Losing Lily (2024)
an opera about dementia and music
“...flute, strings and piano created a warm sound, tinged with the nostalgia of memory and forgetting... Educational, yet emotionally stirring, Lily showed how music can make all the difference.”
- Natalie Ng, The Straits Times
Text by Jean Tay
Characters (3):
SINGER (LILY), soprano
SON (KUAN), tenor
CAREGIVER, mezzo-soprano
Instrumentation (7):
Piccolo/Flute/Alto Flute (1 player)
Percussion (1 player)
Glockenspiel, Crotales, Vibraphone, Bass Drum, Gong (or Tam-tam), Toy Piano,
Drum Set [Kick drum, Snare drum, Hi-hat] (may be substituted by Cajon).
Pianoforte
Violin (1)
Viola (1)
Violoncello (1)
Contrabass (1)
(Piano-vocal version available)
Duration: 60'
Blurb:
LILY (2022-2024) is a two-part project that explores the connection between music and dementia, initiated by vocal pedagogue and soprano Dr Wong Su Sun in collaboration with composer Chen Zhangyi and director Nora Samosir.
Part 1: The docu-opera A DAY A LILY (2022), is a 20-minute short film produced by librettist Jack Lin and directed by Lim Ziyu of The Floating Folks. The narrative of an opera singer who begins to lose her memory is interlaced with interviews from persons living with dementia, healthcare professionals, social workers, caregivers, as well as the creatives’ process of making the docu-opera. The docu-opera was supported by a SEPG grant from the National Arts Council (NAC) Singapore, and was first screened at the National Museum of Singapore on 29 June 2022.
Part 2: The chamber opera LOSING LILY (2024), with text written by playwright Jean Tay, tells a poignant story of the human mind – from brushes with forgetfulness in early onset dementia, to heart-wrenching moments of not recognising loved ones. The story unfolds across three scenes, with a trio of characters - the Singer (Lily), the Son, and the Caregiver. A work-in-progress version was performed at the Performance & Health conference on 30 November 2023 at La Salle College, University of the Arts Singapore. LOSING LILY premiered at the University Cultural Centre Theatre on 15-16 October 2024, with the support of Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of the National University of Singapore, and NAC.
At the core of this project, we hope to raise the social awareness of dementia. Our creative work stems from the research of the correlation of singing and the delay of the onset of dementia (Feng Lei et al, 2020). To quote one of the interviewees of the docu-opera, Alison Lim (a person living with dementia, founder of Dementia & Co) once said, 'dementia does not discriminate'. Dementia could affect anyone in our society, regardless of ethnicity, or social status.
The docu-opera A DAY A LILY may be screened before the staged opera LOSING LILY.
FULL SYNOPSIS: Scene 1 - BACKSTAGE (SINGER/LILY) The Singer, Lily is at her prime in her 40s. She is preparing herself backstage for a recital, and alternates between lamenting about her gruelling touring schedule as a prima donna, and warming up her voice through her improvisatory vocal routine complete with virtuosic coloratura (Another City, Another Show). However, signs of her forgetfulness have begun to creep in – having trouble memorising her lines. In a dream-like state, images of lilies appear in her subconscious and she wonders what all that could mean (I've Been Dreaming About Lilies). Suddenly, the phone rings and disrupts her reverie. Lily picks up the call, but she cannot figure out who the caller is. Soon, she regains her composure and reassures the person on the line that she is fine (My World Is Full Of Music). The instrumental ensemble warms up and begins to tune – the Singer’s cue to end the call. She goes on stage confidently to perform (The Chinese Song – Transition 1). Scene 2 - THE MUSIC LESSON (SINGER/LILY & SON) Twenty years later, the Singer is in her 60s. She is pottering around her music studio, and there is a piano at the corner. But something is off, Lily is slightly agitated, looking for something that she might have misplaced. The Son (Kuan) enters the studio with a bouquet of flowers, but she mistakes him for a student. He plays a fragment of the Chinese Song, triggering her memory, and she gets carried away. He feels defeated (She Can’t Remember Me). The lesson continues, and the Singer teaches the Son a new song, instructing him to just follow her (Song of Eurydice – I’ll Follow Your Voice). The duet begins with the Singer leading as teacher, while the Son follows as student. By the time they emerge from this opera-in-an-opera scene, they have switched around. The Son plays Orpheus leading Eurydice out of the otherworld, metaphorically leading the Singer out of her memories. At the end of this scene, Lily recalls the Son. She notices the daylilies – flowers of forgetting. Scene 3 - CROSSING WORLDS (CAREGIVER, LILY & SON) Another fifteen years later, Lily is now is her 70s (or 80s). She sits in a wheelchair in an elderly facility, looking out at the garden. The cheerful Caregiver enters, and makes an effort to speak a few words of dialect (Popo Zou San! Good Morning Popo!). The Caregiver tries to engage Lily with a toy xylophone; eventually the Singer gains confidence and finds her way to a tune she remembers. The Caregiver’s phone buzzes, and she excuses herself to speak to her sister about their elderly father. How she wishes she was there, instead of here (Giving Care). The Son enters, carrying a bunch of flowers. He is older now, in his 40s (or 50s). The Caregiver leaves them alone, to attend to other matters. The Son tries his best to interact with Lily, but she becomes increasingly distraught muttering in Cantonese. He insists that she accepts the daylilies, but she pushes the flowers off her lap. She gets louder and more incoherent, he raises his voice in frustration. The Caregiver notices the commotion, and comes over to intervene (What Is Going On?). She encourages the Son to go to her world, one step at a time, one note at a time (Go To Her). The Singer eventually responds to the Son’s attempt at music reminiscence, echoing him in a fragment of The Chinese Song. The Caregiver encourages the son, and shares about the elderly Lily’s daily routine (Her World Is Full). The Son reminisces the Singer’s younger days of performing on stage, spending time with together when he was young, and teaching him to play the piano (Her World Was Full). The Singer recognizes the Son, and they sing the Chinese Song that she had taught him. The Caregiver joins them in the singing (Trio - Fields Full of Lilies, Sun in our Eyes). The music fractures, dissolves, and the moment is broken once again. The Singer looks around in confusion, withdraws her hand from her son. The Son thanks the Caregiver and leaves (Thank You For That Moment).
LANGUAGES: Although the main language used in LOSING LILY is English (and variants of Singlish), the recurring Chinese Song is based on a Tang poem by Bai Juyi, sung by the Singer and the Son in Mandarin Chinese. In scene 3, the Singer (Lily) reverts to the Cantonese dialect, reflecting a common phenomenon in dementia patients who fall back on to languages used early on in their lives. In scene 3, the Caregiver attempts at a few words of Cantonese ‘Popo Zou San’ (Good morning, Popo). While on the phone with her family, the Caregiver briefly converses in Bahasa Indonesia. The cast of the premiere performance contributed to the translation and phrasing in close collaboration with the playwright, composer and director. English translation of Chinese poem: Chen Zhangyi Translation of English text to Cantonese: Wong Su Sun Translation of English to Bahasa Indonesia: Cindy Honanta & Nora Samosir
“这一幕的情感张力让人难以抗拒,我看到坐在右前方的一位年长观众也忍不住拭去眼角泪水。” (The scene was so emotional, I saw an elderly person in the audience tearing up.)
- Zhang Heyang, Lianhe Zaobao
LILY Full Premiere
15-16 October 2024, UCC
Review (Straits Times): https://www.straitstimes.com/life/travel/concert-review-powerful-performance-of-how-music-makes-all-the-difference-in-a-dementia-patient
Review (Zaobao): https://www.zaobao.com.sg/lifestyle/culture/story20241030-5256040
LOSING LILY - PREMIERE CREDITS University Cultural Centre Theatre, 15-16 October 2024 CREATIVES Chen Zhangyi Composer Jean Tay Playwright Wong Su SunCo-creator Nora Samosir Director CAST Wong Su SunSINGER/LILY, Soprano Jonathan Charles TaySON, Tenor Cindy Honanta CAREGIVER, Mezzo-soprano YST ENSEMBLE Chong Wai LunConductor Lee Yu Xian NatashaPiccolo, Flute and Alto Flute Viktoria Ivaylova MarinovaViolin Caitlin ChinViola Ren Zhiyi 'Ariel'Violoncello Yung-Ting HuangContrabass K.Gun MongkolprapaPercussion Frances LeePianoforte/Répétiteur RÉPÉTITEURS Aloysius Foong Répétiteur Soh WeiqiRépétiteur PRODUCTION CREW Samzy JoProduction Manager Esther TanStage Manager Alberta WileoLighting Designer Audrey LowSet Designer Nadia JovenStagehand Theresa ChanWardrobe Manager Nur Fa'iqahWardrobe Assistant Norehan Fong-HarunMakeup Artist Ischa SallehAssistant Makeup Artist Vivien TanHair Stylist Xavier HuiSurtitle Operator Poco Productions Video Production YST AUDIO CREW Calla LimAudio Coordinator Zhou XiaodongAudio Coordinator Alicia HoAudio Crew Brandon Keasberry Audio Crew Chan Leo WynnAudio Crew Luke NgAudio Crew Nea Jie XiAudio Crew PROJECT COORDINATORS Benny LimProducer (YST) Ong Shu Chen Liaison and Marketing (YST) Faezah Zulkifli Marketing (YST) Wong Su Sun Project Initiator & Coordinator Chen Zhangyi Project Coordinator Tang Poem 《酬梦得比萱草见赠》by Bai Juyi (白居易)