Heggie, who composed the opera Dead Man Walking with librettist Terrence McNally, has penned a "short lyric drama based on 'The Rape of Persephone,'" according to the composer's official website. Entitled To Hell and Back, the piece, which features a libretto by Gene Scheer, makes its premiere Nov. 2 at the First United Methodist Church in Palo Alto, CA. LuPone, who was also recently seen in the Ravinia Festival's staging of Gypsy, and soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian are the featured vocalists in To Hell and Back. Nicholas McGegan conducts the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra.

Subsequent evenings of To Hell and Back will be presented at the Herbst Theatre in San Francisco, CA (Nov. 3); and at the First Congregational Church in Berkeley, CA (Nov. 4 and 5).

A Tony Award winner for her work in Evita, Patti LuPone also earned an Olivier Award for her performances in the West End productions of Lés Misérables and The Cradle Will Rock. Her other theatrical credits include Sunset Boulevard, Anything Goes, Oliver!, Working, The Old Neighborhood, Master Class and Pal Joey. LuPone also headlined two solo Broadway concerts, Patti LuPone On Broadway and Matters of the Heart, and received glowing notices for her performance as Mrs. Lovett in the Lincoln Center concert version of Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd. She was seen in the Kennedy Center's staging of Marc Blitzstein's Regina, and her newest solo recording is titled "The Lady with the Torch."

For additional information visit www.philharmonia.org.