Performer: Ava Pine

After Life, a new opera by Tom Cipullo and David Mason that was commissioned by Seattle-based Music of Remembrance, imagines a posthumous confrontation between Gertrude Stein and Pablo Picasso and poses meaningful and moving questions about the power of art.

The Fort Worth Opera closed their 2012 Festival on Sunday afternoon with the second of two performances of Mark Adamo’s Lysistrata, or the Nude Goddess. After hearing a strong Marriage of Figaro at the festival Friday evening, I had fairly high expectations, some of which were met, others not.