FIRECRACKERS!, a new opera by composer Guang Yang and librettist Paula Cizmar, premieres in December 2022 in the Let’s Celebrate series, produced by White Snake Opera. The Boston-based company specializes in world premieres of brand new operas. Under the artistic leadership of Cerise Lim Jacobs, White Snake is devoted to making “mission-driven work that unites art-making with civic practice.” The groundbreaking opera company envisions a world where art can transform and enlighten. Yang and Cizmar’s opera, FIRECRACKERS!, looks at another way to celebrate the holidays, recognizing the various cultures that make up America. In the opera, Mei, a Chinese American, is on a mission in Chinatown to close up the family business when she encounters her old friend Nessa, an Italian American, who grew up in the adjacent Little Italy. As the two of them attempt to deal with loss right before the Spring Festival (aka Chinese New Year), they come to terms with the changes in their lives as they revisit the rituals of Spring Festival celebrations. For more information, click here.