The highly anticipated World Premiere of IN LIGHT – Cecilia Payne & The Music of the Stars is set to take place at the historic Oosterkerk in Amsterdam. This mesmerizing new music theatre production by composer Marion von Tilzer celebrates the life of a woman who completely changed how humanity views the universe.

Opening on Thursday, 11 February 2027—the UN International Day of Women and Girls in Science—IN LIGHT is the third installment in the acclaimed series MEETINGS WITH REMARKABLE WOMEN. For those unable to attend the premiere, a second performance will take place on Saturday, 13 February 2027. Through a brilliant fusion of live music, text, and theatrical play, the performance brings to life the extraordinary journey and groundbreaking discovery of trailblazing astronomer Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin (1900–1979).

The Story Behind the Stars

In 1925, Cecilia Payne revolutionized astronomy by discovering that stars are made primarily of hydrogen and helium. Tragically, her revolutionary doctoral dissertation was dismissed by the scientific establishment of her time. Influential astronomer Henry Norris Russell pressured her to claim her findings were “almost certainly not real”—only to publish the exact same conclusion four years later, relegating Cecilia’s historic work to a mere footnote. IN LIGHT shines a brilliant, long-overdue spotlight on her genius and resilience.

A Stellar Cast of Musicians

The production features a phenomenal lineup of world-class artists bringing this cosmic tale to life:

• Elisabeth Hetherington as Cecilia Payne
• Maya Fridman embodying Inner Truth
• Shannon Lee on violin
• Agostinho Sequeira on percussion
• Vocal Trio (Lucretia Starke, Famke Voshol, and Lotte Cornel) giving voice to the “Harvard Computers” — the forgotten women whose pioneering astronomical data laid the foundations for Cecilia’s breakthrough.

To fully immerse the audience in the cosmos, both evenings open with a captivating short introduction by an astronomer, offering a unique glimpse into Cecilia’s discovery and how it reshaped our understanding of the universe.