a street opera

Inspired by John Koenig's The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows

Sonder • /ˈsɔn.dər/ • [n.] the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own—populated with their own ambitions, friends, routines, worries and inherited craziness—an epic story...

Introduction

Welcome to Sonder, a street opera exploring the quiet connections that bind us. Sonder, a neologism invented by John Koenig in his work The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, means the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own. Through the lives of Mara and Vivienne, we delve into themes of empathy, individuality, and shared experiences. This performance, funded in part by Metro Arts Nashville, is a celebration of community and the unexpected bonds we form with those around us. Thank you for joining us.

Synopsis

Sonder follows two women, Mara and Vivienne, whose different lives intersect through shared experiences of solitude and connection. As they navigate their individual struggles, they discover comfort in their shared humanity.


Listen to the demos

1 - Someone New - SCORE.pdf

meet the cast

rachel darr

Rachel Darr (Soprano) is delighted to be performing in the debut of Sonder. She holds a Bachelor’s in Music from Asbury University and her college theatre credits include “Doris” in “Bye, Bye, Birdie” and “Caitlin” in “Mockingbird”. From studying voice, she became the winner of the 2019 Peniston Honors Competition. She is currently a Performer/Dancer/Rider with Dolly Parton’s Stampede in Pigeon Forge, TN. 

sarah antell

Sarah Antell is an Ojibwe Mezzo-Soprano from Phoenix, Arizona. Antell graduated with her Master of Music degree from Louisiana State University in 2022 and studied under the tutelage of Tenors Paul Groves & Robert Grayson. Since graduating, she has participated in productions with Nashville Opera, the world premiere of The House of Bernarda Alba as Martirio, received an Encouragement Award from the Metropolitan Opera Laffont Competition, and has enjoyed performing in opera outreach programs like Opera On Wheels and Opera On Tap. Sarah also enjoys performing other styles of music, and spent over a year singing pop, rock, and jazz at Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, LA. In the near future, you can find Antell in the Ensembles of the Nashville Opera's 2024-2025 season, at the odd karaoke bar, or singing with the Nashville chapter of Opera On Tap. 

kara schlenk

Kara Schlenk is a senior violin performance and public relations major at Belmont University. She is from Kansas City and spent her childhood there playing in youth symphonies and community orchestras. Kara was taught under the instruction of Chiafei Lin, Benny Kim and Elisabeth Small. She is currently a student of Boris Abramov. In her free time, she does yoga and goes hiking. 

vonda darr

Vonda Darr has been the principal harpist for the Augusta Symphony Orchestra since 1993 and performs as second harp and substitute principal for the Nashville Symphony. She is a recording session harpist with the Nashville Recording Orchestra and has toured nationally with Andrea Bocelli, Broadway’s The King and I, My Fair Lady, and Weird Al Yankovic. Vonda has performed at the Kennedy Center and Smithsonian Institution with the NC Symphony and was their principal classical harpist for eight years. She performs as part of Duo Venandi and the Vega Harp Duo, which premiered Submerged for Two Harps in 2021. They commissioned the work Echoes from the South by Martin David Jones, with a world premiere performance at the American Harp Society national conference in 2022. Vonda is the inventor of Pocket Harp Pedals, an interactive harp pedal chart device and app launched in 2022. 

meet the composer

annabella gelmetti

Annabella Gelmetti is a musician based in Nashville. She is a performing songwriter, producer, and composer who blends folk, electronic, jazz, and classical genres. She graduated from Gonzaga University with a B.A. in Music Composition and a minor in Conducting and works as a sheet music engraver for Graphite Publishing. She has written over 50 works for dance, including two mainstage ballets.

Annabella is excited to premiere her first operetta with the support of Metro Arts Nashville. She extends her gratitude to Rachel, Sarah, Kara, and Vonda for their invaluable contributions to the production.

Note from the Composer

This operetta is born from my fascination with the unnoticed stories that surround us daily, and as well as the work of John Koenig for giving names to emotions "we all might experience but don't yet have a word for". I believe that every person carries a world within them, and it’s in those brief, silent moments of connection that we glimpse the depth of those worlds. Thank you for being here, for sharing in this experience, and for allowing the music and stories of Mara and Vivienne to become part of your own.

With gratitude, Annabella Gelmetti


support future performances

special thanks

Alan D. Valentine

Angie Kuzma

Chris Appano

Eric Swartz

Hannah Marcoe

Jenneen Reed

Johnathon McGee

Jonathan Saad

Julia Kirchhausen

Kara Schlenk

Kimberly McLemore

Maria Conti

Mark Whatley

MetroArts Nashville

Missy Kindma

Nashville Film Institute

Nathan Felix

Rachel Darr

Sarah Antell

Sheree’ Spoltore’

Sherry Gibbs

Sydnie Davis

The Nashville Symphony Association

Vonda Darr

Funded in part by Metro Arts Nashville <3