Raksha

This opera for all ages tells the story of Mowgli, an endangered human cub who seeks refuge in the jungle with a pack of wolves. The classic Rudyard Kipling story is reinterpreted by Sankaram and Rourke emphasizing themes of community, empathy, and inclusion, sending a powerful message about embracing those who are different, and recognizing “the heart that beats in all of us.” Sankaram creates a powerful sense of place in the score by weaving elements of classical Indian music including ragas and vocal percussion.

In our Jungle you will find many familiar ResWorks favorites, including a continued partnership with The Pittsburgh Youth Chorus as the wolf pack, mezzo-soprano Timothi Williams (The Little Prince, La donna del lago) as Raksha, the wolf pack matriarch, bass Sergio Martinez (Rigoletto) as Baloo, the bear and tutor to the young wolves, soprano Samina Aslam as Bagheera, a cosmopolitan panther and friend of the pack, and Adrianna Cleveland as Hyena, sidekick/henchman to Shere Khan, the tiger, portrayed by tenor Karlos Piñero-Mercado in their ResWorks and Pittsburgh debut! Stage director Eve Summer returns to lead us through the Jungle, after great success with La donna del lago last year, and we continue our collaboration with sitarist Michael Griska (This Love Between Us) for this special production.