An American Soldier
The New York Premiere of a soaring new opera based on a powerful true story.
On October 3, 2011, Chinese-American Army Pvt. Danny Chen was found dead in a guard tower at his base in Afghanistan. Based on his story and the ensuing courts-martial of Chen’s fellow soldiers, this New York City premiere opera tells the powerful true story of a young soldier from Manhattan’s Chinatown who sought to serve his country, only to find his biggest threat was the very people who swore to protect him.
Told through the multidimensional music of Huang Ruo (M. Butterfly, Book of Mountains and Seas) with libretto by Tony and Grammy winner David Henry Hwang (M. Butterfly, Soft Power), and directed by Obie Award winner Chay Yew (Cambodian Rock Band, Sweatshop Overlord), An American Soldier is a powerful and unforgettable experience.
The 2024 version was co-commissioned by PAC NYC and Boston Lyric Opera.
Lead support for An American Soldier is provided by Betsy and Ed Cohen and the Arete Foundation, with additional support from Louise K. Smith, Dana and Gregory Lee, and anonymous.
A 60-minute version of the opera was commissioned by Washington National Opera and premiered there in 2014 as part of WNO’s American Opera Initiative. The full-length version of An American Soldier was originally commissioned by the Opera Theatre of St. Louis for its New Works, Bold Voices, and premiered in 2018. Used by arrangement with European American Music Distributors Company, agent for Future In REverse (FIRE), publisher and copyright owner, and David Henry Hwang.
Photo by Jai Lennard. David Lee, model.
May 16 & 18
Members of the cast and creative team of An American Soldier discuss the inspiration, themes, and creative process behind this powerful new opera.
The following discounts are currently available by calling 212-266-3000:
Responder Discounts
US military, police officers, firefighters and nurses are invited to purchase $30 tickets, subject to availability. Identification is requested at the time of ticket pick up. Eligible identification for military includes, but is not limited to, a U.S. Uniformed Services (current or retired) Identification Card, a current Leave and Earnings Statement (LES), or a Veterans’ organization card (American Legion or VFW, for example). Guests wearing a military uniform are also eligible. Eligible identification is a valid work/employment ID with photo or a work/employment ID and accompanying ID with identical name. One ID is valid for up to four tickets per event, and applicable transaction fees will be applied to each purchase.
Under 30 Discount
Under 30s are invited to purchase $30 tickets for select events, subject to availability. Proof of age for each member of the party will be required at the time of ticket pick up. Under 30s can purchase one ticket per event, and applicable transaction fees will be applied to each purchase.
The following discount is currently available by calling 212-266-3011:
Group Discount
Groups of 10 or more receive 10% off and 20 or more receive 15% off.
Contains depictions and references to racism, violence and derogatory language.
Creatives:
David Henry Hwang
David Henry Hwang’s work includes the plays M. Butterfly, Chinglish, Yellow Face, Golden Child, The Dance and the Railroad, and FOB, as well as the Broadway musicals Aida (revival upcoming, 2023), Flower Drum Song and Disney’s Tarzan. M. Butterfly was revived on Broadway in 2017, directed by Julie Taymor.
Carolyn Kuan
Recognized as a conductor of extraordinary versatility, Carolyn Kuan has enjoyed successful associations with top tier orchestras, opera companies, ballet companies, and festivals worldwide. She has served as music director of the Hartford Symphony Orchestra since 2011. Upcoming and recent engagements include performances with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, and New York City Ballet. Recently she conducted operatic productions that included Philip Glass’ Satyagraha (English National Opera); Harvey Milk (Opera Theatre of St. Louis); and Huang Ruo’s M. Butterfly (Santa Fe Opera). Kuan holds the distinction of being the first woman to be awarded the Herbert von Karajan Conducting Fellowship by the Herbert von Karajan Centrum and American Austrian Foundation in 2003.
Photo by Charlie Schuck.
Huang Ruo
Huang Ruo has been lauded by The New York Times for having “a distinctive style.” His vibrant and inventive musical voice draws equal inspiration from Chinese ancient and folk music, Western avant-garde, experimental, noise, natural and processed sound, rock, and jazz to create a seamless, organic integration using a compositional technique he calls “Dimensionalism.”
Chay Yew
His New York credits include the Public Theater, Playwrights Horizon, New York Theatre Workshop, Signature Theatre, New York City Center Encores!, Playwrights Realm, Audible Theatre, The Flea, Rattlestick, Ensemble Studio Theatre, National Asian American Theatre, and Ma Yi Theatre Company. His regional credits include the Goodman Theatre, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, American Conservatory Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theater, Arena Stage, La Jolla Playhouse, Alley Theatre, South Coast Rep, Old Globe, Center Theatre Group, Hartford Stage, Denver Center Theater, Huntington Theatre, Seattle Repertory Theatre, Cincinnati Playhouse, Kennedy Center, Actors Theatre of Louisville, Woolly Mammoth Theatre, PlayMakers Repertory, Empty Space, Portland Center Stage, East West Players and Singapore Repertory Theatre. His opera credits include the world premieres of Osvaldo Golijov and David Henry Hwang’s Ainadamar (Tanglewood and LA Philharmonic) and Rob Zuidam’s Rage D’Amors (Tanglewood). He is a recipient of the OBIE Award for Direction. chayyew.com
Cast:
Hannah Cho
Hannah Cho (soprano) has appeared with Daejeon Opera as Nedda in Pagliacci and WQXR in their “Young Artists Showcase.” Other roles in her repertoire include Violetta (La traviata), Musetta (La bohème), Pamina (Die Zauberflöte), and the title role in Cavalli’s La Calisto. Lauded for her “ringing and expressive” voice, Ms. Cho is deeply passionate about new works and art song.
Alex DeSocio
Hailed by The New York Times for his “buttery, booming baritone,” Alex DeSocio joined Houston Grand Opera this season in the world premiere of Intelligence (Travis cover). He has also been featured in La bohème (Marcello), Die Zauberflöte (Papageno), the title role in Don Giovanni, Le nozze di Figaro (Count Almaviva), Il barbiere di Siviglia (Figaro), La Cenerentola (Dandini), Carmen (Moralès), Roméo et Juliette (Mercutio), L’elisir d’amore (Belcore), Don Pasquale (Dr. Malatesta), and Pagliacci (Silvio).
Nina Yoshida Nelsen
Hailed as a “richly powerful singing actress” (Broadway World), Nina Yoshida Nelsen captivates audiences with her world-class voice and magnetic stage presence. This season, Ms. Nelsen joins Indianapolis Opera for the title role in Carmen, sings Melissa in Alcina with Seattle Opera, sings Suzuki in Madama Butterfly with Opera Carolina, joins Utah Opera as Marcellina in Le nozze di Figaro, and is excited to sing Mother Chen in An American Soldier at PAC NYC.
Brian Vu
Described by The New York Times for having an “ample and pleasing tone,” tenor Brian Vu is excited to perform this important work. The 2023–2024 season sees Mr. Vu sing his first Tenor solos in Handel’s Messiah with Phoenix Symphony Orchestra, Alfredo/La traviata with Opera Omaha, a return to Opera in the Heights to debut Rodolfo/La bohème, and Pvt. Danny Chen/An American Soldier at PAC NYC. Previous highlights include Riff/West Side Story at Houston Grand Opera, Sergio/Fedora at the Metropolitan Opera, Timothy Laughlin/Fellow Travelers with Opera Columbus, Rinuccio/Gianni Schicchi at Hawaii Opera Theater, MAN in Heartbeat Opera’s short film QUANDO, and the title role of Candide at The Glimmerglass Festival. Brian is a graduate of Yale University and UCLA. IG: @vouski
Ben Brady
This season, Ben Brady appears in the workshop of Mason Bates’ The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay (Sheldon Anapol) with the Metropolitan Opera; Sweeney Todd (Judge Turpin); Il barbiere di Siviglia (Bartolo); Les contes d’Hoffmann (Luther, Crespel and four villains cover); Norma (Oroveso cover); Pelléas et Mélisande (Arkel/the Physician); and Tosca (Sciarrone). Prior engagements include La bohème (Colline), Die Zauberflöte (Speaker), L’elisir d’amore (Dulcamara), Das Rheingold (Fafner), Fidelio (Rocco), Macbeth (Banco), and Nabucco (Zaccaria).
Cierra Byrd
American, Grammy Award-winning mezzo-soprano Cierra Byrd is a recent graduate of the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program at the Metropolitan Opera. In the 2023–2024 season she returns to the Metropolitan Opera in Blanchard’s Fire Shut Up in My Bones while also joining the company for their production of Madama Butterfly; she joins Houston Grand Opera for their production of Jake Heggie’s Intelligence; and is excited to be at PAC NYC for Ruo’s An American Soldier.
James C Harris
James C. Harris is a multifaceted singer and actor based in New York City. He has been seen Off-Broadway, regionally, and on operatic stages across the east coast, including appearances with Spoleto Festival USA, Opera Philadelphia, and The Philadelphia Orchestra. Recent theatre includes Sunday in the Park with George at Axelrod PAC. James is a graduate of Westminster Choir College (BM) and Manhattan School of Music (MM) and a proud AEA and AGMA member. IG: @jam.c.harris jamescharris.net
Shelén Hughes
Bolivian Soprano, Shelén Hughes has a passion for social service and music in life. Previous credits include Servillia (La Clemenza di Tito, Mozart), Atalanta (Handel’s Atalanta), Inez (Mercadante’s I Due Figaro), Snegurochka (Rimsky-Korsakov’s Snegurochka), Micaëla (Bizet’s Carmen), Magda (Puccini’s La Rondine), her Carnegie Hall debut (2019) and her NYFOS debut (2022). Ms. Hughes holds degrees from the Juilliard School and the Manhattan School of Music, she was a young artist at the 2019 Gstaad Menuhin Festival and a 2022 Gerdine Young Artist at the Opera Theatre of St. Louis. Ms. Hughes is the founder of “Voices for Bolivia”, a growing international non-profit organization for those in need in Bolivia, fully funded by classical music.
Joshua Sanders
This season, tenor Joshua Sanders joined the Lyric Opera of Chicago in La Cenerentola (Don Ramiro cover); Los Angeles Opera in Don Giovanni (Don Ottavio cover); Opera San José in Roméo et Juliette (Roméo) and Il barbiere di Siviglia (Count Almaviva); Nashville Opera in Die Zauberflöte (Tamino); and the Metropolitan Opera in the workshop of Mason Bates’ The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay (Sam Clay). Internationally, he has sung with Teatro Regio Torino and Deutsche Oper Berlin.
Christian Simmons
This season, Christian Simmons joined Deutsche Oper Berlin: Carmen (Zuniga), Anna Bolena (Rochefort), Tosca (Sciarrone), Gianni Schicchi (Betto and Guccio), Nabucco (High Priest), Die Zauberflöte (2nd Armored Man), Madama Butterfly (Commissioner), Lohengrin (Noble), and La traviata (Messenger); Atlanta Opera: La bohème (Colline); and Santa Fe Opera: Rusalka (Vodnik cover). Prior engagements include Le nozze di Figaro (Figaro), Aida (King), Rigoletto (Sparafucile), L’incoronazione di Poppea (Seneca), Roméo et Juliette (Duke), Il trovatore (Ferrando cover), Blue (Policeman), and The Wiz (Lion).
Misoon Ghim
Hailed by The New York Times, Korean-American mezzo-soprano Misoon Ghim has performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra under Maestro Wolfgang Sawallisch. Known for her versatility, she has portrayed characters like Suzuki, Rosina, and Cherubino, and delivered alto-solos in major works by J.S.Bach, Mendelssohn, and Mahler at venues including Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and Kimmel Center. Ghim has served as a voice teacher at Curtis Summerfest and is an affiliated artist at Haverford College. www.misoonghim.com
Luke Harnish
Praised for his “luxuriant baritone” (San Diego Story) and “securely produced bass” (Opera Today), American bass-baritone Luke Harnish has performed with Santa Fe Opera, Lyric Opera of Kansas City, Sarasota Opera, Nashville Opera, Chautauqua Opera, and Wichita Grand Opera, among others. He returns to Santa Fe Opera this summer, singing roles in La traviata and the World Premiere of Gregory Spears’ The Righteous. Previous repertoire highlights include Schaunard, Bartolo, King Melchior, Zuniga, Onegin, and Papageno.
Angela Yam
Angela Yam is honored to join PAC NYC for this powerful production! Recent credits: Calisto (La Calisto, Opera Memphis), Johanna (Sweeney Todd, Chautauqua Opera, Opera Saratoga), Diana (Iphigénie en Tauride, Boston Baroque), Soloist (A Midsummer Night’s Dream, NYC Ballet). World premieres: Mumei (The Emissary, Opera Parallèle), Siren 1 (The Night Falls, BalletCollective), the Bird (Iceland, LaMama), Agave (cover, The Lord of Cries, Santa Fe Opera). Education: Boston Lyric Opera, Chautauqua Opera, Santa Fe Opera. More at angelayamsoprano.com.
WooYoung Yoon
Tenor WooYoung Yoon’s upcoming performances include Tamino in Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte and Rodolfo in Puccini’s La Boheme for Opera San Jose. Last season he made his debut as Duke in Rigoletto with the OSJ and as Edgardo with the New York City Opera in Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor. Other major credits include a 2018 and 2020 Merola Young Artist, Schwabacher Recital Series for San Francisco Opera. He has won a 2022 Opera Index Award, Grand Prix and Audience Favorite at the Talents of the World international Competition, a 2019 Grand Prize in Orpheus Competition, and many more.
American Composers Orchestra
In 1977, a collective of fearless New York City musicians came together to form the American Composers Orchestra (ACO), an ensemble dedicated to the creation, celebration, performance, and promotion of orchestral music by American composers. With more than 40 years committed to artistry, creativity, community, and equity, ACO has blossomed into a national institution that not only cultivates and develops the careers of living composers, but also provides composers a direct pipeline to partnerships with many of America’s major symphony orchestras. Each season, ACO produces its annual concert series at Carnegie Hall and other venues, national educational programs for all ages, and composer advancement programs. Visit americancomposers.org for more information.
Design and Production Team:
Daniel Ostling
Recent: Swan Lake (Australian Ballet, Melbourne/Sydney), Sleeping Beauty (K-Ballet, Tokyo), Eurydice (Metropolitan Opera/LA Opera), River/Cloud (Taipei), Lookingglass Alice (Lookingglass). NYC: Rusalka, Sonnambula and Lucia Di Lammermoor (Metropolitan Opera); Clybourne Park (Broadway/Tony nomination); Glorious Ones (Lincoln Center); Durango (Public); Metamorphoses (Broadway/Tony Nomination); Playwright’s Horizon, New Victory, Delacorte, BAM. Regional: Goodman, Steppenwolf, Huntington, Shakespeare Theatre, ACT, Berkeley Repertory, Mark Taper, La Jolla, Oregon Shakespeare, Seattle Repertory, Alley, Arena Stage, Guthrie, Old Globe. International: Milan, London, Australia, Tokyo, Shanghai, Calgary, Taipei. Other: Ensemble, Lookingglass Theatre. Teacher, National Taiwan University.
Linda Cho
Broadway: The Great Gatsby; Doubt; Harmony; Summer, 1976; Take Me Out; Grand Horizons; Anastasia (Tony nomination); The Great Society; A Gentlemen’s Guide… (Tony and Henry Hewes Design Awards, Outer Critics Circle nomination); The Lifespan of a Fact; Velocity of Autumn. Selected Opera: Turandot (Washington National Opera), The Dwarf (LA Opera), Samson and Dalila (The MET). Currently residing in NYC, this Korean-born designer is on the Advisory Committee of the American Theatre Wing and teaches at NYU. MFA Yale School of Drama, BA McGill University and Paris American Academy.
Jeanette Yew
Is an Obie Award recipient for sustained achievement in lighting design. She designs for theatre, dance, opera, musicals, music performances, and large-scale immersive installation. The New York Times described her designs as “clever” and “inventive.” PAC NYC designs include Big Dance Theater’s The March and Circle Songs: A Holiday Concert Series. Opera: Madama Butterfly (Boston Lyric Opera), Blue (Detroit Opera), Desire (by Hannah Lash), Sweet Land (with Yuval Sharon), Thumbprint (LA Opera premiere, with Kamala Sankaram), and Don Giovianni (with Isabel Milenski). www.jeanetteyew.com
David Bullard
Opera and Music: Harvey Milk (Opera Theatre St. Louis); Savage Winter (BAM and upcoming album); War of the Worlds (LA Philharmonic/The Industry); Noon to Midnight (LA Philharmonic); Three Tales (LA Philharmonic, Carnegie Hall); Resident Sound Designer for the New York Philharmonic including the reopening of Geffen Hall. Theatre and other work: One Night Only: A Night with Al Pacino (International Tour); The Unexpected Man (Drama Desk Nomination). Concert work for Steve Reich and The Metropolitan Opera.
Nicholas Hussong
Creative Producer at Dwight Street Book Club and international designer. Broadway: Skeleton Crew (Tony nomination). Off-Broadway: Skeleton Crew, These Paper Bullets (Drama Desk nomination); Wet Brain (Obie Award); On That Day in Amsterdam (Drama Desk Nomination); White Guy on the Bus; Chick 6; Spiritus, Until the Flood. Other credits: Next to Normal; The Wizard of Oz; RENT!; Vietgone; To the Yellow House; Kleptocracy; Until the Flood (15 spaces regional/international); Haint Blu, Hair & Other Stories; Woman’s Party; Grounded; and more. Other: Atlanta Opera, Virginia Museum of Art, David Zwirner Gallery, Marc Jacobs, Mass MoCA, Complex Magazine, AMC+, San Diego Shell, San Diego Symphony, Nashville Symphony, Hartford Symphony, Tony Awards (CBS), Ask Ronna Podcast. Adjunct lecturer NYU Tisch. Yale MFA.
Ann Yee
Director credits include The Human Body (Donmar Warehouse); Rusalka (Covent Garden); and As You Like It (Dallas Theater Center). Choreographer/movement director credits include making her Broadway debut with musical staging for Sunday in the Park with George (2017) and as the choreographer on the Olivier Award winning and Tony nominated Caroline, or Change (2021). Her work was most recently in the West End with the Olivier nominated South Pacific (Sadler’s Wells), in New York with Carmen (Metropolitan Opera), and upcoming with the West End transfer of the Pulitzer Prize winning and Olivier nominated Next to Normal.
UnkleDave's Fight-House
Broadway: The Great Gatsby; Appropriate, Merrily We Roll Along; Jaja’s African Hair Braiding; Bad Cinderella; Ain’t No Mo’; Kimberly Akimbo; The Girl From The North Country; The Great Society; Escape To Margaritaville; Tuck Everlasting; An American In Paris; and Disgraced. Off-Broadway credits: Jordans, Bathhouse, Oedipus El Rey (Drama Desk nomination); Soft (Drama Desk nomination); Halfway Bitches Go Straight To Heaven (Drama Desk nomination). TV: AnnieLive!
Patrice Escandón
Patrice Escandón is delighted to be working with PAC NYC on An American Soldier. Selected past prop supervisor opera credits include: Henri VIII, Die schweigsame Frau, Heliane, and Le Roi Arthus for Bard Summerscape Festival (seasons 2018-2023) and returning for Le Prophète this summer! Specialty prop highlights include: Khrushchev puppet for Space Dogs (MCC); dead birds for The Seagull (The New Group) and The Refugee Plays (Roundabout); giant golden baby sculpture for Mankind (Playwright Horizons); morbid anatomy sculpture (SHHH); and various fake foods! This past fall she attended a Master Class puppet building workshop in Norway taught by a master puppet maker, hosted by FigurTeatret. All her love to her B. More at proptrinka.squarespace.com
Diane Zola
With more than 30 years of experience as an Artistic Executive, her work has included Assistant General Manager, Artistic at the Metropolitan Opera; Director of Artistic Administration at Houston Grand Opera; Director of Butler Young Artist Program at HGO; and as an Artists’ Manager. She was a founding member of the Bolshoi Young Artist Program in Moscow and has had frequent experience judging international singing competitions. She is committed to nurturing the careers of singers in the US and abroad.
Zach Jenkins
Opera: Old Man and the Sea (Beth Morrison Projects, world premiere); Awakenings (Opera Theatre of St. Louis, world premiere); Houston Grand Opera, Detroit Opera, Florentine Opera, Opera North, The Princeton Festival, Hawaii Opera Theatre, Opera Omaha, Tulsa Opera, Music Academy of the West, Phoenicia International Festival of the Voice. Off-Broadway: June Rites!! (Waterwell); Endlings (New York Theatre Workshop); A Thousand Ways (Part 2): An Encounter (Under the Radar Festival); Twelfth Night, King Lear, The Odyssey (The Public); A Funny Thing… (MCC). Regional: Endlings (American Repertory Theater); As You Like It, The Odyssey (Seattle Rep); The Tempest (Dallas Theater Center); Lend Me a Tenor (Resident Theatre Company). Events: Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
Jo Fernandez
(he/they) Broadway: The Ferryman, Head Over Heels. Recent New York: I Love You So Much I Could Die (NYTW); Amusements, School Pictures (Playwrights Horizons); The Appointment (Lightning Rod Special); Oratorio for Living Things (Ars Nova); Only An Octave Apart (St. Ann’s Warehouse); as well as productions at MCC, Second Stage, The Public, MTC, and Juilliard. Regional: Henry V, Penelope (Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival); and A Wrinkle in Time (NYS&F). Many thanks to the whole stage management team.
Taeuk Kang
Taeuk Kang has over 20 years of theater experience from South Korea to Broadway with an MFA in Stage Management from Columbia University (2020). He has worked as an ASM at PAC NYC for the production Like They Do In The Movies, production assistant and Sub ASM in KPOP, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Moulin Rouge! (National Tour), and Buena Vista Social Club. Dedicated to fostering international cultural exchange, Taeuk’s career reflects a commitment to the arts and impactful storytelling across global stages.
