Clark Art Institute

Rome was one of the greatest civilizations in 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, an opera composed by American Modern Opera Company (AMOC*) member 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, a ridiculous number of characters, and an emperor with a chicken fetish.