NOBODY
IS EVER
MISSING
A new opera based on the novel by Catherine Lacey
“No one is anything more than a slow event and I knew I was not a woman but a series of movements, not a life, but a shake.”
Synopsis
Elyria is hitchhiking alone across New Zealand. She has left everything and everyone in her life behind her. As she spends more and more time in her own head, she eventually comes to terms with what it means to escape and the impossibility of escape from herself.
Cast
Elyria (soprano)
The “Wildebeest” (percussionist)
Instrumentation
Flute
Clarinet in Bb / Bass Clarinet
Piano
Violin 1
Violin 2
Violoncello
Program
Nobody Is Ever Missing was originally conceived to premiere with an interstitial work by Tim Holt for SATB vocal quartet, titled Anchorites. In performance, this work anticipates and reflects on themes and images from the opera. However, other relevant music can also be effectively paired on a program.
Performance History
January 17-19, 2025. The Voxel Theater, Baltimore, MD. Photos by Chris Ashworth and Dave Iden.
October 3 - 5, 2025, Stony Run Park (3904 Linkwood Road), Baltimore, MD. Photos by Mike Maguire.
Press and Reviews
Nobody Is Ever Missing previewed to sold out audiences over a three-night run at the Voxel Theater. Its outdoor premiere was met with similar enthusiasm, drawing crowds of a hundred-plus attendees to Stony Run Park. Feedback from both events praised the dream-like pacing, clarity of the text, and the inventive approach to staging.
Quotes
Mind on Fire presents a compelling and immersive interior journey by Alex Baker of the Washington Classical Review (January 18, 2025):
“Holt’s score is singularly concerned with, and succeeds at, precisely distilling the feeling of the nothingness and drift of wandering alone with your thoughts.”
“Holt’s score brings into relief the melancholy undercurrents in Lacey’s novel. Halting musical figures for strings and clarinet convey aimlessness, while circular vocal lines mirror the character’s churning thoughts.”
“Such “immersive” theater experiences are hard to do well, but the restraint and clarity the production elicited about these private emotions made this performance effective.”
Technical Information
The music of Nobody Is Ever Missing is designed for flexible theatrical presentation. All instrumental parts may be performed live or via audio playback. The score is divided into 17 movements grouped into 3 parts. Other works may be performed between parts.
Rights & Permissions
The copyright to the original text is owned by Catherine Lacey. Text rights and permissions for any new production must be arranged and granted through agreement with The Wylie Agency. The music and related rights are managed exclusively by the composer.