WHAT THEY SEEM is a fantastic, dark and beautiful opera by one of the Bay Area’s most promising new composers, Red Bennett.

What They Seem follows brother and sister, O’stello and O’stella, on a journey of adventure, adversity, and love. On the way they encounter a singing cat, a boisterous village, and an obsessed, isolated businessman who resists—but finally is drawn into—the community. And none too soon, because all are needed to help little O’stella and O’stello when evil crosses their path.

What They Seem shows that there are bad things and cruelty in the world, and that sometimes the skin of a sheep hides the fur of a wolf. More importantly, it shows that when faced with violence and deceit, people come together in trust, camaraderie, and love. When the silent, powerless child in all of us confronts our own towering demons, the Goliath will always fall to the David.

The story begins in twilight, enters into the bright, burning day, wanders in sunshine and then darkness, and ends back where it began, in a half-light, but this time surrounded by love.

This world premier of What They Seem heralds the arrival of a new voice in contemporary music. Bennett’s music will appeal to both seasoned opera lovers and novices, young and old, in a timeless tale that brings ancient truths to life.

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