The Falling and the Rising centers around an unnamed female Soldier who is severely wounded by a roadside IED. Placed in an induced coma to help minimize the extensive trauma to her brain, the soldier must now make a journey towards both healing and home. With a libretto taken from dozens of interviews with active-duty soldiers and veterans at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, The Old Guard at Fort Myer, and Fort Meade, Maryland, The Falling and the Rising tells a story of family, service, and sacrifice inside a period of great uncertainty and features active military personnel in lead roles.

This opera is a co-commission between San Diego Opera, the US Army Field Band and Soldier's Chorus, Seattle Opera, Arizona Opera, Opera Memphis, TCU, and Seagle Music Colony.