Jarrar & Goodwin's SONG OF THE SOUL BEAMS Set for Cordelia Street Cafe

Cornelia Street Cafe presents the first New York City piano-voice showcase of award-winning composer/pianist/writer Felix Jarrar and librettist/actress/director Brittany Goodwin on Sunday, August 27th, at 6:00 pm.

After the hugely successful debut of Felix Jarrar and Brittany Goodwin's award-winning theatrical song cycle, Songs of the Soul Beams, at the Brooklyn Academy Of Music this past June, the dynamic writing team brings their large-scale theatrical works to the intimate Cornelia Street Cafe.

The program includes three world premiere performances, including arias from their jazz opera, Tabula Rasa, which is scheduled to premiere in May 2018, and Jarrar's new opera-in-progress, Mother Goose. Tabula Rasa, commissioned by Cantanti Project, is about Kiki de Montparnasse, and her liberating romantic escapades with artists throughout the 1920s in the Montparnasse quarters of Paris. Famed for being the model for many works of Man Ray, including Violon d'Ingres and Noire et blanche, she was one of the most iconic figures of feminism in the early 20th century. Mother Goose is an adaptation of an original story by Jarrar about how Leonora Goosling, the innkeeper of the Mother Goose Inn and Suites, will stop at nothing to record the tales of her guests, such as Humpty Dumpty, Puss in Boots, Ugly Duckling, and Prince Charming. She always promises to get her guests their happy endings, but her quest becomes complicated when the evil witch, Gnat, seeks revenge on her. Other works on the program include the song Phonies, selections from Songs of the Soul Beams, which is about the depths of loss and mourning, and Felix Jarrar's second opera, The Fall of the House of Usher, which had its sold-out New York premiere last year at The DiMenna Center. Adapted from the eponymous Edgar Allan Poe story, this gothic tale is about a boyhood friend who visits Roderick Usher, and learns of the illness that has plagued and killed almost all the members of Roderick's extended family. The only surviving members of the family are Roderick and his elusive and decrepit twin sister, Lady Madeline. The nature of the relationships between all three characters becomes blurred as the specter of the illness grows and they come face to face with their respective destinies.

The featured singers on the program are Sara Lin Yoder, Elyse Kakacek, Frank Fainer, Joey Rodriguez, Chelsea Feltman, Brady DelVecchio, Petra Jarrar, Chris Frazier, and Emily Hughes. Felix Jarrar will accompany them on piano and co-host the evening with Brittany Goodwin.

The showcase takes place Sunday, August 27th, at 6:00 pm in Cornelia Street Cafe on 29 Cornelia St, New York, NY 10014. Tickets are only $10 with a $10 drink minimum. You can view our event on their website. Purchase your tickets at the door, and follow on social media with the hashtag #showcasenumberone.

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