Opera Unwrapped: Angel's Bone

Angel's Bone presents a harrowing contemporary parable about human trafficking and exploitation. Two angels descend to Earth seeking to understand human suffering, only to become victims themselves when they are captured and enslaved by a seemingly ordinary suburban couple. The opera unfolds as a dark meditation on complicity, cruelty, and the capacity for evil lurking beneath the veneer of normalcy. Through fragmented narratives and visceral musical language, the work interrogates how society enables and perpetuates violence against the vulnerable. The angels' journey from celestial observers to tortured captives becomes a mirror reflecting humanity's indifference to systemic oppression. Joyner's score combines contemporary classical techniques with raw emotional intensity, creating an unsettling soundscape that refuses easy resolution or redemption.