Acis presents the world premiere recording of The Outer Edge of Youth, a contemplative and thought-provoking new choral opera from critically acclaimed composer, writer, and multimedia artist SCOTT ORDWAY. Set in a landscape inspired by the coastal redwood forests of Ordway’s native northern California, the work follows two boys on the cusp of maturity who discover that they can understand the birds in the forest. Written as a response to the toxic masculinity in our culture, Ordway’s libretto deals with questions of love and friendship, the astonishing beauty of nature―and the tension between the immobilizing idealism of youth and an adult world rife with pain, inequality, and injustice. Building with slow, quiet determination toward a final scene of transfiguration and catharsis, Youth showcases Ordway at his finest, creating work that critics have called “haunting and beautiful” (San Francisco Chronicle), “soul-stirring” (BBC Music), and “arresting” (Gramophone).