Today’s video premiere features Lucy Dhegrae and Jeffrey Zeigler performing an excerpt from the work-in-progress opera Sensorium Ex by composer Paola Prestini and librettist Brenda Shaughnessy.

Sensorium Ex explores the relationship between artificial intelligence and disability through two main characters: Mem, a scientist, and Kitsune, her nonverbal son. With the central idea that disability signifies humanness, the opera crafts a unique compositional language rich with electronics to represent characters that do not communicate in neurotypical ways. Commissioned by Atlanta Opera and Beth Morrison Projects, Sensorium Ex is scheduled to premiere in 2022 at Atlanta Opera and 2023 at PROTOTYPE Festival.