Rome Is Falling
Sunday, July 13, 2025 at 8:00pm
Alice Tully Hall
Run AMOC* Festival, Summer for the City at Lincoln Center
@runningamoc @theofficearts
AMOC* presents the New York premiere of Rome is Falling, conceived and composed by AMOC* bassist Doug Balliett. Rome is a zany lesson on the absurdity of what can happen when influential people lose power. In his ever-prescient, ever-joyful way, Balliett brings audiences of all ages on a musical journey through a world that includes lollipops, an absurd number of characters, and an emperor with a chicken fetish. Rome was one of the world’s great civilizations, yet, like all empires, it fell. Why and how? The story is a mixture of politics, betrayal, immigration, religion, climate, pandemic, natural disaster, xenophobia, and bad luck–so much of what makes us human and that we continue to face today.
Doug Balliett*, Creator and Composer
Julia Eichten*, Stage Director
Matthew Aucoin*, Music Director
Ariadne Greif, Soprano
Chuanyuan Liu, Countertenor
Paul Appleby*, Tenor
Jorell Williams, Baritone
Bret Easterling, Dance
Julia Eichten*, Dance
Jonny Allen*, Percussion
Matthew Aucoin and Elliott Figg, Keyboard
Doug Balliett, Double Bass
Emi Ferguson*, Flute
Keir GoGwilt*, Violin
Coleman Itzkoff*, Cello
Jordan Dodson, Guitar
Paul Holmes Morton, Theorbo and Baroque Guitar
Jorell Williams, Baritone
Clay Zeller-Townson, Bassoon
Young People’s Chorus of New York City
A special thanks to
@ruckusearlymusic for the kick ass playing,
@victoria.bek for all of our costume dreams and of course
@phillipjames whose orange flag was flying high in Rome.🧡