As One, an opera about a transgender woman coming into her identity, will be staged by the Lowell Chamber Orchestra with, for the first time, an exclusively trans and nonbinary cast.The piece, which premiered in 2014 and has had about 50 productions, features two vocalists portraying one character, Hannah — a baritone singing the part of Hannah Before and a mezzo-soprano as Hannah After as the opera traces Hannah’s evolution.
Some productions have had one of the parts performed by a trans artist, but the Lowell staging will have Rahzé Cheatham, an agender person of trans experience, as Hannah Before, and Tona Brown, a trans woman, as Hannah After.The performers and As One’s creators acknowledge the history-making nature of the production..