role of Siddartha is a unique and meaningful privilege,” says mezzo-soprano Adriana Zabala. “Chris and Melissa have created a luminous sound world and brilliantly layered text for this story, and every measure is rich with expressive opportunity. Enacting this story in collaboration with so many extraordinary artists in our musical community — undergraduates, graduates, and fellow faculty members — is especially inspiring. We cannot wait to share it with everyone.” 

Complementary events before the concert will help contextualize the new work. A conversation with the cast, creative team, and spiritual scholars from the Yale community — including Assistant Professor of Religious Studies Sonam Kachru and University Chaplain Maytal Saltiel — will take place on Thursday, November 6 at 5PM in Hendrie Hall. Principal singers will also perform excerpts from the libretto. A pre-concert discussion and Q&A with Theofanidis, Studdard, and Douma will take place on Saturday, November 15 at 5PM at the Yale Schwarzman Center. Both events are free and open to the public. 

“Siddhartha, She is collaboration through and through. It is a remarkable convergence of creativity and community,” says José García-León, the Henry and Lucy Moses Dean of Music. “From the joint commission by the Aspen Music Festival and Yale Glee Club to the inspired partnership between composer Chris Theofanidis and writer Melissa Studdard, this project brings together so many parts of Yale and beyond. With the Glee Club performing alongside the Philharmonia under the direction of Jeff Douma, joined by guest artists, faculty, and student soloists, and with contributions from the Schwarzman Center and Dr. Sonam Kachru and Maytal Saltiel, it stands as a true celebration of artistic and intellectual collaboration in multiple directions. It is incredibly inspiring to see what can be accomplished when so many join forces in the spirit of true partnerships.” 

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The East Coast premiere of Siddhartha, She takes place on Saturday, November 15 at 7:30PM in Woolsey Hall (500 College Street, New Haven, CT). Tickets start at $13; students enter for free. More information available here. 

The roundtable discussion with cast and spiritual scholars takes place on Thursday, November 6 at 5PM in the Glee Club Room in Hendrie Hall (165 Elm Street, New Haven, CT). The event is free and open to the public. 

The pre-concert discussion and Q&A with the creators and creative team of Siddhartha, She takes place on Saturday, November 15 at 5PM in the President’s Room, located in the Yale Schwarzman Center (168 Grove Street, New Haven, CT). The event is free and open to the public with registration. More information available here.

Siddhartha, She is co-commissioned by the Aspen Music Festival and the Yale Glee Club.