Funding for Colores was provided in part by New Mexico PBS Great Southwestern Arts & Education Endowment Fund, and the Nellita E. Walker Fund for KNME-TV at the Albuquerque Community Foundation McCune Charitable Foundation New Mexico Arts, a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs, and by the National Endowment for the Arts and Viewers like you A timeless story of courage, transformation, and an enduring love that transcends convention.

Composer Tobias Picker and baritone Lucia Lucas share insights into the making of the Santa Fe Opera's American premiere of the groundbreaking, Lili Elbe.

>> Lucas: I█m Lucia Lucas, and I will be singing Lili Elbe in Lili Elbe next summer at the Santa Fe Opera.

Lili Elbe was a painter of Danish landscapes and was married to Gerda Wegner, who was also a painter, except of portraits and people.

The reason why her story is so significant is because she was actually one of the first people to undergo what we now understand as gender affirmation surgery.

>> Picker: I wanted to write an opera about the Stonewall uprising, so I reached out to Lucia Lucas, who in the teens the 20 teens was coming to prominence in Europe as a as a major artist who was a trans woman.

And as we became friends over time, I remembered the story of Lili Elbe and I realized this is a really strong operatic character and a very strong story for opera.

>> Stollman: We went back to original sources from her time because there was a lot written about her.

To construct this story for the opera and to recreate her life as best we could.

Lucia Lucas served as dramaturg, and I've learned a lot from her in constructing the story and understanding what Lili Elbe might have gone through.

>> Lucas: The story means so much to me.

This is the first large scale opera about a trans person written for a trans person, and we get to see not just the happy moments, and not just the sad moments, but the complex moments, the moments of of negotiation.

>> Picker: John Crosbie commissioned me to write my first opera ever for Santa Fe.

It was an unforgettable experience.

It was one of the greatest joys of my life.

And working with Mr.

Crosbie, with John, he was a mentor for me.

>> Lucas: I was an apprentice in 2008 and 2009, and this is my first time coming back as a principal artist.

And it's an honor to come back as a title role and for an American premiere.

It's such a wonderful, I guess, full circle moment.

>> Stollman: Lucia Lucas, Syliva D█Eramo.

It will be the 30th anniversary of Tobias█ first opera.

Emmeline putting that all together at the fantastic Santa Fe Opera is like a dream come true for us.

>> Faith: Tobias, you composed Lili Elbe.

So what inspired you to turn Lili Elbe's story into an opera?

>> Picker: Two things.

One, I'm always looking for new opera subjects.

And in 2015, I saw the film The Danish Girl, which is about Lili Elbe.

And this film is based on a book of the same name, which was based on the same material that we used to write the opera.

Mostly Lili's own memoirs.

But when I came out of the theater, I remember thinking to myself, boy, this is -- this life is really an opera.

But how would you ever do it?

How could it ever be done?

Then, a few years later, I was, at the time, artistic director of the Tulsa Opera, and I was casting Don Giovanni.

And I met Lucia who auditioned for me, and cast her a Don Giovanni.

And she became the first trans woman to play on the American stage -- opera stage in 2018.

But around 2018, we became friends.

During this process -- I remembered the story of Lili Elbe and I asked her if she wanted to play Lili Elba and without hesitating, said, “yes, I do, that's my story.” Her story, the trajectory of her life and the the love story between Lili and Gerda really makes it into a very, almost exact, actually very traditional opera.

In that sense, she's an operatic heroine in many of the same ways that butterfly is, or Tosca or Violetta.

I'm a traditionalist as a composer.

So, and I write arias with soaring melodies and -- music that is -- capable of being taken home by the audience and remembered.

>> Faith: Yeah.

Speaking of that, what was your process for giving, like musical shape to Lili's self-discovery and transformation?

>> Picker: Well, Lili has a theme.

As soon as she enters the art gallery, we hear, we hear Lili's theme.

And that threads like a like a light motif throughout the entire opera.

And it changes -- She's already begun her transition when she appears as Lili, that's when we first hear her music.

Her theme changes with her over the course of the opera.

So the music that announces her entrance early on in the opera becomes the music of her -- The final aria of act one, her death aria.

But it changes with her emotions.

>> Faith: Oh that's beautiful.

>> Lucas: The register, the whole feeling of it, even though it's the same leitmotif.

>> Picker: Yeah.

>> Faith: Wow, that█s amazing, and Lucia you wore multiple hats in this opera.

You were singing as Lili, and you were also the dramaturg.

So what did each of those roles allow you to bring to Lili Elbe?

>> Lucas: As a dramaturg, I was preparing myself to hand off -- raw ideas to my performer self.

I mean, of course, it's like talking with Tobias and Aria you know, but still having the idea in my head.

Well, I'm actually eventually going to perform this and sing this.

So as a dramaturg, you know, trying to make it -- trying to make it nice for myself, like in the, in the thing with, you know, just putting Lili in the score, you know, it just makes it easier or I definitely don't need to see Lili's name before she transitions, because that's a hard, that's a hard reality of life, right?

And this is something that we talked about is like, when you come out, you come out and eventually maybe you do a legal name change, right?

Well, it takes a lifetime until you stop getting mail that has the old name on there.

Like it's that's just the reality of it, you know?

And every single time you see that, you're like, but that's not, that's not me, that's not me.

And that's maybe a previous version, maybe not even, that's somebody who I had to be at that time.

So I guess I made it as -- I was hoping that we could make it as easy as possible for me, the singer, eventually, so that I can just do my singing job once the rehearsal comes.

Which is hard enough reliving these moments, you know.

>> Picker: All of the libretto, which -- is referring to was carefully vetted.

I mean, aria and -- so he would sometimes say, “Well, would -- would she feel this, would she feel that?

Can we, can we say this?

Can we say that?

And is it true to your experience?” >> Lucas: Over five years, really.

And I'm guessing that even on this production, if there was something that needed to be changed?

I'm sure that it would be adjusted to like it's a -- in that way, it's sort of a living -- it's a living piece, you know.

Where we're trying to do it as authentically as possible.

Of course, like -- it's our lens from now.

Looking at Lili a hundred years ago, you know, using a lot of our terminology to help understand her story, >> Picker: I wanted to mention that -- I don't see this opera as a -- yes, it's about the trans experience, but it's not only about the trans experience.

It has, it has a larger framework, a larger view.

So it is about our experience too to because the opera, through the words and music and singing and everything else it gives us -- the space and the opportunity to -- feel what another human being who might be different from us in some ways, is feeling.

And for us to realize that we are all human.

I thought a lot about this during the composition about -- I think Gandhi said, “all men are brothers.” So taking the gender out of that statement, I say we are all siblings.

And that for me is the takeaway of this opera.

And that for me is the hope that once people see it, they'll want to see it again, because Lily has made a decision that is, that is going to change the course of the entire her entire life and the entire story.

Just as Tosca -- she makes a decision to kill Scarpia.

That's going to change her entire life and lead to her own end.

Or Violetta making -- a big decision to let her lover go.

I see Lili█s -- Lili█s life in -- very much in those kind of terms and -- it's important for people to realize that musically -- I see my music in that same tradition, so that the music gives people an emotional catharsis, that gives them this new character to live with for their whole lives.

People, once they've discovered Tosca or Violetta or Butterflies, they then live with that character their whole lives and it changes their lives for the better.

>> Faith: So I want to talk about Gerda a little more.

So she's such an important figure in this story and, you know, not just as Lili's wife, but also as the artist that makes her visible.

So what did you both come to understand about Gerda and Lili's love?

>> Lucas: Tobias could talk about this just as easily as I could.

But this... this is a love story This is a love story.

And it's -- it's almost like a missed connections love story, you know?

And at the very beginning, we see this beautiful relationship of two people who are just like kids in love, even though they've been together for a while.

You know, they're so playful, they're so fun, and they just absolutely love each other.

And it's like souls.

It's not like, oh yeah, man and wife or anything like that.

And no, it's just two kids having fun, you know, and they just love each other so much.

And one of the one of the tragedies of this opera is that I think it's Lili's fault.

But Lili can't ever just pause and look around and see how good her life is.

Because if we stop the story at so many different points before they drift apart.

We have this loving relationship where Gerda is inspired by Lili.

Lili is her muse.

Like she goes from being like a pretty good painter to being stunning from art critics being like, “yeah, okay.” To being like, “wow, who's?

Who is that?” She's like, “That's Lili, you know?

That's my muse.” It's funny because Lili's kind of traditional.

She's like, well, women do this and they do this and they have husbands and they like she has for her time.

She has an idea of -- what women do and how women are.

And it's almost like she's trying to do these things.

And she's like, “okay, get a husband, have a baby.” And then in the end -- >> Picker: She also stopped painting.

She'd been a successful painter herself.

And as soon as she transitioned, she stopped and said.

Lili doesn't paint.

Einar painted, Lili doesn't paint.

Because then you look back at that period, and women artists.

You know, people didn't bring up their children to become women artists.

And 100 years ago, it was, it was rare.

So it's understandable that her perspective was very different from our modern day women.

>> Lucas: She was fine with Gerda being a painter.

[laughs] >> Faith: Right.

>> Lucas: She was like, “yeah, but, women don't do that.” But Gerda did.

>> Faith: Yeah.

>> Picker: The thing about Gerda is that she wanted to stay with Lili.

Even though -- Lili was being herself, it didn't matter.

She was in love with Lili.

And Lili had always been Lili.

She mourns the loss of her husband, but she still wants Lili, and Lili is -- Don't be absurd.

Two women can't get married.

In fact, there's a little duet where they -- at Gerda█s wedding, they argue about this and Gerda says, “I wish, I'd married you instead.” Because Lili says you look so unhappy.

It's your wedding day.

She says, “I wish I'd married you instead.” >> Faith: Aww.

>> Picker: And Lili says, “don't be ridiculous.” “How could two women marry?” >> Faith: Aww.

>> Picker: That's one of my favorite lines in the opera.

>> Faith: Yeah.

>> Picker: It's so funny today.

>> Lucas: She's so traditional.

Like, she's so convinced that, like, yeah, of course she can -- She's a woman, right?

Lili is like, yes, I am a woman, but two women getting married.

No, that's ridiculous.

So, like from our current vantage point, it's like, I hope the audience can enjoy that and, like, get a little giggle out of it because it is it's cute, you know, and it's like, wow.

Lili's frame of mind was like, so different.

And if she could have just like -- again at that moment, just like paused a second, like, what if -- yeah, what if two women.

What if we could just paint and be happy, you know?

>> Faith: So there's a painting session with Gerda.

So how did you go about composing that very emotional moment?

>> Picker: I would say that it is not exactly the moment of Lili's self-discovery.

It's more of the -- I think it's more the moment that Gerda starts to realize that Lili is Lili.

In the opera, she█s always been Lili, and -- but Gerda doesn't is -- she comes to realize it over time -- when her model doesn't show up for her sitting.

Gerda says to Lili, “why don't you put on Anna's robe?

Because I just need to finish her legs and the portrait will be done.” And she puts on the robe, and -- she's very comfortable in it.

And she says to -- She sings to Gerda -- What do you see when you when you look at me now?

And Gerda has this big aria, big soaring aria, called, I See a Woman and she says, I see a woman, a beautiful woman.

I see a woman named Lili.

>> Faith: Wow, so it's more about Gerda█s realization then.

That's more of her -- >> Picker: I would say so, at that moment.

>> Faith: Wow.

>> Lucas: Yeah.

I think that this this moment is being -- is being looked at in another light, just like Tobias said, I think that -- this moment is a bit of Lili coming out to Gerda.

In a little bit of Gerda being like, “yeah.” Because right before that, Lili says, “Gerda, would you call me Lili?” She's like, “yeah, I'll call you Lili.

Sure, Lili.” And then it's like, later on she only realizes, like, oh, no, this is for real.

So like, there's a whole story leading up to that moment.

Yeah, I See a Woman is a beautiful, beautiful aria.

That's probably the most beautiful aria in the piece.

And it's also because there's this, like, beautiful realization of the two of them together, and it's before they start to drift apart.

>> Picker: So these are the words of the aria I See a Woman by Aryeh Lev Stollman, my librettist.

I see a woman, a beautiful woman.

I see a woman named Lili.

Look up because she's posing for her.

Turn your leg.

Look off to the side.

Very pretty, truly very pretty.

Can it be that you are still a man?

You're the model of my dreams.

I see a woman, a beautiful woman, etc.

and then Lili responds, when you paint me now I feel I have always been her.

Yes, it's as if I have always been her.

And then Gerda goes on.

It is quite uncanny and theatrical.

I have this sudden feeling as if the gods had begun to play games, and changed me into Orpheus, and made of Einar, my wife.

Then she says, look, I've let the paint fall from my brush.

Oh, I want to paint her again and again.

Don't stop, my dear Lili.

And she goes on, turn your head, look up to the sky.

Very pretty.

Can it be that you're still a man?

And then at the end she says, oh, Lili, if the gods had made you a woman, I would love you all the same.

>> Faith: That's wonderful.

>> Picker: The words are very inspiring musically.

>> Faith: Yeah.

>> Picker: And inspired.

As I mentioned earlier, I've written eight operas, but I think that's my best aria.

>> Faith: Why is that?

Why do you think it's just the most?

>> Picker: It's just the most... It's just the most lyrical or soaring I've written.

Wow.

>> Faith: Wow.

>> Picker: I have a great librettist.

>> Faith: That█s wonderful.

>> Lucas: When, I came to New York, one of the one of the many times I came to New York, I remember I was reading the the very last scene before you -- I'm not sure if you had, if you had written and musically yet, but Aria had gave me the words and I just was bawling on the couch.

>> Picker: I had an experience when I finished the opera and I made the double bar at the end.

I burst into tears because she does die and it's very sad.

they're declaring their love for each other even though they've gone off their separate ways and that basically their love will go on forever.

>> Faith: So why does Lili's story feel so important for each of you to tell now, in this moment?

>> Picker: This story would have felt important for me to tell, at any moment, because it's so -- it's so dramatic and it█s -- it's dramatically true to life and it resonates with everyone's experience.

Not everyone is going to transition, but everyone goes through transitions in their life and transformations.

So this story is not tied to this particular historical moment that it was written in.

It happened to be written now, but it could█ve been written 50 - 80 years ago.

It could have been written in 150 years.

It's one of those -- it's just one of those -- She gave us one of those great stories, and it's a great story for opera, and it's part of the tradition.

>> Lucas: I think -- Yeah, it's always great to see stories of people whose lives are different than ours.

So we can be reminded that, like, we -- just as you said, you know, we're all siblings, even if we have different trajectories of our life.

You know, we live in different times, we live in different places.

But if we can see the world through somebody else's lens, you know, I think it's great for our own understanding of our fellow humans.

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Funding for Colores was provided in part by New Mexico PBS Great Southwestern Arts & Education Endowment Fund and the Nellita E. Walker Fund for KNNM TV at the Albuquerque Community Foundation McCune Charitable Foundation, New Mexico Arts, a division of the Department of Cultural Affairs, and by the National Endowment for the Arts and viewers like you.