Independent Hip-Hop Artists featured in Memphis Opera Festival

 

The independent hip-hop music tour River Kings 2 Tour will bring a exciting addition to the 2017 Midtown Memphis Opera Festival. Memphian Marco Pavé and New Orleans' Alfred Banks will offer sounds of music's youngest genre to one its oldest styles.

Alongside Pavé and Banks, River Kings at the Opera is a collection of five operas/performances designed to showcase the art of hip hop and connect it to the tradition of opera. Memphis musician and composer Sam Shoup arranged the music. Shoup has arranged for The Memphis Symphony Orchestra, the National Symphony Pops Orchestra, Kallen Esperian and the New York Pops. Opera Memphis received a development grant from Opera America for the groundbreaking performance.

Who: River Kings at the Opera
What: hip-hop and opera
When: Thursday, April 6th at 9:00pm
Where: Playhouse on the Square, 66 Cooper Ave, Memphis, TN 38104

"This is an exciting opportunity to spotlight hip hop as more than dispensable as we connect it with a centuries old genre," explained Marco Pavé. "Hip hop is storytelling, which is as old as the griot who spoke wisdom to his village. I think the audience will see the names and turn of phrases may have changed but humans still sing about the same topics. The essence of our human struggle for love and success, our strife and turmoil in everyday life, it's all there. It's going to be a special night as this show tears down the boundaries between what is considered high art and popular music. It's all music and we can all bask in its beat."

River Kings at the Opera will also feature Sam Shoup, DJ WyzLyfe, Kenneth Alexander II, Roben X, Juju Bushman, 100 Percent Audio, plus Wyzlights and Sound. Marco Pave and Alfred Banks will continue after the Memphis performance with their 18 city River Kings 2 Tour featuring dates throughout the southeast, the south and up the east coast.

Opera Memphis' fifth annual MIDTOWN OPERA FESTIVAL takes place March 31-April 9 at Playhouse on the Square. The Festival is anchored by three intimate operas, all by living American composers: John Musto's Later the Same Evening, Jake Heggie's Three Decembers, and Hilliard & Boresi's Blue Viola. Each opera is preceded by an Opera Prelude Talk, providing insight into the story, characters, and music you will experience. After the opera, the audience is invited to remain in their seats for a Talk Back with the artists and creative team. Surrounding the operas, Opera Memphis has curated world of additional events, called Fringe Events, that are designed to deepen your experience, highlight something new, or expand the definition of what an opera festival can be. For a complete schedule visit operamemphis.org.

Ticket can be obtained through Opera Memphis Box Office at www.operamemphis.org