Premiere of the Opera " The Center Cannot Hold, Part 3: Beyond Recovery" with Paintings by Gregg Chadwick
Credit: Courtesy of Gregg Chadwick Opera Portrait of Elyn Saks 24”x36” oil on linen 2026 by Gregg Chadwick What: Premiere of The Center Cannot Hold, Part 3: Beyond Recovery , an original opera composed by Kenneth Wells with a libretto developed in collaboration with Elyn Saks, based on her acclaimed memoir. The opera follows Saks through her marriage to her late husband Will Vinet, her journey to becoming a trained psychoanalyst; her cancer diagnosis, which she found far less stigmatizing than her mental illness; and her international recognition as an advocate for people living with serious mental illness. The production runs for approximately three hours with intermission and features a full cast of professional singers, chorus and chamber orchestra. Who: Kenneth Wells, MD, MPH — composer and librettist; Professor of Psychiatry and Health Services Research, UCLA Elyn Saks — subject of the opera; Orrin B. Evans Distinguished Professor of Law, Psychology, and Psychiatry and the...