Zosimos is a virtually site-specific opera, produced for telematic performance.

The opera is composed by Jostein Stalheim.

The project was performed in and across four geographic locations that came together May 24. 2026, in Bergen, Berlin, Piteå and Cairo.

Artistic core

The project explores artistic strategies for interaction between musicians, instruments, and audience through the planning, design and performance of Zosimos, a telematic opera. The libretto depicts a journey across time and space, from Egypt in the 300s to present day Europe.

A central challenge is to create parallel movements between past and present as well as between proximity and distance. With the use of telematic technologies, the presence of multiple sites can be created in a live performance.

The project objectives are

to explore artistic application of haptic and sonic interfaces in the creation of a telematic opera
how site-specific explorations may contribute to shaping the narrative in a telematic opera
how such technological and compositional means may contribute to enhanced sense of presence in remote interaction both for performers and audience.

All photos Joseph Alford

The main artistic and production credits for the work include:

Creative Team

Composer: Jostein Stalheim
Librettist: Astrid Niebuhr Karlsson (also credited as Astrid Luisa Karlsson)
Visualization: Jon Hoem
Costumes: Janne Robbestad [1, 2]

Cast of Performers