IHOS Media Release Sydney 2015 PDF

MEDIA RELEASE
Eternity and Transformation - in 25 minutes
Constantine Koukias’ internationally acclaimed chamber opera KIMISIS – FALLING ASLEEP, is
making its Sydney premiere this March as part of Art Month and the Greek Festival.
Koukias has created a haunting theatrical depiction of death and ascension into the afterlife, in an installation-style, avant
garde piece, that is sure to exhilarate audiences.
The Kimisis Feast of the Eastern Orthodox Church commemorates
the Dormition - the "falling asleep", or death and assumption into
Heaven - of Mary, the mother of Christ. Composer/Director
Constantine Koukias takes this sacred ritual as his inspiration in a
work that captures the moment of transcendence of the mortal
soul.
Whilst the piece will resonate to those raised within an Orthodox
belief system directly, the universal appeal of KIMISIS is that it
provides a theatrical, experiential foray into our own ephemerality.
All audiences will be equally moved by the full pantheon of
ritualistic elements and production effects which direct the human
senses to this unique window between the imminent and the
transcendent.
The custom designed seating by award winning architects Elvio Brianese
and Peta Heffernan, adopts the panopticon prison idea, which allows an
individual to observe (-opticon) all (pan-) prisoners without the incarcerated
being able to tell whether they are being watched. As such, the audience will
be inextricably immersed in the ritual itself.
Dramatic Soprano Irene Sarrinikolaou will be revisiting the principal role
for the Sydney season, in an IHOS production. IHOS works are
multicultural, multilingual and exploit multiple art-forms, blending voice,
dance and sound with installation art and digital technology.
KIMISIS - FALLING ASLEEP
For Soprano, Electric Trombone & DJ
A Chamber opera (Sung in Ecclesiastical Greek)
By Constantine Koukias
Performances: 25th to 28th March 2015
6:30pm, 7:15pm, 7:45pm & 8:30pm
Venue: Verge Gallery
Jane Foss Russell Building
City Rd. University of Sydney
(Adjacent to the Wentworth Building)
Media: for more information, cast bios, photos and interviews, contact Irene Sarrinikolaou on 0422 834 654
or via email at [email protected]