White Snake Projects

Home
United States
Boston, MA
White Snake Projects

There is no more effective tool for cross-cultural understanding than cultural immersion through music, drama and dance.

Like the legendary White Snake demon who becomes human to live intensely, White Snake Projects transforms our present day experiences into original new opera made in America. White Snake Projects (formerly the Friends of Madame White Snake) is a grassroots organization of individuals who are inspired by thestory of one individual's yearning for that one bright life defining moment that illuminates

who we are and gives meaning to our existence. The White Snake’s transformation from demon to human to experience that most human of all emotions – love - is a meditation on what it means to be human, a meditation that continues in us all. In 2007, the Friends began to forge alliances with Boston community groups for outreach and education programs to build bridges between the Asian and mainstream American communities through multicultural projects. The Friends were instrumental in raising the money to fund their first multicultural project with Opera Boston, Madame White Snake, a new American opera based on the ancient Chinese Legend of the White Snake, and to sponsor its tour to the Beijing Music Festival. Madame White Snake premiered in Boston and Beijing in 2010 and won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize in Music for its composer, Zhou Long. Building on the success of Madame White Snake, White Snake Projects, (formerly the Friends of Madame White Snake) is bringing newly commissioned opera based on original stories by Cerise Jacobs to Boston’s mainstage over the next five years. This endeavor kicks off in 2016 with OUROBOROS Trilogy which comprises three operas - Madame White Snake, Naga and Gilgamesh. It will premiere at the Cutler Majestic Theater in September 2016. As part of OUROBOROS’ activities, the Friends plan to hold libretti readings by local celebrities Boston’s Chinatown and other venues, and produce a children’s play, "When the White Snake Cries," based on the iconic Legend of the White Snake, at the Boston Children’s Museum.

2017 brings REV. 23, a satiric farce which traverses hell, paradise-on-earth and everywhere in between. White Snake Projects is planning community events involving discussion of concepts of good and evil, heaven and hell in Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Buddhism. Please visit the PROJECTS section of this website for a full discussion of all our projects. We are grateful for our past collaborations with Opera Boston, Beth Morrison Projects, Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center, the Boston Mayor’s Office, the City of Hangzhou, China, the Brookline Public Library, and Primary Source. The Friends continue to renew old alliances and forge new ones. We are proud to be collaborating today with ArtsEmerson, Beth Morrison Projects, Boston Lyric Opera, Celebrity Series, New England Conservatory, Boston University Music Department, Boston Baroque, Boston Midsummer Opera, Boston Children’s Museum, Brookline Public Library and many others. It has been a remarkable journey, and it continues...

We hope you will join us.

03/10/2026

THIS is what Boston looks like.

Show Out Boston is back — one stage, one city, countless young artists showing up and showing out for their communities.
Thursday night, come witness what happens when Boston’s youth arts organizations come together. No rehearsed perfection. Just real talent, real heart, real Boston.

📍 Hibernian Hall
🗓 Thursday | 7PM
🎟 Link in bio

Your presence matters. These young artists deserve a full house. Come show out for them. 🙌

02/27/2026

BOSTON! Show up and SHOW OUT to support the future of performance art in your community.

Last year, organizations from across the city gathered at Hibernian Hall to share their work, introduce their programs, and connect directly with audiences. Youth performers took the stage. Staff members spoke about the missions behind their art. Tables filled the lobby with flyers, conversations, and new collaborations.

This is what it looks like when a community invests in its own artists.

White Snake Projects founded Show Out Boston to uplift historically marginalized creators and create space for live, local expression. The artists you see here are building their voices in real time, right here in Boston.

Join us on March 13, 2026 at 7PM at Hibernian Hall in Nubian Square.
Free tickets available online.

Come early. Meet the organizations. Stay for the performances.

02/25/2026

Free tickets available online (Link in Bio). Food tickets available during registration.

In a time when so much of what we see is generated, polished, and instantly produced, it’s worth asking where art actually comes from.

White Snake Projects was founded to uplift the voices of historically marginalized creators and artists, and to use opera as a way to open public discourse around the issues shaping our lives. Show Out Boston is one expression of that mission.

On March 13, organizations from across the city will gather at Hibernian Hall to share recent work, introduce themselves, and connect directly with the community. Each group will present up to eight minutes of performance and host a table so audiences can meet the people behind the work.

The artists you’ll see are not abstract. They rehearse here. They study here. They build programs here. Many are young artists whose voices are actively shaping Boston’s cultural future.

When you attend, you support local organizations, youth leadership, and live performance rooted in lived experience.

Show Out Boston
March 13, 2026
7:00 PM
Hibernian Hall, Nubian Square

Join us.

02/18/2026

We’re thrilled to introduce the composers for Sing Out Strong: Revolutionary Voices, part of our multi-year community-based activist project amplifying revolutionary and Indigenous voices through new song. This initiative celebrates diverse musical expressions and platforms marginalized voices.

Veronika Reutz Drobnić, an internationally recognized Croatian composer and performer, creates innovative, visually driven scores and multimedia works.

Austin Oting Har, a composer, writer, and performer, bridges ancient philosophy, global performance traditions, and cutting-edge music technology.

Aidan Teplitzky, a Manchester-based composer, explores themes of class, culture, and détournement. He collaborates with leading orchestras and ensembles, bringing a fresh perspective to traditional musical forms.

Victoria Malawey, a composer, songwriter, and scholar, centers her award-winning vocal and chamber works on healing, catharsis, and the expressive power of the human voice.

Jonny Incipido, a q***r Cebuano-Filipino composer and producer, amplifies underrepresented voices through his music and interdisciplinary collaborations.

João Ricardo, a Portuguese composer and doctoral researcher, premieres his operatic and contemporary works at leading ensembles and festivals in Portugal.

Ty G. Bloomfield, a composer and curator, presents immersive, socially engaged works across the US and Europe, addressing social and political issues.

Yike Zhang, a Toronto- and New York–based composer, blends Western classical traditions with Chinese cultural aesthetics in her innovative performances.

Lingbo Ma, a Chinese-born, US-based composer, seeks clarity and narrative depth through refined simplicity in her music commissioned by major institutions.

Kirsten C. Kunkle, a Native American soprano, composer, librettist, and Artistic Director, celebrates her powerful voice, internationally commissioned compositions, and deep connection to her Mvskoke heritage, creating a unique sound that resonates with audiences.

Learn more at our website — link in bio.

02/17/2026

We are excited to announce the composers for Sing Out Strong: Revolutionary Voices, a community-based project amplifying revolutionary and Indigenous voices through new song.

Veronika Reutz Drobnić, a Croatian composer, is known for her innovative, visually driven scores and multimedia works featured at major festivals in Europe, Japan, and beyond.

Austin Oting Har, a composer, writer, and performer, blends ancient philosophy, global performance traditions, and music technology to create genre-defying sound worlds.

Aidan Teplitzky, a Manchester-based composer, explores class, culture, and détournement through interdisciplinary work with leading orchestras and ensembles in the UK and Europe.

Victoria Malawey, a composer, songwriter, and scholar, focuses on healing, catharsis, and the expressive power of the human voice in her award-winning vocal and chamber works.

Jonny Incipido, a q***r Cebuano-Filipino composer and producer, amplifies underrepresented voices and explores identity and belonging through his music and collaborations.

João Ricardo, a Portuguese composer and doctoral researcher, has premiered operatic and contemporary works with leading ensembles and opera festivals in Portugal.

Ty G. Bloomfield, a composer and curator, creates immersive, socially engaged works presented by renowned ensembles and festivals in the US and Europe.

Yike Zhang, a Toronto- and New York–based composer, synthesizes Western classical traditions with Chinese cultural aesthetics in performances across North America and Asia.

Lingbo Ma, a Chinese-born, US-based composer, seeks clarity and narrative depth through refined simplicity in her music, commissioned by major institutions like Dutch National Opera and Tanglewood.

These composers will collaborate with community writers and the White Snake Projects team to create original songs for piano and soprano, to be performed across Greater Boston in Spring 2026.

✨ Learn more about the composers and the project at our website — link in bio.

02/05/2026

Hear Julian’s performance this weekend 🎶

Join Horizon Ensemble for Stronger Together — a concert celebrating the power of music to build community. The program features Elgar’s Enigma Variations alongside exciting contemporary works and world premieres.

📅 Sunday, February 8 — 3:00 PM
📍 Church of the Covenant
67 Newbury Street, Boston
🎟️ Free admission (suggested donation $25)
♿ Wheelchair accessible

If you’re in Boston, come support Julian and experience a powerful afternoon of music together.

01/29/2026

Freedom is not free. We have to work at it, nurture it, protect it, and even sacrifice for it.

This administration’s fear of immigrants has returned with a vengeance—leaving real people harmed, families torn apart, and lives lost. In moments like this, it can feel impossible to know what ordinary people can do.

White Snake Projects is an activist performance company. Activism is not separate from our art—it is the reason we make it. We resist hate by telling stories shaped by lived experience, stories that reflect our shared humanity and demand that we see one another fully.

We may not be on the streets of Minnesota, but we are resisting in the way we know best. Today, we are sharing Sing Out Strong: Immigrant Voices, a concert series featuring songs with lyrics written by immigrants, alongside I Am A Dreamer Who No Longer Dreams, our response to the revocation of DACA and the separation of families as a tool of fear.

Now, more than ever, we cannot make art for its own sake. Through storytelling, we activate change—and we invite you to listen, to witness, and to stand with us.

The opening quote comes from Alex Pretti, one of the American citizens killed by ICE. He lived his words. We carry them forward as a call to action.

Thank you for listening. Your time is precious.

01/22/2026

THANK YOU ARTISTS!

Let’s Celebrate! 3 was built together — in conversation, in rehearsal, in shared questions, and in the trust each person brought to this work.

This project lives because of the artists and creative team who co-shaped it with generosity, curiosity, and deep care for one another.

🎙️ Performers:
Maggie Finnegan
Carina DiGianfilippo
Chihiro Asano
Scott Ballantine

🎼 Creative Team:
Liliya Ugay (Composer)
Felipe Pérez Santiago (Composer)
Cerise Lim Jacobs .jacobs
Tony Solitro (Composer)
John de los Santos (Librettist)
Cara Consilvio (Director/Lighting)
Tianhui Ng (Conductor)
Julian Gau (Asst. Conductor/Pianist)
Jeffrey Petersen (Production Manager)

🎻 Orchestra:
Justin Ouellet .in
Linda Hwang .hwang
Yuseok Seol

This wasn’t about individual moments.
It was about what became possible between us.

With gratitude,
White Snake Projects 🖤

📸 Photos by Kathy Wittman
© Ball Square Films

01/19/2026

Thank you to for the invitation to take part in Embrace Honors MLK: Friends & Family.

Last night was a powerful reminder that legacy is not something we inherit quietly — it is something we practice together. Through music, gathering, and shared presence, we honored the lives and vision of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, and the Beloved Community they called us toward.

Grateful to stand alongside artists, leaders, and neighbors in a space where art serves community and joy is an act of celebration.

01/18/2026

Art in service of community.

We are honored to perform at Embrace Honors MLK: Friends & Family, an evening of music, gathering, and celebration honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

As Dr. King reminded us, “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality.” We believe the arts are one way that network comes alive — through shared presence, shared sound, and shared responsibility.

Grateful to stand with and our community in this moment of remembrance and joy.

01/10/2026

🎟️ Get your tickets now (link in bio) — because Requiem Tomatina is bringing Spain’s legendary tomato festival to the opera stage.
“Figuring out how to logistically have a tomato fight on stage has been really fun…”  —and underneath the comedy, it’s about “connect[ing] with people around you and your culture and your neighbors…” and “really experiencing life… through times of uncertainty.”

🍅 Let’s Celebrate! at BCA Plaza Theatre (539 Tremont St, Boston) — Sat, Jan 10, 2026 (7:30 PM) + Sun, Jan 11, 2026 (2:00 PM).
 🎟️ Pay-What-You-Can tickets starting at $0 — grab yours before this weekend sells out.

Address

Boston, MA

Website

http://www.whitesnakeprojects.org/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when White Snake Projects posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Establishment

Send a message to White Snake Projects:

Shortcuts

Want your establishment to be the top-listed Arts & Entertainment in Boston?