ARKHIPOV is a 75-minute chamber opera composed by Peter Knell with a libretto by Stephanie Fleischmann. The opera centers on Vasili Arkhipov, whose unsung heroism stood between humanity’s existence and annihilation. The proposed opera tells the story of the events leading up to the fulcrum of the Cuban Missile Crisis—a moment when the future of the globe clearly hung in the balance—and conjures a portrait of the man responsible for defusing the conflict.