Rome is Falling
An AMOC* Production
Conceived and composed by DOUG BALLIETT
Ariadne Greif*, soprano
Reggie Mobley*, countertenor
Paul Appleby, tenor
Doug Williams*, bass-baritone
Joe Monticello*, flute
Clay Zeller-Townson*, bassoon
Keir GoGwilt, violin
Coleman Itzkoff, cello
Doug Balliett, composer/double bass
Josh Stauffer*, electric guitar
Elliot Figg*, keyboard I
Mikael Darmanie*, keyboard II
Jonny Allen, percussion
Young person’s choir* (with Caitlyn Koester*)
*Denotes guest artists
Rome was one of the great civilizations of the world, yet, like all empires, it fell. Why, and how?
The story is a mixture of politics, betrayal, immigration, religion, climate, pandemic, natural disaster, xenophobia, and bad luck–in short, everything human, and everything we face today.
Rome is Falling, conceived and composed by Doug Balliett, is a zany lesson on the absurdity of what can happen when powerful people lose power. In his ever-prescient, ever-joyful way, Balliett brings audiences of all ages on a musical journey through a world that includes lollipops, an absurd amount of characters, and an emperor with a chicken fetish.
Upcoming Performances:
August 10, 2024, 4pm
The Clark Art Institute
Williamstown, MA
Performed as part of the Ojai Music Festival, June 2022
Photo by Jill Steinberg
“…intensely personal and charged with a sense of ritual and sacrament”
SF Chronicle Datebook