The Boston Modern Orchestra Project and Odyssey Opera Present the THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY

Two of Boston's leading musical ensembles-the Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP) and Odyssey Opera-present Lowell Liebermann's opera The Picture of Dorian Gray (1995) in a semi-staged production. Conductor Gil Rose leads the acclaimed musicians of BMOP and Odyssey Opera's cast of stellar vocal soloists in Liebermann's version of Oscar Wilde's classic novel of philosophical horror. Boston's own Jon Jurgens, hailed as an "affable, open-throated Italian tenor" by Opera News, will perform the title role of Dorian Gray.

This performance marks the first of four masterpieces comprising Odyssey Opera's 2016-17 season "Wilde Opera Nights," inspired by the writings and world of Oscar Wilde (1854-1900). Regarded as one of history's greatest playwrights and authors, Oscar Wilde's novel The Picture of Dorian Gray is among his best-known works, along with the play The Importance of Being Earnest. His devotion to drama and aesthetics, masterful use of language, piercing wit, and perceptive and often mordantly funny observations of the human condition continue to inspire millions around the world.

Remarkably, The Picture of Dorian Gray is Liebermann's first opera. The New York Times described its stylistic traits as "[drawing] heavily on idioms of the last century - mostly the tonal ones, from Mahler to Minimalism - but the synthesis is generally persuasive on its own terms. Mr. Liebermann's handling of the orchestra is masterly."

Lowell Liebermann (b. 1961) was educated at Juilliard, is active as a pianist and conductor in addition to his compositional activities, and is one of the country's most frequently performed and recorded composers. Winner of the inaugural Virgil Thomson Award for vocal music, Liebermann has remained committed to an impressively broad range of vocal writing for over 30 years. Well known for music that is both graceful and profound, "Liebermann honors the traditions of vocal music through clear and evocative settings of texts," says Gil Rose, Artistic Director of both Odyssey Opera and BMOP.

About BMOP

The Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP) is the premier orchestra in the United States dedicated exclusively to commissioning, performing, and recording music of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. A unique institution of crucial artistic importance to today's musical world, BMOP exists to disseminate exceptional orchestral music of the present and recent past via performances and recordings of the highest caliber. Founded by Artistic Director Gil Rose in 1996, BMOP has championed composers whose careers span nine decades. Each season, Rose brings BMOP's award-winning orchestra, renowned soloists, and influential composers to the stage of New England Conservatory's historic Jordan Hall in a series that offers orchestral programming of unmatched diversity. The musicians of BMOP are consistently lauded for the energy, imagination, and passion with which they infuse the music of the present era. For more information, please visit BMOP.org.

About Odyssey Opera
Founded in 2013 by Artistic Director/Conductor Gil Rose, Odyssey Opera presents adventurous and eclectic works that affirm opera as a powerful expression of the human experience. Its world-class artists perform the operatic repertoire from its historic beginnings through lesser-known masterpieces to contemporary new works and commissions in a variety of formats and venues. Odyssey Opera sets standards of high musical and theatrical excellence and innovative programming to advance the operatic genre beyond the familiar and into undiscovered territory. Odyssey Opera takes its audience on a journey to places they've never been before. For more information, please visit odysseyopera.org.

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