From BOWLING GREEN STATE UNIVERSITY
BGSU Composition and Voices Areas will launch four micro-opera premieres featuring the BGSU Composition and Voice students. The event will take place on Saturday, April 11, at 8 p.m., in Bryan Recital Hall, in the Moore Musical Arts Center.
The 2026 micro-opera program will include:
- Boba Battle
- Written by Szu-An Chen; performed by Hailie Crowder as Ms. Lin, James Hassan as Mr. Tu, Dani Hummel-Sass as Judge, and Nathanial Brown, pianist; directed by Hailie Crowder
- How They Made Salamaders
- Written by Noah Simon; performed by Lindsay Uhruch as Salamander, Audrey Martin as God, Danielle Kagy as Devil, Rue Stammen as Creator #3, Noah Simon as Narrator/Noah; directed by Colleen Bur
- The Disasters of War
- Written by Orson Abram; performed by Sophia Dove as Presenter and Francisca de Castanheiro de Freitas, pianist; directed by Dani Hummel-Sass
- Zombie Wagner
- Written by Brayden Adamisin; performed by Colleen Bur as Ava N.T. Gardner, James Hassan as Dr. Badamisin, Starr Washington as Zombie Wagner, and Nathanial Brown, pianist; directed by John Dorschner
Szu-An Chen is a Taiwanese composer with an ability for observation and a vivid imagination. Drawing inspiration from her Taiwanese heritage and reflections on social and environmental issues, she enjoys imagining new possibilities and creating her own magical worlds through music. Her works include a wide range of instrumentations, from solo and ensemble pieces to orchestral, choral, and electronic music. Notably, her orchestral piece, “Resilience,” won the 2025 BGSU Concerto Competition (Composition Division). She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Music Composition at BGSU, under the instruction of professors Christopher Dietz and Marilyn Shrude.
Noah Simon is a composer, singer/multi-instrumentalist, and sound technician. His multifaceted musical identity as a pianist, guitarist, songwriter, accordionist, electronic musician, and music teacher inform work that ranges from noise and psychedelia to classical and country music. Speech, song, and words are central to his practice, which often explores themes of identity, authorship, and creativity. He has played in salsa, blues, and rock bands, and performs as The Podcast, his noise-pop outfit. He loves backpacking, busking, speaking Spanish, dogs, and wonderful parties. These days, he can be found biking around Bowling Green or cooking at home.
Orson Abram is a multimedia artist who blurs the lines between composer, percussionist, improviser, filmmaker, performance artist, and sound artist. Originally from Columbus, they graduated from Oberlin Conservatory and College in 2025, where they studied TIMARA, English, Percussion, and Cinema, and are now pursuing their Master’s in Music Composition at BGSU. Abram works across the intersections of video, performance art, installation, and music composition to explore the translation from personal to universal memory, the ethics of performance, self-expression, and transgression. Their work aims to provoke and redefine what music composition and performance can be.
Brayden Adamisin is a composer from the greater Cincinnati area, currently working on his bachelor’s in composition at BGSU. During his time at BGSU, Adamisin has participated in several new music festivals, concerts, and masterclasses both locally in Bowling Green and internationally in Vienna.
The four micro-opera composers began working on their projects in the summer of 2025. Required for all micro-operas, each composer submitted a formal proposal of their vision. Once accepted, the music writing process started in the fall semester of 2025. Lessons on writing librettos, staging, and the music took place as the composers continued to develop their ideas.
Chen says this about her work, “Boba Battle, “In a 1996 courtroom in Taiwan, two tea shop owners, Ms. Lin and Mr. Tu, argue over who invented boba tea. Through flashbacks to the 1980s in Taiwan, the story brings to life the origins of this famous beverage, and depicts the tension caused by a shared love for Taiwanese tea culture.”
Bringing the dead to life, Adamisin’s “Zombie Wagner” follows “a harrowing tale as contemporary opera diva Ava N.T. Gardner and mad scientist Dr. Badamisin journey to ‘save’ classical music by defying God and bringing composer Richard Wagner back to life.”
Abram’s work consists of piano, voice, fixed media, and a visual presentation of “a series of 82 etchings of the same name printed by the artist Francisco Goya between 1810 and 1820.” Abram warns the audience that viewer discretion is advised.
Finally, taking two of the largest and historical musical agencies, the Catholic Church and opera, and combining them, Simon’s “How They Made Salamanders” is “set during the creation of every living thing in Genesis 1:25-1:30.” Simon’s work takes a unique role as there is no piano accompaniment. Instead, the composer himself serves the role as a vocalist and instrumentalist on his acoustic guitar.
To keep in touch with future events, visit the BGSU College of Musical Arts event page at https://www.bgsu.edu/musical-arts/events.html.
