Design and Implementation of a Multimedia Opera

While the traditional notion of "opera" describes a production that incorporates musical elements with other art forms and media, the conceptual and technical considerations required to mount an electronic multimedia opera add significant layers of complexity. Design issues including projecting visual media, the implementing of an immersive audio environment and maintaining synchronization (between live singers and digital music, 3D computer animation, stage lighting and projected imagery) add to the standard list of compositional and production challenges. An overview of the design and implementation of such a production, StarChild: The Opera, offers a primer in the musical and extra-musical considerations that are required to realize a large-scale composition in an electronic mixed media environment. (This short paper was presented as a poster at the 1996 International Computer Music Conference in Hong Kong. It is published in the proceedings.