The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs: Opera Meets Silicon Valley

This summer, The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs has been selling out at the Santa Fe Opera.

An opera about the life of Steve Jobs seems incongruous at first, but composer Mason Bates and librettist Mark Campbell have found the sweet spot between classical and contemporary music that brings Jobs’s life from childhood to iphone to the stage.

The performance mixes electronic music with opera singers― a move which some critics have found refreshing, but which most have found detrimental to the operatic performances.

One thing that this opera is not is an advertisement for Apple. The company logo is never used, and the iphone is only referred to as “one device.” Instead, the performance’s 18 scenes put Jobs in a human perspective, showing his struggles with his own humanity and his attempts to find peace via Buddhist practices.

Whether it’s because of the opera’s controversial mix of musical genres or its tech-centered storyline, the performance has been so intriguing to critics and operagoers that performances have been extended until August 25.

To find out more about the opera and watch the trailer, visit the Santa Fe Opera’s website here.