A program of The Barnes Foundation sponsored by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Penn Humanities Forum, and the Richard L. Fisher Chair Research Fund of the University of Pennsylvania.

Paul Richards, composer          
Wendy Steiner, librettist
Naomi O'Connell, mezzo-soprano
Christopher Burchett, baritone
Caroline Worra, soprano           Jesse Blumberg, baritone
Gary Thor Wedow, conductor           Andrew Lucia, imagery & design
Mary Birnbaum, director           Grace Laubacher, projection design
Wendy Steiner, producer           Kathleen Doyle, costumes

The poetry of Shakespeare and the art of the Italian Renaissance meet the video games of the 21st century in this comedic multimedia opera by composer Paul Richards and librettist Wendy Steiner. Biennale follows a women's magazine editor as she enters an interactive artwork at the Venice Biennale and becomes lost in a seductive world of images. With performances in both the spectacular Annenberg Court and the elegant Barnes auditorium, this premiere is not to be missed.

Wendy Steiner is Richard L. Fisher Professor emeritus of English at Penn. From 1999–2010, she served as Founding Director of the Penn Humanities Forum, during which time she also wrote and produced another comic opera, The Loathly Lady.