Guerilla Opera's Community Series Begins This Month

Guerilla Opera's Community Series will begin this month with the first two of several monthly workshops in their 17th Season, that explore how opera interacts with other art forms. These workshops explore Guerilla Opera's groundbreaking productions and include fascinating guest speakers pushing the boundaries of opera.

“A large part of our mission is to examine and question, but it's not only our job as artists to do that, the audience can do that too. The goal of this series is to provide spaces for our communities to learn, discuss, and examine the narratives within the operas we commission and learn more about the process of bringing opera to life in today's world. This way, we develop closer relationships with our communities and offer meaningful ways to interact with our artists.”  - Aliana de la Guardia, Artistic Director

“Technology in Opera” explores how the creation of new technologies furthers the storytelling used in operas today. Attendees will experience a behind-the-scenes look at how motion sensor technology is implemented in Guerilla Opera's production of  “Ululations and Gurgles of the Invisible” to create the music, lighting and projections live through movement and dance, discuss how technology is currently used in opera, and explore how it may be used and developed further in the future. Guest speakers include Daniel Chapman, a designer and software engineer who is creating motion sensor software for Guerilla Opera's production of Ululations and Gurgles of the Invisible, Elisabet Curbelo, the composer for the new opera and who programmed the wearable motion sensors worn by dancers in the production. Register online for this virtual event on Wednesday, November 29, 2023 at 7:00PM EST.

The final fall event is “Opera in Film”, which unearths the relationship between film and opera and how it is continuing to evolve today. Attendees will hear from film and stage director, Cara Consilvio, who directed Guerilla Opera's film adaptation of I Give You My Home, and explores the similar and contrasting techniques used to tell stories in both genres. The guest speaker for this event is Cara Consilvio, film and opera director and producer, and the director of the film adaptation of Guerilla Opera's I Give You My Home. Register online for this virtual event on Wednesday, December 13, 2023 at 7:00PM EST

All virtual workshops in Guerilla Opera's Community Series are approximately 1 hour in duration, are conducted via Zoom, and are free and open to the public. Event details and registration for each event can be found on Guerilla Opera's website.

This program is made possible by a Staffing the Humanities grant from Mass Humanities, which provided funding through the Massachusetts Cultural Council. Mass Humanities is a state-based affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

For questions about the programs or for accessibility requests, please contact Magdalyn Chauby, Education Coordinator at programs@guerillaopera.org.

ABOUT GUERILLA OPERA

Guerilla Opera is a BIPOC and feminist organization, Boston's only experimental chamber opera ensemble, and one of only a few in the world with a mission to exclusively present new works of opera theater. Founded in 2007, the ensemble has accumulated a repertoire of over 40 new works by 30 composers. One of Boston's most exciting companies, they have garnered a national reputation for innovative contemporary opera and daring performances with Opera News raving that “Guerilla Opera redefines the opera experience.”

The works commissioned by this artist-led ensemble are custom-tailored to their artists, who confront, examine, and question traditional conceptions of what is “operatic” by championing cutting-edge music and immersing audiences in profound experiences. Their vision is to bring new music to new audiences through a unique body of work that ferociously confronts the status quo, eschews antiquated and stereotypical traditions of the art form of opera, and examines stories by and for the people of today through contemporary lenses. They model creative authenticity and diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (IDEA) in order to inspire and influence emerging generations of artists and creators. (guerillaopera.org)

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Magdalyn Chauby is Guerilla Opera's Community and Education Coordinator. She is a local soprano and actor and graduate of the New England Conservatory for vocal performance and has been involved in many facets of music making, from teaching to stage managing to performing. In 2018, Maggi graduated with a double degree in vocal performance and music education from Ithaca College. She is excited to join the Guerilla Opera team and further her involvement in the field of contemporary music. (guerillaopera.org/leadership)

Daniel Chapman is a freelance designer, software engineer, educator, and the author of Motion. He is originally from New Mexico and a graduate of Carnegie Mellon. Selected Design Credits-New York: On the Verge, Restoration Comedy, Construction of the Human Heart, (The Acting Company) Of Mice and Men, Damascus; Summer Theater of New Canaan: West Side Story, Legally Blonde,Hairspray, Twelfth Night; Guerilla Opera: Beowulf, Troubled Water, Pedr Solis , No Exit; Opera Southwest: Pagliacci, Tancredi, Aida, Il Turco in Italia, La Boheme, Don Giovanni, Il barbiere di Siviglia; New Mexico Ballet Co: The Wizard of Oz; Ash Lawn Opera: Susannah; Chicago: Cymbeline Lifeboat, The Snow Queen. (danielbchapman.com)

Elisabet Curbelo is a composer and performer from the Canary Islands. Her music education started at a very early age in Gran Canaria and later in Madrid, Spain. She holds an M.Mus. in Composition from Istanbul Technical University under the mentorship of Pieter Snapper and a Ph.D. in Music Composition from UC San Diego under the mentorship of Roger Reynolds.

Throughout her career, Elisabet's work and dedication have been valued by diverse institutions, as she has been awarded numerous grants, prizes, and commissions. Her music has been performed worldwide. It includes pieces for ensemble and solo instruments, voice, choir, acoustic and electroacoustic music, music for dance, installation work, and music audiovisual media.

Her research focuses on creating interdisciplinary collaborative performance, the use of sensors to control electronics with movement, and extended vocal techniques based on her study of West Asian music and culture. Mainly Elisabet is interested in working on artistic projects that promote diversity, inclusivity, and inspire social change. (elisabet-curbelo.com)

Cara Consilvio is a director and producer of opera, theater, and film with extensive experience in dance and choreography whose inventive, kinetic, and evocative productions are in great demand. Professional credits include engagements with Houston Grand Opera, Boston Lyric Opera, Portland Opera, The Atlanta Opera, Tulsa Opera, American Opera Projects, and Opera Saratoga. Recent projects in 2023 include directing The Last American Hammer for Opera Grand Rapids and a residency at Depauw University.

In 2022, Cara directed Glory Denied for Opera Naples, the world premiere of I Give You my Home for Guerilla Opera and The Sound of Music for Charlottesville Opera. In 2021, Cara directed Scalia/Ginsburg for Chautauqua Opera, and the world premiere of Our Trudy for the Ad Astra Music Festival. She also directed both Penny, an opera film, and Second Nature for Opera Grand Rapids. Cara also directed and edited Bernadette's Cozy Book Nook; a world premiere opera film for Fort Worth Opera, composed by Joe Illick with a libretto by Mark Campbell. (caraconsilvio.com)

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