THE BIG SWIM (2023) - lunar new year children's opera
Commissioners: Houston Grand Opera and Asia Society Texas Center
Librettist: Melisa Tien
Voice types: soprano, 2 mezzo-sopranos, tenor, baritone, bass
Orchestra: flute (doubling piccolo and alto flute), violin, cello, double bass, piano, percussion
Duration: 1 hr
Performance History:
February 16-18, 2024. Asia Society Texas Center, Houston, TX, United States.
Cast
Meigui Zhang (Rabbit/Horse)
Sun-Ly Pierce (Snake/Sheep)
Alice Chung (Ox/Pig)
Seiyoung Kim (Monkey/Rat)
Joseph Lim (Tiger/Rooster)
Zaikuan Song (Dragon/Dog)
February 7-9, 2025. Asia Society Texas Center, Houston, TX, United States.
Cast
Angela Yam (Rabbit/Horse)
Qirong Liang (Snake/Sheep)
Alice Chung (Ox/Pig)
Mark He (Monkey/Rat)
Zizhao Wang (Tiger/Rooster)
Zaikuan Song (Dragon/Dog)
Creative Team
Conductor: Eiki Isomura
Director: Mo Zhou
Revival Director: Kihwa Nam
Scenic and Puppet Designer: Afsaneh Aayani
Costume Designer: Valérie Thérese Bart
Lighting Designer: Michael James Clark
Stage Manager: Caitlin Farley
Photographer: Lynn Lane
Press Release:
Asia Society Texas Center: Lunar New Year Children's Opera 'The Big Swim' Returns for Second Year of Sold-Out Performance, Feb 11, 2025.
Asia Society Texas Center: New Children's Opera 'The Big Swim' Premieres With Sold-Out Performances, Feb 21, 2024.
Texas Classical Review: HGO premieres a colorful children’s opera of cooperation with “The Big Swim”, Feb 17, 2024.
Houston CityBook: This Weekend: Full of Family Fun, Inaugural New-Year's Opera Opens at Asia Society, Feb 13, 2024.
WWFM A Tempo with Rachel Katz: New Opera Blends Asian and Western Traditions for New Year, Feb 1, 2024.
OperaWire: Houston Grand Opera & the Asia Society Texas to Give the World Premiere of 'The Big Swim', Jan 7, 2024.
Houston Style Magazine: Houston Grand Opera and Asia Society Texas Present World Premiere of The Big Swim, Jan 4, 2024.
OperaWire: Top 10 Operas to See During Winter/Spring 2024, Jan 3, 2024.
Houston Grand Opera: TAKING THE PLUNGE a dive into The Big Swim with composer Meilina Tsui and librettist Melisa Tien, Dec 27, 2023.


















Synopsis:
The Big Swim is a one-act comic opera in four parts with an earnest message at its core. It tells the story of a swimming competition held during Lunar New Year between twelve animals specially chosen by the Emperor. Each one will have a place in the lunar zodiac, and thus be instrumental in marking the passage of time. However, not every animal is competitive by nature. Over the course of what is meant to be a casual race, the animals are tested not only on speed, but on how far they’ll go to help or hinder one another.
The music for The Big Swim is a contemporary amalgam of different stylistic influences, including opera buffa and Chinese traditional opera, with elements of fantasy and absurdity. Its expansive musical language and eclecticism aim to promote artistic and aesthetic inclusion, and intentionally cross boundaries between traditional and modern, Eastern and Western, classical and non-classical. The music enhances the piece’s drama and character development while providing a feeling of familiarity through which audiences may access the performance.
-- Melisa Tien & Meilina Tsui
2021