Screenshot is a chamber opera that explores the rise of image-based sexual abuse. Told from the perspective of an unidentified survivor, the libretto explores themes of objectification, sexualisation and, finally, the journey towards post-traumatic healing. 

The journey to Screenshot started four years ago, as we came to the end of the first lockdown. The Covid-19 pandemic inevitably contributed towards the digitalisation of our lives and relationships, and sadly, image-based sexual abuse became increasingly prevalent. The ways we observe and therefore objectify people have changed dramatically over the last few years, and this is a conversation I want to contribute to as a composer, especially given the continuing commentary around how women choose to present themselves in the music industry. The audio-visual nature of opera felt like the perfect musical environment to explore such a pertinent topic.

• What is image-based sexual abuse?

When I first began writing Screenshot, I curated a patchwork libretto of anonymously submitted testimonies from survivors of image-based sexual abuse. I wanted to forefront the experience and journey of survivors, rather than the nature of the abuse. In hindsight, I hugely underestimated the emotional and creative toll of writing such an emotionally-charged opera. In order to protect the my health, I decided to pause the process indefinitely. It wasn’t until I had the opportunity to enter it for the RNCM Creative Innovators Award in 2023, which I was very pleased to win, that I picked it up again. I have worked on it extensively over the last year, and Screenshot has grown with me whilst I have attended the Darmstadt Ferienkurse and come to the end of my undergraduate studies.

'I hope that the opera will empathise with survivors of image-based sexual abuse, and allow women to see themselves on an opera stage in an honest and dignified way.'

One of the biggest challenges whilst working on Screenshot has been implementing boundaries and self-care. Engaging with such an emotive topic over such a long period of time has forced me to learn how to sit with and handle difficult emotions in a creative context. I have had to learn the hard way to plan breaks; to allow myself physical and emotional space from my composing; and to speak to myself with kindness when I have needed to step back for a while.

A tricky and often unspoken about part of the process of creating, funding and staging this opera has also been navigating what it means to be a female composer, both for myself and others. There have been occasions where peers have suggested my work has gained attention and funding because of my gender, and I have had to work hard to distance myself from this commentary, standing by my own and my project’s integrity and authenticity. I am proud of what I have created, and more importantly, the conversation I hope to generate with Screenshot.

'One of the biggest challenges whilst working on Screenshot has been implementing boundaries and self-care' | Composer Emily Pedersen | Photo: Lizzie Dawson

This being said, I cannot thank the wonderful people in my life enough. I would not have been able to complete this opera without the support, time and generosity others have given to me, whether that be a listening ear or a much needed coffee break. It is these moments that show me how positive a place the music industry can be.

As the premiere fast approaches, I hope that the opera will empathise with survivors of image-based sexual abuse, and allow women to see themselves on an opera stage in an honest and dignified way. I hope that Screenshot will be part of the change that I believe is happening in the music, and specifically the opera industry, where women are beginning to have more agency and, to quote the Barbie movie, to “do the imagining and not just be the idea.”

Designed by Abbie Knipe

Screenshot, a chamber opera by Emily Pedersen, receives its world premier on 17th April 2024 in the Stoller Hall’s Recital Room. Directed by Emma Doherty, conducted by Benjamin Draper and starring Nikki Wilson. stollerhall.com | emily-pedersen.com