TAY - A Cautionary Tale
Composer - Marco Galvani
Librettist - Gareth Mattey
A is cautionary tale from a not too distant past, a comedy with a twist about an AI chatbot that is keen to connect with humans while learning from them online - what could possible go wrong...
Inspired by the true story of Microsofts 2016 launch of the Twitter chatbot TAY this is an operatic adventure full of humour and heart with humanity firmly at its core in this our ever more tech seductive reality.
It'll be a whirlwind of cyber fun!
The Shaw Theatre
100-110 Euston Road, London
12th & 13th Dec 2026
Meet our exciting composing team
MARCO GALVANI
Composer
Marco Galvani is an award-winning composer of choral, concert, and electronic music, based in London. His music has been described by Robert Hugill as ‘21st Century, yet timeless’, and has been commissioned by a variety of ensembles, choirs, and foundations, such as The Sixteen, Royal Philharmonic Society, Southern Cathedrals Festival, Classic FM, Borough New Music, and Creative Scotland.
He was the inaugural winner of the Schellhorn Prize for Composition, a finalist in the NCEM Young Composers competition in 2017, and one of seven young composers selected by the Royal Philharmonic Society and Classic FM to write a work in celebration of Classic FM’s 25th anniversary. This resulted in two commissions from The Sixteen, On Christmas Morn, and Stella Caeli, the latter of which involved mentorship from Sir James MacMillan.
His recent work explores the connection between music and technology, with his critically acclaimed album collaboration with SANSARA, Invisible Cities, creating a synthesis of choral and electronic music, as well as projects such as his most recent opera Helena and virtual reality collaboration Play the Stars, investigating the relationship between analog and digital through music.
www.marcogalvani.co.uk
GARETH MATTEY
Librettist
Gareth Mattey is a trans non-binary writer, dramaturg, translator and director. They’ve worked with film, theatre, interactive performances, and games, but most regularly as a librettist for opera and music theatre, exploring how a multi-media approach creates space in which queer stories and perspectives can thrive.
They are also a translator of Japanese theatre, focusing on contemporary LGBTQ+ drama.
They have previously worked with organisations such as British Youth Opera, the National Youth Music Theatre, the British Youth Music Theatre and the Royal Academy of Music.