MEDIA RELEASE Eternity and Transformation - in 25 minutes Constantine Koukias’ internationally acclaimed chamber opera KIMISIS – FALLING ASLEEP, is making its Sydney premiere this March as part of Art Month and the Greek Festival. Koukias has created a haunting theatrical depiction of death and ascension into the afterlife, in an installation-style, avant garde piece, that is sure to exhilarate audiences. The Kimisis Feast of the Eastern Orthodox Church commemorates the Dormition - the "falling asleep", or death and assumption into Heaven - of Mary, the mother of Christ. Composer/Director Constantine Koukias takes this sacred ritual as his inspiration in a work that captures the moment of transcendence of the mortal soul. Whilst the piece will resonate to those raised within an Orthodox belief system directly, the universal appeal of KIMISIS is that it provides a theatrical, experiential foray into our own ephemerality. All audiences will be equally moved by the full pantheon of ritualistic elements and production effects which direct the human senses to this unique window between the imminent and the transcendent. The custom designed seating by award winning architects Elvio Brianese and Peta Heffernan, adopts the panopticon prison idea, which allows an individual to observe (-opticon) all (pan-) prisoners without the incarcerated being able to tell whether they are being watched. As such, the audience will be inextricably immersed in the ritual itself. Dramatic Soprano Irene Sarrinikolaou will be revisiting the principal role for the Sydney season, in an IHOS production. IHOS works are multicultural, multilingual and exploit multiple art-forms, blending voice, dance and sound with installation art and digital technology. KIMISIS - FALLING ASLEEP For Soprano, Electric Trombone & DJ A Chamber opera (Sung in Ecclesiastical Greek) By Constantine Koukias Performances: 25th to 28th March 2015 6:30pm, 7:15pm, 7:45pm & 8:30pm Venue: Verge Gallery Jane Foss Russell Building City Rd. University of Sydney (Adjacent to the Wentworth Building) Media: for more information, cast bios, photos and interviews, contact Irene Sarrinikolaou on 0422 834 654 or via email at [email protected]