Words and Music by Michael Dellaira, with additional music by Nuka Alice Lund.

Commissioned and developed by Nancy Manocherian’s The Cell Theatre, and New Amsterdam Singers, with support from New York State Council on the Arts.

This one-act folk opera by composer Michael Dellaira, based on the best-selling 1856book of the same name by American explorer Elisha Kent Kane, touches on themesof exploration, discovery, spirituality, and our relationship to the natural world. Dellairas score for soloists, chorus, and a small ensemble of instruments isinspired by 19th-century American popular and folk tunes, sea shanties, and hymns.

The world premiere performances in March 2024 were conducted by Clara Longstreth, with stage direction by Kira Simring. Co-presented by the New Amsterdam Singers and the Cell Theatre, Arctic Explorations featured the Harlem Chamber Players with guest Nuka Alice, an Inuit drum dancer who collaborated in the creation of the work.

Siarnaq: Nuka Alice
Elisha Kent Kane: Colin Levin
Margaret (Maggie) Fox: Nicole Haslett
Lady Jane Franklin: Erin Brittain
President Zachary Taylor: Michael Celentano

Naxos Records will release Michael Dellaira’s ARCTIC EXPLORATIONS on November 28, 2025

praise for Dellaira operas:

Eloquent sensitive vividly scored – New York Times

Compelling austere, yet expressive – Opera News

“Haunting harmonies” – New Music Box

A master of setting texts – Fanfare

Clever and engaging – American Record Guide

Superbly crafted .. exquisite” – Opera

Concentrated and spare … with a wide range of feeling – The American Scholar