UNC Opera: Scenes from ATLAS

Between 2018 and 2019, 7 children died in US detention:

Darlyn Cristabel Cordova-Valle, 10
Jakelin Caal Maquín, 7
Felipe Gomez Alonzo, 8
Juan de León Gutiérrez, 16
Wilmer Josué Ramírez Vásquez, 2½
Carlos Hernandez Vásquez, 16
Mariee Juárez, 20 months

We have seen images of the border and of the detention facilities holding migrant children. We have heard their testimony and witnessed their pain. Now, it is time that we act.

UNC Opera seeks to tell the story of one family’s journey from El Salvador to the U.S.-Mexico border with our production of Meredith Monk’s ATLAS. We have reconfigured the musical score and devised our own narrative to tell a story of a boy and his dog as they make the journey from El Salvador to the US-Mexico border. This video production is produced in collaboration with Susan Harbage Page and that the puppets were created by Tarish Pipkins (AKA Jeghetto).

Special thanks to the National Endowment for the Arts, Arts Everywhere, UndocuCarolina, UNC Latinx Center, Carolina Performing Arts, the Office of the Provost, Institute for the Arts and Humanities, and the UNC Process Series.

View the premiere of UNC Opera’s ATLAS on YouTube. This pre-recorded production will be available for viewing after the initial premiere.

To get a glimpse into our journey with this story, the music, and the lessons we’ve learned along the way, read “ATLAS: Telling their stories.” The process has been one of collaboration, understanding, heartache, and hope. We have engaged with primary and secondary sources to tell this tale as responsibly as possible.

This performance is part of the Scholarship Benefit Concert series. While performances are virtual we are waiving the $10 general admission tickets for this series. If you would like to make a donation to the department in honor of this performance, please visit https://music.unc.edu/support/.