On Thursday, May 21, Gallery Particulier hosted a moving monodrama by Jay Saint Flono, a resident artist with Killer Queen Opera. We were thrilled to welcome Killer Queen Opera back to our space after the success of Madam last November.
Jay St Flono is a composer, writer, actor and last, but not least, sopranista. A lot of talent in one person. And so charming too! They were accompanied by pianist Giulia Magarelli.
Church Boys Don’t Become Artists tells the story of a child trying to find their own way despite the narrow expectations of the people around them.
Jay who wrote the monodrama, words and music, talked about having had issues with their own father. It was meaningful to them to be performing with the exhibit Unboxed: Black Fathers Are Present all around them.
The audience also took the time to enjoy Dáreece Walker’s compelling art when we had a social time after the performance.
The work explored what it means to grow into yourself when the world around you expects you to be different from what you truly are. It was deeply personal, emotional, and at moments very funny and warm. Jay played with a lot of gusto various parts in the drama.
We really enjoyed the way the audience became part of the performance itself. At times the singers sat among the audience members, breaking down the usual distance between performer and listener. People reacted, laughed, responded, and even sang along at certain moments. By the end of the recital we all felt connected to each other: between audience members themselves, and between the audience and the performers.
The singing throughout the evening was beautiful, and it was a privilege for us to host this event. We are very grateful for our collaboration with Christina Swanson and Karina Camille Parker, the wonderful founders and co-directors of Killer Queen Opera, whose work continues to bring daring, intimate, and meaningful performances into our community. We try to do the same with visual arts, aligned missions!!
