In March 2024 Dutch National Opera will present the world premiere of The Shell Trial by Ellen Reid and Roxie Perkins, based on the prize winning play De zaak Shell by Rebekka de Witt and Anoek Nuyens.
Following the success of their Pulitzer Prize-winning chamber opera p r i s m, Reid and Perkins have centred their second opera on a 2021 legal case in which oil company Shell was ruled legally responsible for its contribution to climate change.
The libretto offers a nuanced consideration of guilt, culpability, and the possible consequences of the climate crisis, with archetypal characters (“The Artist,” “The CEO,” “Climate Refugees”) each given a chance to offer their perspectives.
The Shell Trial opens with Dutch National Opera on March 16 with stage direction by Gable and Romy Roelofsen. The work is commission by Dutch National Opera, in co-production with Het Geluid (Maastricht), Opera Philadelphia and Bregenz Festival.
Ellen Reid has also been appointed Composer in Residence at the prestigious Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. On April 11, audiences can hear a concert which will feature work by Ellen as well as works that inspire her performed by members of the Concertgebouw orchestra in the beautiful Kleine Zaal. More events involving this inspiring and gifted American composer will unfold as the season proceeds, including a new work for the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and their Principal Conductor Klaus Mäkelä.
