Academy of Sacred Drama: Giovanni Bononcini’s oratorio La conversione di Maddalena
The Academy of Sacred Drama presents a powerful Lenten reflection: a musical drama by Giovanni Bononcini, his oratorio La conversione di Maddalena (1701). In this tale of the conversion of Mary Magdalene, the beautiful courtesan walks away from a life of pleasure, influenced by her persistent sister, Martha.
Tickets are $15–$55. To buy tickets, visit our TICKETING WEBSITE
Though we perform without sets or costumes, the Academy’s performances tell a story through emotive gestures and subtle movement-based staging. The style of singing and instrumental music is unique and poignant. After seeing one of the Academy’s performances, an audience member remarked, “Opera has never appealed to me, but I think that oratorio is my thing!”
We have a stellar cast for A Change of Heart: Awet Andemicael, soprano, is cast as Mary Magdalene, and Janna Critz, mezzo-soprano, plays the role of her sister Martha. Nola Richardson, soprano, appears as Divine Love and is set in opposition to John Taylor Ward, bass-baritone, as Profane Love.
Jeremy Rhizor, music director and violin | Tony Lopresti, movement director | Adam Cockerham, associate music director and theorbo
About Academy of Sacred Drama
The Academy of Sacred Drama seeks to revive one of humanity’s great art forms present in rituals, in liturgy, and on stage: the sacred drama. We do research and make editions and translations in order to present moving performances of theatrical musical works for our community. The Academy’s work is made possible by our members, volunteers, musicians, and other performing arts professionals. In past seasons, we presented oratorios to critical acclaim that have not been heard in around 300 years. The Academy was featured in an article in Commonweal Magazine, and our artistic decisions were declared “striking” by the New York Times. Our work was also featured in Early Music America online. We perform without sets or costumes, and our performances tell a story through emotive gestures and subtle movement-based staging. The style of singing and instrumental music is unique and poignant. After seeing one of the Academy’s performances, an audience member remarked, “Opera has never appealed to me, but I think that oratorio is my thing!” Our area of focus is on the sacred dramas of the Baroque era—which draw upon the legendary stores of the Judeo-Christian tradition and combines them with poetic verse and classical references. Much of the genre has yet to be explored in our time. This 2022–2023 season, the Academy of Sacred Drama celebrates the coming of Christmas and Easter with oratorios by one of the most celebrated composers of his day: Giovanni Bononcini (1670–1747), a contemporary of G.F. Handel. In December 2022, we will present Bononcini’s San Nicola di Bari (1693), a musical drama which reveals the untold story of the early life of St. Nicholas—before he became known for giving gifts in secret. And in March 2023, Mary Magdalene gets caught between the influence of Profane and Divine Love in La Conversione di Maddalena (1701). We will perform at St. James the Less Church in Scarsdale, NY and at St. Vincent Ferrer Church in New York City. Learn more about our season and get tickets at sacreddrama.org.