Bio & Curriculum Vitae
MARIANNA MOTT NEWIRTH: A librettist and creative producer, Marianna hails from an eclectic background of theatre and bookbinding. She's written numerous short operatic works performed from Toronto to Munich, including: Blue Hum, Where is the Stillness and When Falling...Dive with composer Peter Michael von der Nahmer Transmission II with composer Rabbi Bronwen Mullin, and Transportation Transformation with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart arranged by Richard Pearson Thomas commissioned by the NY Opera Alliance.
Her first full-length opera t-o-u-c-h on the life of Helen Keller with composer/co-librettist Carla Lucero premiered January 2024, commissioned by Opera Birmingham. In March of that same year, Marianna premiered a new 20-minute opera Mechanisms with composer J.E.Hernandez commissioned by Opera Theatre of St. Louis for the New Works Collective along with her cohorts, Deborah DEEP Moutin/Jasmine Barnes and J Mae Barizo/Ronald Maurice.
Marianna participated in the Anthem to US project at Lincoln Center Library and studied at the Composer-Librettist Studio in Washington DC, led by Ben Krywosz of Nautilus Theater and Susan Galbraith of Alliance for New Music-Theatre.
Marianna’s straight theatrical pieces include: Bachelor’s Agreement, Correspondence Theory and notably, Interabled at the Queen’s Theatre for All Fest.
To close out her banner year of 2024, OPrak will premiere Newirth’s short mono-opera Fluffernutter with composer Spice Carr in a December program titled There Will Be Cake!
As a Creative Producer:
Marianna proudly serves as CoFounder and Executive Producer of Opera Praktikos, New York City’s disability-affirmative opera company. From 2022 to 2024 she was president of the New York Opera Alliance (NYOA); in the first cohort of the BMP:Producer Academy with Beth Morrison; and involved in the Creative and Independent Producer’s Alliance (CIPA). She was Executive Director for dell’Arte Opera Ensemble (dAOE) where she produced the 2021 Opera in the Park series in a variety of Manhattan’s public parks. Marianna also produced When Falling...Dive in 2020 before being shut down by Covid and came back in 2022 to produce Orlando in a community garden thereby giving birth to the idea of an accessible opera company we now call OPrak.
In her spare time she's written and curated white papers for academic journals including the Music & Medicine Journal as well as HowlRound Theatre Commons and is currently developing an historical-fiction novel on the life of her ancestor, Lucretia Coffin Mott.
Photograph by Scott Newirth
List of works
PUBLICLY PRESENTED LIBRETTI
Mechanisms - March 2024 world premiere
a 20 minute opera about a neurodivergent girl in her 5th grade math class.
Music by J.E. Hernández - Libretto by Marianna Mott Newirth
Commissioned by Opera Theatre of St. Louis
part of the New Works Collective - 2nd cohort
t o u c h - January 2024 world premiere
a full-length opera on the radical life and works of Helen Keller
Music by Carla Lucero - Libretto by Carla Lucero & Marianna Mott Newirth
Commissioned by Opera Birmingham
Lady of the Shield Arm, Rise Up - 2023
With composer Del’Shawn Taylor commissioned by Really Spicy Opera presented at New York Opera Alliance NYOANext event in The Bronx April 22, 2023 based on a character from the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Featuring Deaf actress - Amelia Hensley, Mezzo soprano - Shanley Horvitz and Pianist - Saffron Chung. Produced by Opera Praktikos
Fluffernutter Peanut Butter - 2022
With composer Spicer Carr for the NYOANext Spring showcase - New York Opera Alliance
Nia Wa Ja Shu|Be A Hero - 2020
With composer Peter Michael von der Nahmer and co-librettists Tatiana Wechsler & Anita Prestidge
Commissioned by Camerloher Gymnasium performed in Freising, Germany
Where is the Stillness - 2020
With composer Peter Michael von der Nahmer
Commissioned by Susanne Kessel for ‘250 Piano Pieces for Beethoven’ published and performed in Bonn, Germany
Transportation Transformation - 2019
A modern story set to the works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. An opera marathon written, arranged and presented in collective effort within 24 hours as part of the New York Opera Alliance Opera Fest.
Commissioned by NY Opera Alliance & performed at WNYC/WQXR’s Jerome L Green Space streamed live on Facebook April 2019
Blue Hum - 2018
With composer Peter Michael von der Nahmer & co-librettist Anita Prestidge
Commissioned by The Art Song Collaborative Project and performed at Tapestry Opera in Toronto, ON
Transmission II - 2015
With composer Rabbi Bronwen Mullin
The Artist’s Beit Midrash at T&V Synagogue, NYC
OPERA WORKSHOPS:
New Works Development at Seagle Festival August 2022
The Human Rights New Works Festival at Red Mountain Theatre, Birmingham, AL. September 202
Opera Theatre of St Louis New Works Collective October 2023
SELECTED PLAYS
Interabled - Queens Theatre for All Festival NYC 2019
Bachelor’s Agreement - Manhattan Repertory Theatre New Works Festival NYC 2018
Correspondence Theory - The Workshop Theater Space 2018
God & Mrs. J - The Artist’s Beit Midrash at T&V 2017
DRAMATURGY
Princess Maleine | world premiere by dell’Arte Opera Ensemble
Music by Whitney George - Libretto by Bea Goodwin
GALLERY EXHIBITIONS - Visual Art
WomensWork.Art - Shown From Afar: Art During the Pandemic 2020
WORKS CURRENTLY IN DEVELOPMENT
a full-length opera on the radical life and works of Helen Keller
Music by Carla Lucero - Libretto by Carla Lucero & Marianna Mott Newirth
Ready and available for second & third production runs. Please inquire
a 20-minute opera about a neurodivergent girl
and the fifth-grade math class she has to get through.
Music by J.E. Hernández - Libretto by Marianna Mott Newirth
Commissioned by Opera Theatre of St Louis' New Works Collective
ARTISTIC MANAGEMENT WORK
Executive Director/CoFounder - Opera Praktikos 2022 - present
Executive Director - dell’Arte Opera Ensemble 2020 - 2022
Office Manager - KeyBank Real Estate Capital 2007 - 2020
Producer of Radio & TV - Jewish Theological Seminary 1999 - 2007
VOLUNTEER MANAGEMENT WORK
Executive Committee for New York Opera Alliance / 2020 - Currently serving as President
Selection Panelist for the JMK Innovation Prize of the JM Kaplan Fund 2021
Selection Panelist for Queens Arts Fund New Works Grant 2020
Program Assistant for Women Between Arts Curated by Luisa Muhr 2018
Board President of Town & Village Synagogue 2014-2016
Board Member of New York YMCA Summer Camps 2007 - 2011
Vice Chair for the Interfaith Broadcasting Commission 1998 - 2007
HONORS / AWARDS & NOMINATIONS
DEiO nominee for OPERA America's Digital Excellence in Opera award 2023
New York Emmy Award Nominee as Producer for Outstanding Religious Programing:
To God's Ear: Music and Song of the Jewish Liturgy 2001
Faith First: Second Career Clergy 2002
EDUCATION, DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS & RESIDENCIES
OTSL New Works Collective Residency - March & October 2023
Really Spicy Opera Aria Institute - 2022
Sandglass Theater Puppetry Intensive - 2021
BMP Producer’s Academy (cycle 1) - 2020
Guerilla Opera Libretto Writing Lab - 2020
Dramatists Guild Institute 2018 & 2019
The New School - MA in Media Studies -2009
Stephen’s College - BFA Theatre Arts - 1985
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIP
Dramatists Guild of America
Opera America
New York Opera Alliance
PAGES Playwrights & Actors Collective