The Zafa Collective: I Did, Did I? (In-Person)

Join us for the world premiere of I Did, Did I? by Liza Sobel, libretto by Liza Sobel and Gina Elia, performed by The Zafa Collective.

An apartment. A seemingly innocuous conversation about the relative benefits and drawbacks of going out. But as the conversation continues, it is clear that all is not what it seems.

I Did, Did I?, written by Liza Sobel Crane with libretto by Sobel Crane and Gina Elia, was commissioned by the Zafa Collective and will be performed by: Liza Sobel Crane, Christina Pecce, Hannah Christiansen, Kelly Quesada, Suzanne Hannau, Nico Chona, Louise Chan, and Josh Graham, conducted by Maurice Cohn. The opera is in English and will last one hour. Please note that the opera discusses sexual assault.

The Zafa Collective was formed in 2016 by co-founders Hannah Christiansen (violin) and Casey Karr (double bass). Built upon the idea that classical music should be inclusive and accessible both in terms of programming and performance, The Zafa Collective actively seeks music from outside the canon of Western art music and from a wide variety of aesthetics. Zafa has a core group of eight musicians, and regularly performs with guest artists. This model of flexible instrumentation allows the Collective to choose their repertoire with no limitations.

In their first two seasons, The Zafa Collective premiered works by Michal Massoud, Theo Chandler, Connor Singh Vanderbeek, Erin Cameron, and Derek Tywoniuk, and workshopped with composers including Ellen Ruth Harrison, Eliza Brown, Augusta Read Thomas, Roger Zare, and Sato Matsui. A 2017 Sponsored Artist of High Concept Labs, Zafa has performed with Chicago groups including Chicago Fringe Opera and has performed in a range of venues from Mana Contemporary to Constellation Chicago to the Poetry Foundation. 

Poetry Foundation's events are completely free of charge and open to the public. This performance will include live captioning and ASL interpretation. If you require any other accessibility measures, please contact us by emailing [email protected].

All guests over the age of two must wear a mask inside the Poetry Foundation building. Guests over the age of five must show proof of vaccination and booster up to the level to which they are eligible for their age group. Guests over the age of 18 must show ID alongside their proof of vaccination. If you cannot meet these requirements, you will not be granted entry to the event. All in-person events will be made available online for free at poetryfoundation.org/video. Please note that some performers may choose to perform without a mask.

These guidelines are up to date as of March 7, 2022.