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Joachim Schamberger, director; Alan Pierson, conductor; Victor Huls, graduate assistant conductor; Contemporary Music Ensemble

Pre-performance talks with Joachim Schamberger, Alan Pierson, and David T. Little November 21 and 22, 6:45 p.m. in the Jean Gimbel Lane Reception Room

Don’t miss the Chicago-area premiere of the opera the New York Times called “a taut, nuanced work that clawed beneath the surface of every situation.” With music by David T. Little and libretto by Royce Vavrek, Dog Days is based on the dystopian short story by Judy Budnitz. As war rages in a not-so-distant future and a starving American family slowly unravels, they discover a man in a dog suit on their property, howling for scraps. The opera raises numerous questions: Is it madness, delusion, or instinct that guides us through trying times? Where is the line between human and animal? At what point must we surrender to our animal instincts merely to survive? This first-time collaboration between the Contemporary Music Ensemble and Northwestern Opera Theater is led by Alan Pierson, who conducted the 2012 Dog Days premiere at the Kasser Theater, at New Jersey’s Montclair State University. Composer David T. Little will coach the cast and ensemble in this challenging, gripping, and affecting work.

This production contains material that may be upsetting to viewers, including realistic depictions of violence, firearm and drug use, adult situations, and significant amounts of explicit language.

Pictured: John Kelly and Lauren Worsham in the world premiere production of Dog Days at Peak Performance @ Montclair, produced by Beth Morrison Projects. Photo: James Daniel