The première of Custom of the Coast – an opera by Kamala Sankaram and Paul Muldoon takes place on Friday 8 August at Kilkenny Arts Festival.
The spirits of two remarkable women encounter each other across the centuries in this haunting and intimate opera by celebrated Indian-American composer Kamala Sankaram, with lyrics from Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Paul Muldoon.
The tragic life story of Savita Halappanavar and that of the Cork-born pirate Anne Bonny are interwoven in a groundbreaking fusion of traditional Irish and Indian classical music. Muldoon’s libretto – inspired by everything from sea shanties to Hindi ghazal – forges unexpected connections between the women while Sankaram’s score draws inspiration from medieval music and classical Indian ragas.
Talented young soprano Anchal Dhir and dazzling mezzo-soprano Michelle O’Rourke sing the main roles, accompanied by Crash Ensemble and renowned accordion player Danny O’Mahony. Directed by award-winning filmmaker Alan Gilsenan, with musical direction by the brilliant Kate Ellis, and semi-staged in St Canice’s, Custom of the Coast is a strikingly original collaboration and a deeply moving reflection on the treatment of women in Ireland through the ages.
Custom of the Coast was developed in a Works & Process LaunchPAD residency at Potash Hill and presented in workshop form in New York City by Experiments in Opera and Works & Process.
Custom of the Coast by Paul Muldoon with illustrations by Martin Gale was published in a hardback edition in 2024 by The Gallery Press.
