Rosenbaum and Li
JUNE 2026 | RAY CHARLES CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
Composer: Dina Pruzhansky
Librettist: Hai-Ting Chinn
World Premiere Performance
Amid the social upheaval of the 1960s, two graduate students, one Chinese American, one Jewish American, fall in love in Atlanta, defying expectations from their families and the world around them. As their relationship unfolds across San Francisco and Rochester, their mothers begin an unlikely correspondence that challenges deeply held beliefs.
Blending humor, history, and heart, this story explores identity, family, and the courage it takes to choose love in a divided world.
2027 NOW Festival
NOW Festival
June 5 – 13, 2027
Ray Charles Performing Arts Center
96-Hour Opera Project
competition showcase
June 12, @ 7:30pm
Ray Charles Performing Arts Center
Rosenbaum and Li
New Work World Premiere
Friday, June 11, 2027 at 7:30pm
Sunday, June 13, 2027 at 3:00pm
Ray Charles Performing Arts Center
Synopsis
In 1966, William Li, a Chinese American graduate student, and Rebecca Rosenbaum, a Jewish American chemist, meet in Atlanta and quickly fall in love amid the turbulence of the Civil Rights era. As their relationship deepens, their families, rooted in different cultures and histories, struggle to accept their union.
From San Francisco and Rochester, their mothers, Oay and Mina, begin an unexpected correspondence in an effort to keep the couple apart. But as letters are exchanged, resistance turns into connection. Through stories of immigration, war, and survival, the two women discover shared experiences that challenge their assumptions.
Meanwhile, William and Rebecca face discrimination, from social pressures to the denial of a marriage license despite changing laws. Ultimately, their families are forced to confront their fears.
When they finally come together for a wedding in Rochester, what emerges is not just a marriage, but a hopeful vision of a more open and inclusive future.
Creators
Dina Pruzhansky
Composer
Dina Pruzhansky is an award-winning composer and pianist whose work spans classical concert music, cabaret songs, liturgical works, and musical theater. Born in Azerbaijan to Jewish Ukrainian parents and raised in Israel, she now lives in New York City. Praised for her “cinematic, movingly evoking” compositions (Broadway World) and music that “bring[s] forth the liveliest playing” (The New York Times), she has performed at Carnegie Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Symphony Space, The 92nd Street Y, and international festivals and broadcasts including WQXR-FM.
Hai-Ting Chinn
Librettist
Hai-Ting Chinn is a mezzo-soprano and librettist whose career spans music from medieval to contemporary works and theatrical styles ranging from performance-practice to experimental opera. She has appeared in productions including La Didone with The Wooster Group and the revival of Einstein on the Beach, as well as numerous monodramas written specifically for her. In recent years, Chinn has become known for combining science communication and music, particularly highlighting women in STEM.
