by James Foritano CAMBRIDGE, MA -- It sometimes happens that you don’t know you’re looking at art. For me, “As One,” a chamber orchestra for two voices and string quartet, performed, over the last weekend of January by the Boston Opera Collaborative, qualified, eminently, for that accolade. As usual, many elements contribute to this grand illusion — which doesn’t seem to be an illusion, but life itself. Firstly, all the elements cohere, from conception to execution. “As One’s” story evolved from a long and happy collusion between a much-practiced librettist, Mark Campbell, and filmmaker Kimberly Reed. Ms. Reed contributed not only the montage of film that contributes such depth and illumination to the on-stage action, but also unique insights into the operetta’s theme of growing up and into a transgender woman’s torturous journey from one gender to another — Ms. Reed’s … [Read more...] about THE BOSTON OPERA COLLABORATIVE PRESENTS AS ONE AT LONGY SCHOOL OF MUSIC OF BARD COLLEGE