About Long Live the Queen
Long Live the Queen emerged from a collaboration between composer Andrea Clearfield and Cookie Diorio, whose original libretto explores themes of identity, transformation, resilience, and the power of self-expression. Together, they have created a genre-defying work that brings together choral music, opera, poetry, and theatrical storytelling.
With music by Clearfield and a libretto by Diorio, Long Live the Queen is a defiant fusion of drag, opera, and oratorio — a deeply personal yet universal exploration of what it means to be seen, celebrated, and accepted.
It is a cantata reimagined through a drag lens, from a drag voice.
The work brings together a drag soloist, four choirs, a quartet of opera soloists, and chamber orchestra in a celebration of transformation, artistry, and community.
“The project resists easy categorization, combining drag, opera, cabaret, and multimedia oratorio scored for drag soloist, four choirs, a quartet of opera soloists, and chamber orchestra. For a first-time collaboration between Diorio and Clearfield, and Diorio’s first libretto, it was impressive. Many moving pieces came together to showcase how multidisciplinary artists can be more than the sum of their parts."
- Broad Street Review
Told in 3 parts, this cantata honors the lineage of drag, its role in queer culture, and its power to challenge systems and inspire change. Long Live the Queen does not shy away from difficult truths. It recognizes drag as both an art form and an act of resilience — a fierce, joyful expression of identity, creativity, and freedom.
Created in response to a moment of increasing discrimination against drag performers and events, this powerful work offers a vision of understanding, acceptance, and cultural transformation.
“A beautifully written and compelling performance cantata that not only weaves challenge and hope into a captivating musical narrative, but also provides inspiration and insight into not just the life of a queen but how to radiate in a dim world.”
- Heather Antonissen, Soprano and Playwright