Kiss My Sword

COMPOSER | Meta Cohen
LIBRETTIST | Evan Bryson
DIRECTOR/DRAMATURG | Alyson Campbell

Kiss My Sword will be a new queer opera about the life of 17th century sword-fighter, opera singer and queer icon Julie D’Aubigny.

Julie D’Aubigny was an infamous persona: a lover of women, fencer, defeater of men in fencing duels and, indeed, opera singer notable for the creation of many operatic roles. Many - often contradictory - stories have been told about her, offering a rich tapestry for exploration.

This opera will delve into a life lived with audacity and our search for queer lineages throughout history, asking why we are still so drawn to Julie D’Aubigny today.

Opera coming 2026; song cycle coming 2025.

The first music from the opera will be presented as a song cycle as part of

Lyric Opera presents Kiss My Sword
14 May 2025, 7:30 PM, fortyfivedownstairs (Naarm/Melbourne, Australia)
fortyfivedownstairs Chamber Music Festival