A Live Multimedia Opera Performance

Is genetic engineering reconnecting the tree of life?

Will CRISPR gene editing change our idea of what defines a species? 

Is gene editing simply a continuation of our long history of modifying animals through selective breeding? Or is it something radically new? 

Xenotransplantation is the genetic engineering of pigs to have human compatible organs, and Xeno in Vivo delves into this new field of research, bringing the words of my original conversations with scientists to life with original music composed by Bethany Barrett. The opera asks the question whether CRISPR gene editing represents a radical rupture or rather a continuation of the millennia old practices of selective breeding. The live production brings multiple projections, sculpture, and live beating heart cells together on stage with four opera singers and the artist as narrator.

Xeno in Vivo premiered at the Exploratorium in San Francsico March 7 & 8, 2024