ALLEGRA & THE CELLO,
IN MOVEMENTS
A NEW FULL-LENGTH OPERA FOR
ONE SOPRANO & ONE CELLO
COMING IN DECEMBER 2026
LA MAMA
EXPERIMENTAL THEATRE CLUB
In Partnership with
HIGH HARD HEAT/Dominick Balletta
PRESENTS
a world premiere opera
ALLEGRA & THE CELLO, IN MOVEMENTS
Story and Libretto
Catherine Filloux
Music
Julia Schwartz
Set/Lighting Design
Justin Townsend
Projection Design
Milton Cordero
Costume Design
Suttirat Larlarb &
Brynne Oster-Bainnson
Casting Director
Jamibeth Margolis, CSA
​
Directed by
Elena Araoz
Witness a groundbreaking moment in opera history with Allegra & the Cello, in Movements, where the first-ever female doctor to take stage in opera brings to life the story of Allegra. Set in the tension-filled days before a high-stakes trial, Allegra lets the audience of lawyers into the most vulnerable and difficult moments in her life and career as they navigate her pretrial discovery together.
Through a bold fusion of rhythm, movement, emotion, silence and vibrant colors, Allegra & the Cello, in Movements explores the struggles of a woman who questions and defies law for the sake of humanity. With the music of a single cello guiding Allegra through each scene, this opera challenges tradition in more ways than one.
Join Allegra in her discovery--a story of wavering resilience and eternal resistance.
OUR CREATIVE TEAM
CATHERINE FILLOUX
CATHERINE FILLOUX (Story and Libretto) is an award-winning French Algerian American playwright and librettist who has been writing about human rights for many decades. Filloux’s plays and libretti have been produced in the U.S., internationally, and are widely published, anthologized and written about. Catherine is the librettist for four produced operas: New Arrivals (Houston Grand Opera, composer John Glover); Where Elephants Weep (Chenla Theatre, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, composer Him Sophy) Cambodian national TV and Broadway on Demand; The Floating Box (Asia Society, NYC, composer Jason Kao Hwang) New World Records; co-librettist with composer Olga Neuwirth for Orlando, Vienna State Opera, Grawemeyer Award winner, Komische Opera Berlin. Filloux’s new musical Welcome to the Big Dipper (composer Jimmy Roberts, co-book writer John Daggett) appeared Off-Broadway, York Theatre, cast recording StarVista Music, 2027 season ACTORS Inc. Ames, Iowa. Catherine’s new epistolary play Third Person premiered at CultureHub in New York City and her new play Olivia is part of her recent call to action project surrounding fossil fuels. Filloux has traveled for her plays to conflict areas including Bosnia, Cambodia, Guatemala, Haiti, Iraq, Northern Ireland, Sudan and South Sudan. She received her French Baccalaureate in Philosophy with Honors in Toulon, France www.catherinefilloux.com
JULIA SCHWARTZ
JULIA SCHWARTZ (Music) is a composer, conductor and soprano born in Columbus, Ohio, who grew up in a musical family; her father, Paul Schwartz, founded the music department at Kenyon College. After graduating from the Oberlin College Conservatory with a bachelor's degree in voice, she continued her studies in voice and music theory in Munich and Zurich. She composes pieces of music theater, choral and orchestral works, vocal and instrumental chamber music, art songs, and works for solo instruments. Her works have been performed in Switzerland, Germany, Austria, France, Poland, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Bolivia and the U.S. Several of her works have been published in German music publishing houses: Carus, Furore and Certosa. Julia is active as a choral conductor and currently directs the Neuwerkchor and the Chorellen in Constance, Germany and BLECH in Bischofszell, Switzerland. She participated for several years in continuing education programs in choral and orchestral conducting at the Zurich University of the Arts. The latter included intensive rehearsal weeks and performances with orchestras in Bulgaria. She is a board member of musica femina münchen and participates in the Forum für vokale Vielfalt. She teaches voice privately and lives in Frauenfeld, Switzerland www.juliaschwartz.ch