Icons/Idols: Irene

ICONS/IDOLS: IRENE Teaser

A new musical audio drama by the Byzantine Choral Project tells the unlikely story of a child bride who rises to the heart of Byzantine power. Harboring a treasonous secret that marks her as the enemy of her husband and son, Irene must finally choose her side in the iconoclastic wars. With a haunting score inspired by Byzantine chant and featuring the voices of ten women and non-binary performers, ICONS/IDOLS: IRENE is a sweeping story of ambition, sacrifice, and the struggle to make something new out of a shattered world.Featured in the critically acclaimed sound installation at New Ohio Theatre in NYC, this podcast was adapted from a stage play in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and recorded remotely by a cast of ten from their homes across the US. Premieres September 22 with new episodes on Wednesdays.Written by Helen Banner. Composed by Grace Oberhofer. Featuring Hilary Asare, Iris Beaumier, Isabella Dawis, Hannah Eakin, Julia Izumi, Grace Oberhofer, Lukas Papenfusscline, Shanta Parasuraman, Yael Shavitt and Kay Weber. Music Direction by Robert Frost. Audio Engineering by Nathan Leigh. Sound Design by Grace Oberhofer and Nathan Leigh. Featured Foley Artist Nicole Orabona. Produced by Emily Caffery. Learn more about the Byzantine Choral Project at www.byzantinechoralproject.com.

ICONS/IDOLS: IRENE First Listen: Episode 1 Excerpt

Listen to an excerpt of episode one of ICONS/IDOLS: IRENE, a musical audio drama by the Byzantine Choral Project. Premiering September 22 with new episodes every Wednesdays, this new serial podcast tells unlikely story of a child bride who rises to the heart of Byzantine power. Harboring a treasonous secret that marks her as the enemy of her husband and son, Irene must finally choose her side in the iconoclastic wars. With a haunting score inspired by Byzantine chant and featuring the voices of ten women and non-binary performers, ICONS/IDOLS: IRENE is a sweeping story of ambition, sacrifice, and the struggle to make something new out of a shattered world.Written by Helen Banner. Composed by Grace Oberhofer. Featuring Hilary Asare, Iris Beaumier, Isabella Dawis, Hannah Eakin, Julia Izumi, Grace Oberhofer, Lukas Papenfusscline, Shanta Parasuraman, Yael Shavitt and Kay Weber. Music Direction by Robert Frost. Audio Engineering by Nathan Leigh. Sound Design by Grace Oberhofer and Nathan Leigh. Featured Foley Artist Nicole Orabona. Produced by Emily Caffery. Learn more about the Byzantine Choral Project at www.byzantinechoralproject.com.ICONS/IDOLS: IRENE was adapted from a stage play to a podcast in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Its development has received support from OPERA America, New York Council on the Arts, The New Ohio/IRT Archive Residency, The Tank, and New Georges. An excerpt of ICONS/IDOLS: IRENE was shared with live audiences at New Ohio Theatre in May 2021 in the immersive sound installation ICONS/IDOLS: IN THE PURPLE ROOM.

ICONS/IDOLS: IRENE First Listen: "Look On Me"

A first listen to the song "Look On Me" from ICONS/IDOLS: IRENE, a musical audio drama by the Byzantine Choral Project. Broadway World hailed the work as “gripping, emotional and eerily beautiful” when an excerpt was featured in a sound installation in NYC in May. “Grace Oberhofer has composed a truly fantastic acapella score. It has a gorgeous ability to evoke the sacred and the spooky all at once,” writes No Proscenium. Interludes raved, “It calls to mind the haunting compositions of the late Elizabeth Swados.”Premiering September 22 with new episodes every Wednesdays, this new serial podcast tells unlikely story of a child bride who rises to the heart of Byzantine power. Harboring a treasonous secret that marks her as the enemy of her husband and son, Irene must finally choose her side in the iconoclastic wars. With a haunting score inspired by Byzantine chant and featuring the voices of ten women and non-binary performers, ICONS/IDOLS: IRENE is a sweeping story of ambition, sacrifice, and the struggle to make something new out of a shattered world.Written by Helen Banner. Composed by Grace Oberhofer. Featuring Hilary Asare, Iris Beaumier, Isabella Dawis, Hannah Eakin, Julia Izumi, Grace Oberhofer, Lukas Papenfusscline, Shanta Parasuraman, Yael Shavitt and Kay Weber. Music Direction by Robert Frost. Audio Engineering by Nathan Leigh. Sound Design by Grace Oberhofer and Nathan Leigh. Featured Foley Artist Nicole Orabona. Produced by Emily Caffery. Learn more about the Byzantine Choral Project at www.byzantinechoralproject.com.ICONS/IDOLS: IRENE was adapted from a stage play to a podcast in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Its development has received support from OPERA America, New York Council on the Arts, The New Ohio/IRT Archive Residency, The Tank, and New Georges. An excerpt of ICONS/IDOLS: IRENE was shared with live audiences at New Ohio Theatre in May 2021 in the immersive sound installation ICONS/IDOLS: IN THE PURPLE ROOM.

E02 - Bride Show

Staurakios organizes a Bride Show to find a wife for Leo, but the Emperor is too sick to follow Staurakios’ plans. Irene is unexpectedly elevated, but makes an enemy out of her competitor Cyra and her powerful iconoclastic brothers.ICONS/IDOLS: IRENE was written by Helen Banner and composed by Grace Oberhofer. Featuring Hilary Asare (Narrator), Iris Beaumier (Cyra), Isabella Dawis (Constantine VI), Hannah Eakin (Constantine V), Julia Izumi (Court), Grace Oberhofer (Court), Lukas Papenfusscline (Staurakios), Shanta Parasuraman (Megaris), Yael Shavitt (Leo) and Kay Weber (Irene). Music direction by Robert Frost. Audio engineering by Nathan Leigh. Sound design by Grace Oberhofer and Nathan Leigh. Featured foley artist Nicole Orabona. Produced by Emily Caffery. Learn more about the Byzantine Choral Project at www.byzantinechoralproject.com/podcast.If you enjoyed this episode, you can support our work by making a tax-deductible donation to the Byzantine Choral Project at byzantinechoralproject.com/donate. Thank you for listening!

E01 - Paint Me

A teenage Irene prepares to sail to Constantinople with her best friend Megaris to present herself as the perfect bride for the Caesar Leo, son of the icon-hating Emperor, but can’t bear to leave behind her mother’s icon. Meanwhile, Leo tries to please his dying father under the shadow of his eunuch Staurakios’ warnings that war is coming.ICONS/IDOLS: IRENE was written by Helen Banner and composed by Grace Oberhofer. Featuring Hilary Asare (Narrator), Iris Beaumier (Cyra), Isabella Dawis (Constantine VI), Hannah Eakin (Constantine V), Julia Izumi (Court), Grace Oberhofer (Court), Lukas Papenfusscline (Staurakios), Shanta Parasuraman (Megaris), Yael Shavitt (Leo) and Kay Weber (Irene). Music direction by Robert Frost. Audio engineering by Nathan Leigh. Sound design by Grace Oberhofer and Nathan Leigh. Featured foley artist Nicole Orabona. Produced by Emily Caffery. Learn more about the Byzantine Choral Project at www.byzantinechoralproject.com/podcast.If you enjoyed this episode, you can support our work by making a tax-deductible donation to the Byzantine Choral Project at byzantinechoralproject.com/donate. Thank you for listening!