THE NINE JEWELLED DEER

A thousand-year-old cave painting in China depicting a drowning man saved by a marvellous deer whose existence he must not reveal; a cramped kitchen in modern-day India where an old woman takes in victims of life’s misfortunes and heals them through song; the garden of a former prostitute, where a monk teaches the secrets of “Enlightenment” – that supreme state of knowledge and compassion: these are the elements that make up the plot of The Nine Jewelled Deer, a world premiere opera born of the encounter between composer Sivan Eldar and singer-improviser Ganavya Doraiswamy, heirs to musical traditions that may seem far apart – classical and electronic music for the one, traditional South Indian music and jazz for the other – but brought together by a common desire to be open to one another, to care and to listen. Three exceptional artists are taking part in the adventure, in partnership with the LUMA Foundation: director Peter Sellars, visual artist Julie Mehretu and writer Lauren Groff.