The Pigeon Keeper

Composer: David Hanlon
Librettist: Stephanie Fleischmann
Company: Santa Fe Opera

Synopsis

An archetypal Mediterranean island. Orsia and her father go fishing on the anniversary of Orsia’s mother’s death and catch a refugee boy like a fish out at sea. 

Who is this boy? Where is his family? Why won’t he speak? Determined to find him a home, Orsia makes her way through a village full of closed doors. Only the pigeon keeper, an outsider from far away, responds to the boy, serving as the key that unlocks the child’s voice, which, in turn, becomes a balm for a family made brittle by loss.

A fable for now, this magic-realist tale explores the myriad ways we respond to “the other” in the face of today’s mass migrations—and celebrates the kindness of strangers, the power of human connection, and the unexpected places we find home—and family.