Opera for the Dead 祭歌
By Mindy Meng Wang & Monica Lim
Most of us have lost someone dear to us. We juggle shock and grief while dealing with the practicalities of funerals. Traditional mourning rituals, passed down for thousands of years, can provide a comforting structure while colliding dissonantly with contemporary life.
Through Opera for the Dead, we explore these dissonances - the tension between spirituality versus materialism, the eternal versus digital convenience, and the contrast between our experience of grief versus the performance of grief for public consumption and display.
We evoke the emotional stages and rituals of a traditional Chinese funeral with colourful ancestral altars, traditional music, a wailing chorus and ceremonial dress, as we are guided by the Wu Changs, the guardians of the underworld.
Although presented through the lens of Chinese culture, experiences of death, mourning and ancestry are universal. To create this work, we drew on our own personal experience of loss. All of us have imagined losing a loved one or leaving our loved ones behind. We invite you to journey with us, considering the connection between here and the afterlife.
In Opera for the Dead, we highlight beauty within anguish and find humour in the macabre. We lament that life and death part us but hope to meet again in our dreams.
This is our spirit offering of music and art for those whom we have loved and lost.
Mindy & Monica
Digital Altar
清晨，茶香袅袅，烟雾氤氲，
父亲总会端起一杯茶，点燃一支烟。
他已离去多时，然每当水声轻响，雾气升腾，
我仿佛仍见他静坐于前，茶暖，烟轻，岁月如昔。
Every morning, my father would drink a cup of tea and smoke a cigarette.
He has been gone for a long time.
Yet now, every morning when I boil water,
I seem to see him still sitting there, drinking that tea, smoking that cigarette.
Pain
薤上露，何易晞，
朝来复凝暮还稀。
人去兮，何时归？
长思对月空自悲。
父去后，何处栖？
魂梦千里我心知。
念远别，转瞬飞，
岁月匆匆不待期。
人生似梦终将离，
转眼寒霜已满衣。
愿君灵，常梦归，
聊慰此心恨难违。
Dew on the shallot leaves, how swiftly it dries,
By morning it gathers, by evening it flies.
The departed, oh when shall they return?
Long I ponder, gazing at the moon, my heart forlorn.
Since my father left, where does his spirit dwell?
In dreams, across a thousand miles, I know it well.
Memories of our parting vanish in a fleeting day,
Time rushes on, leaving no moment to stay.
Life, like a dream, ends in farewell’s decree,
In a blink, frost now cloaks my weary sleeves.
May your spirit linger, often return in dreams,
To soothe this heart burdened by grief’s eternal streams.
White Happiness
幻生還幻滅
大幻莫過身
安心自有處
求人無有人
Illusion appears, illusion ceases
The biggest illusion among all is our body
Once a pacified heart finds its place
There's no such body to look for
The Chant
父亲去世儿开光.心诚则灵有上苍。
借来佛旗施法令，一切愿望皆显彰。
眼开光，亮堂堂，此番西去有光芒。
耳开光，顺八方，此番西去回音祥。
鼻开光，气顺畅，此番西去嗅馨香。
嘴开光，吃喝香，此番西去妙语长。
手开光，接福享，此番西去无劳伤。
心开光，智领航，此番西去乐无疆。
意开光，福未央，此番西去有天帮。
脚开光，无乱慌，西方世界自徜徉。
The son of the deceased father consecrated the Buddha. Sincere heart will bring God. Borrow the Buddha flag to cast the decree, all wishes will be fulfilled.
The eyes are consecrated, bright, this time there is light in the other world.
The ears are consecrated, the eight directions are smooth, this time there is auspicious sound in the other world.
The nose is consecrated, the breath is smooth, this time there is fragrance in the other world.
The mouth is consecrated, the food and drink are fragrant, this time there is witty words in the other world.
The hands are consecrated, the blessings are received, this time there is no fatigue in the other world.
The heart is consecrated, the wisdom leads the way, this time there is boundless joy in the other world.
The mind is consecrated, the blessings are endless, this time there is help from heaven in the other world.
The feet are consecrated, there is no panic, the Western world is free to wander.
The Last Day
薤上露，何易晞也。 露晞明朝复凝，人去何时归？ 人生如露，朝露易消， 秋风吹，草木凋。
夜深露重，寒意侵骨， 梦中逢，泪双目。归期渺渺兮，再相见？
此情难断，思念绵绵。 愿君在天有灵，常来梦中见， 聊慰我心，此恨绵绵
Dew upon the reeds, how swiftly it fades.
Vanished by dawn, yet it returns anew—
But when will those who have gone return?
Life is like the morning dew, fleeting and brief.
Autumn winds blow, and all withers away.
In the deep of night, the heavy dew chills to the bone.
In dreams, we meet—tears fill my eyes.
The day of return is distant and uncertain,
Shall we meet again?
This longing cannot be severed, sorrow lingers on.
May your spirit find its way,
Visit me often in dreams,
To ease my heart, though regret remains eternal.
虚负凌云万丈才，一生襟抱未曾开。
鸟啼花落人何在, 生死离， 两相隔, 梦中逢， 梦中相逢。
A towering gift, wasted in vain,
A lifetime of dreams, yet never unchained.
Birds cry, flowers fall—where have you gone?
Life and death part us, a world apart.
Yet in dreams, we meet again,
In dreams, we meet once more.
Life and death part us, a world apart.
Life and death part us, a world apart.
Life and death part us, a world apart.
Created by
Monica Lim & Mindy Meng Wang
Ophelia Huang
Rel Pham
Jenny Hector
Carol Brown
Leonas Panjaitan
Nick Roux
Creative Concept & Composition
Dramaturg
Animation
Set & Lighting Design
Choreography
Costume
Sound & Video System Design
Performed by
Mindy Meng Wang
Monica Lim
Yu Tien Lin
Alexander Meagher
Nils Hobiger
Nicky Tsz Lung Li
Kunyi Queenie Wu
Guzheng
Electronics
Vocals
Percussion
Cello
Wu Chang
Wu Chang
Supported by
Justin Heaton
Sascha Budimski
Penelope Leishman & Seb Calabretto
Production Manager
Sound Engineer
Producers, Insite Arts
We would like to extend our gratitude to:
Joon-Yee Kwok, Sonal Patel, Angela Rodger and everyone at Oz Asia Festival,
Andrew Searle, Ninian Donald, Maddy Arthur and everyone at the Odeon, and
Dermott Tutty for vocal advice and David Page for set construction.
Opera for the Dead 祭歌 was created for the 2025 AsiaTopa Festival with support from Creative Australia, APRA AMCOS Art Music Fund, City of Melbourne, Playking Foundation, The University of Melbourne and Abbotsford Convent.