Written and composed by Zeph Siebler

Magpie’s Song is an operatic pop musical centered around three folk tales from Chinese mythology. Every night, the audience chooses the order in which these stories are brought to life on stage. In “Ten Suns”, an archer comes out of retirement to stop a catastrophic drought, only to find himself caught at the center of a struggle for the chance at eternal life. In “A Festival in Conflagration”, a painter conjures up memories of a deadly fire in her newest painting, calling into question who really lit the match, and what it means to be a monster. In “River of Stars”, a mortal spends a day with the daughter of the Celestial Emperor, and they have to decide what’s worth sacrificing to live out a star-crossed love. The piece as a whole explores what it means to tell a story, and the beguiling and human way a powerful story can wash over what is real.