Welcome to Harvard College Opera’s 2021 production, Of Wink and Trance: A Dream Pastiche. On behalf of our staff, artists, and board, we are so excited to invite you into what has become our collective dreamscape over the past weeks and months. Of Wink and Trance is a world guided entirely by our own imaginations, at once vivid and hazy, sinister and curious, and sobering and enchanting. 
 
For our now 31-year-old company, Of Wink and Trance represents both departure and continuity. Departure, because the circumstances have challenged us to create a completely original, for-the-screen production for the first time ever — while sprawled across the globe! Continuity, because we have always defied limitations, surpassed expectations, and come together to do what only we can do. 
 
Back in the spring and summer of 2020, when our board met to plan a season in the wake of COVID-19, not staging a production was simply not a consideration. And not only were we determined to put on a show, we were determined to stay connected — and to further our mission of making opera more inclusive and accessible to our communities — by offering virtual performance and learning opportunities throughout the year. Thanks to the support of the Office for the Arts at Harvard, the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, the Harvard-Radcliffe Dramatic Club, and Opera for Peace, we have been able to curate one of our most imaginative seasons to date. 
 
I want to take a moment to highlight the behind-the-scenes efforts that made this production possible. First, Rick Frank, Tom Morgan, Dana Knox, and Alicia Anstead: your patient, nurturing guidance has shaped not only what HCO has done, but also what we have become. Our producers, Serena, Clarissa, and London: without your selflessness, dedication, and meticulous attention to details, Of Wink and Trance would have been just that — a dream. Our directors, Benjy, Elaine, Chloe, and Ian: throughout this whole process, you forged ahead with passion and courage, re-framing every obstacle as an opportunity. Our graduating senior board members, Nivi and Kath: you set an example for the rest of us to follow. And our board at large — Benjy, Natalie, Alex, James, Kath, Alina, Ava, Yeokyeong, Sam, April, Nivi, Arhan, and Serena — working alongside each and every one of you has been a great privilege of my undergraduate career. 
 
If you enjoy this production, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to HCO. Your support enables us to continue our work as a space of innovation, inclusion, collaboration, and community. For more information, please visit our website at harvardcollegeopera.com. 
 
Thank you for joining us, and stay well!