 of Philadelphia will commemorate Brandon Teena with “Brandon’s Song,” a two-act opera.){kind=link}
The Delaware Valley Opera Company (DVOC) of Philadelphia will commemorate Transgender Day of Remembrance with a two-act opera titled “Brandon’s Song,” honoring Brandon Teena, a transgender man who was murdered in 1993. The concert will take place on Nov. 20 at 7 p.m. at Saint Luke & The Epiphany.
“Brandon’s Song” was written by composer-in-residence Misha Dutka, and although it fictionalizes certain aspects of Teena’s life, it maintains much of the true story, particularly regarding the tragic circumstances surrounding Teena’s death and the brutality of those events.
Dutka specifically wanted to highlight “the real-life consequences of bigotry and prejudice,” and for that reason, he focused on trying to understand the motivations of the men who murdered Teena. Dutka explained, “We can easily understand Brandon Teena, a young man looking for love and acceptance. The minds of the men who murdered him are much more alien to us. But these men existed, in a town that nurtured them and their ideas, and I wanted to show them and tell their story just as I told Brandon’s.”
Dutka took these concepts to heart when writing the opera, but this was also the intention from the beginning. DVOC President Sandra Day specifically commissioned “Brandon’s Song” to address these issues. Day shared, “I believe it is extremely important to expose the prejudices of the real world as the many different arts forms have attempted to do through the ages. I encouraged Misha to write this opera so that this American drama could be produced by the Delaware Valley Opera Company as a world premiere.”
In “Brandon’s Song,” mezzo-soprano Sam Rauch will play the role of Brandon. For Rauch, who grew up in a rural area of the Midwest, this story hit very close to home.
Rauch explained, “One of the reasons this story is really difficult is because it feels like it could have been my story if things had been just a little different. We both grew up in small midwestern towns, very conservative areas. I know people I went to high school with that could be carbon copies of the men who assaulted and murdered Brandon and who would not have hesitated to do the same to me, given the circumstances.”
Rauch also spoke about the importance of telling this story, particularly at the present moment. In addition to referring to projects such as “Brandon’s Song” as “necessary,” they stated, “It’s important not just for audiences to see our stories presented in full, authentic ways, but it’s also important for queer artists to get the opportunity to tell stories as their full, authentic selves.”
Rauch’s comments about the impact on the audience also underscore the complexity of a story such as this one. They said, “I’m not particularly interested in traumatizing the audience into caring about trans people’s lives. At this point, it feels like every other day I hear about another homophobic or transphobic act of violence. If dying made people sympathize with us, it would have happened a long time ago.”
They elaborated, “I want people to see that trans people are normal, wonderful humans who just want to live happy lives. … I want the audience to walk away feeling like Brandon could be their friend, their sibling, themselves. I want them to care because I want them to see we are far more alike than we are different.”
Dutka also addressed the impact on the audience he hoped “Brandon’s Song” would have. He explained, “Indifference is the greatest ally of injustice. Crimes against marginalized groups, people of color, the LGBTQ+ community, and other minorities continue unabated when they’re ignored, relegated to three column inches on the third page of a metro section, and quickly forgotten. The most powerful means of combating these abuses is to shine a glaring light on them, to bring into sharp focus their ugliness and inhumanity.”
Dutka added, “Opera, the melding of action, words, and music to tell compelling stories, shines as brightly as any form of human communication.”
“Brandon’s Song” will conclude the Delaware Valley Opera Company’s 45th anniversary season at 7 p.m. on Nov. 20 at Church of Saint Luke & The Epiphany, 303 S 13th St. Tickets can be purchased at dvopera.org/brandons-song.