From Stage to Computer Screen: The Veterans Choir Sings On

Left: The veterans choir performing alongside professional opera singers in The Falling and the Rising in November 2019, and right, a still from the veterans chorus during a recent Zoom rehearsal. 

In November 2019, The Falling and the Rising brought one of Seattle Opera's most memorable finales to the stage: performing together with the professional opera singers was a chorus made up of U.S. veterans. "I give my life. This is my vow. I’ll die for you. We rise and fall. We fall and rise as one," they sang together. 

Most in the veterans chorus had never participated in any organized singing or performing. Some of them were recovering from homelessness, addiction, or other trauma. Through a special partnership between Seattle Opera and Path with Art, these former service members were able to make their operatic debuts. 

The curtain has since come down on The Falling and the Rising. However, the veterans choir—and a fruitful partnership between two nonprofit arts organizations—remains. Every Friday, the 14-member choir continues to meet and practice via Zoom. They receive a video of a voice lesson that they can do at home, along with recordings of their parts for a choral piece they’re working on. Together, they vocalize, sing through the music, troubleshoot problems from their own practicing, and get to be in community with one another as veterans.

Buzz for The Falling and the Rising

From left: Jorell Williams (Homecoming Soldier), Tess Altiveros (Soldier), Elizabeth Galafa (Toledo), Tim Janecke (Jumper). Philip Newton photo

See what the press is saying about Seattle Opera's next chamber work, The Falling and the Rising, which plays Nov. 15–24, 2019 at The Opera Center.

THE SEATTLE TIMES 

"Perhaps the most gratifying thing about “The Falling and the Rising,” is what it indicates about the company’s priorities. The attention it’s been paying to new work — incisive, relatable, concerned with social issues and intent on bringing underrepresented voices to the opera stage — is no fluke, but a central focus of its mission." [Read more...]

—Gavin Borchert

CLASSICAL VOICE NORTH AMERICA

"The open heart at the core of Seattle Opera’s production of The Falling and the Rising, an intermission-less, 70-minute chamber opera about America’s wounded warriors, had the power to leave numerous audience members and at least two singers in its small, all-veteran chorus in tears." [Read more...]

—Jason Serinus

KUOW

"Alejandra Valarino Boyer, Seattle Opera's Director of Programs and Partnerships, believes The Falling and the Rising will connect with people who never imagined they’d come to an opera house. She hopes to see a significant presence of active duty service people and veterans in the audiences. 'I keep saying we’ll be really successful if the audience is 50/50, vets and active duty personnel as well as civilians,' she says." [Read more...]

—Marcie Sillman 

A soldier and opera lover shares his story

Left: Joshua Rodriguez today, with his wife Michelle at a Seattle Opera gala, and before, as a cadet. "My wife Michelle has experienced the best and the worst of the Army, where I learned some of the hardest lessons leadership can offer. She’s had to endure reports on CNN that cover stories explaining why my unit was suddenly blacked out on communications without knowing if I was alive or dead, all the while taking care of our kids, getting a Master’s degree, and working full time to maintain career progression for herself. No matter what I do in the future, I don’t know that I’d ever perform at the same level she has for 10 years now." 

By Gabrielle Nomura Gainor
Joshua Rodriguez will never forget bringing his fellow soldiers home alive after a particularly close call with the Taliban. It was nighttime at his remote observation post in Kunar, Afghanistan.

“We had nine U.S. Soldiers, one Latvian officer, and no more than 10 Afghan National Army Soldiers in defense,” Rodriguez says. “The enemy had approximately 80 fighters, all of whom were committed to ending our lives.” 

It took all but three of the 43 grenades they had on hand, plus numerous individual acts of bravery. But somehow, Rodriguez and his soldiers made it through the night with only minor injuries. 

“We left that mountain with two Bronze Stars for Valor, three Army Commendation Medals for Valor, and one hell of a story.”

Today, Rodriguez is an Army veteran, an officer in the Reserve, and leads an investment management team for Goldman Sachs. In his spare time, he serves on the Seattle Opera Board, where most recently, he's been helping to launch The Falling and the Rising as a member of the steering committee. Based on interviews with active-duty soldiers and veterans, this new American opera shines a light on the untold stories of American service members. Through a collaboration with Path with Art, the opera's chorus is composed entirely of veterans from the Puget Sound region.

Soldier stories that inspired an opera

Opera Memphis production of The Falling and the Rising. Photo by Ziggy Mack.

The Falling and the Rising is a new American opera. It explores the sacrifice, duty, and human connection experienced by members of the armed services and is based on interviews and true stories from dozens of Army veterans. The story is told by an unnamed female soldier. After being injured in a roadside attack, she is placed in an induced coma. In her dreamlike state she encounters fellow service members who share their stories with her.

Below, meet three of the real soldiers who helped inspire the opera. 

New chamber opera shares true stories from U.S. military

Photo by Ziggy Mack

Working with military veterans, Seattle Opera brings service and sacrifice to the stage. In partnership with Path with Art, The Falling and the Rising features chorus of former soldiers 

Nov. 15, 17, 20, 22, & 24, 2019
The Opera Center: 363 Mercer St.
General admission: $45 | Military discount: $35
Tickets & info: seattleopera.org/rising


When Seattle Opera opened the doors to its new facility at Seattle Center last year, the company promised that the new, highly visible location would help more people find and experience opera. This fall, the company’s first chamber opera in the building is sure to do just that. The Falling and the Rising, a new American work, is based upon a series of interviews with returning soldiers at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, The Old Guard at Fort Myer, and Fort Meade, Maryland.

“Through our chamber operas, Seattle Opera has offered powerful narratives and important moments of representation: a transgender woman’s journey, one family impacted by Japanese American incarceration, a queer love story, and more,” said Alejandra Valarino Boyer, Seattle Opera Director of Programs and Partnerships. “This fall, we present a new chamber opera based on powerful testimonials from American soldiers whose stories often go untold.”