Colburn School And LA Opera Present Joseph Bologne's THE ANONYMOUS LOVER

The Colburn School has partnered with LA Opera to present the company premiere of The Anonymous Lover (L'Amant Anonyme), a 1780 opera by Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges (1745-1799), who is widely regarded as the first Black classical composer known to history.

Conducted by James Conlon, LA Opera's Richard Seaver Music Director, and directed by Bruce Lemon, Jr., in a socially distanced stage setting, the performance will be streamed online for free on Saturday, November 14th, 2020.

To ensure a socially distant and safe environment to stage and produce the opera, the Colburn School digitized the campus, enabling the cast and crew to stay connected while performing and working from different locations. Fred Vogler of Sonitus Consulting and Francesco Perlangeli, Colburn School's AV Manager, developed plans to connect a number of spaces in the school's Grand Building via data, video, and fiber optic cables, expanding the existing video network. For rehearsals and the performance of The Anonymous Lover, the singers will perform in Zipper Hall while the orchestra will perform in the nearby Grand Rehearsal Hall.

Once LA County allows for schools to reopen, this technology will also serve Colburn students and faculty, allowing for rehearsals, performances, lessons, and master classes while observing social distancing. When complete, Grand Rehearsal Hall, Mayman Hall, the Heifetz Studio, and two dance studios will all be connected and video-ready. A single camera operator will be able to monitor multiple streams at once from a centralized control room, including streams from the School's Zipper and Thayer halls, which are already equipped with 4K cameras.

In addition to the The Anonymous Lover presentation, Colburn School will concurrently and collaboratively engage in a performance-based exploration of the works and legacy of Joseph Bologne. Colburn Conservatory students will perform works by Bologne and other Black composers during LA Opera Connects November 7 seminar, as part of a session exploring the lost music of composers of color from Colonialism through the late 19th century led by Colburn faculty member Dr. Tiffany Kuo. The Viano String Quartet will perform Bologne's String Quartet Op. 6, No. 1 as part of their December 20 Colburn Artist Series performance.

The Anonymous Lover will be the inaugural presentation of LA Opera's On Now initiative to make streaming a permanent part of its programming. Under the On Now banner, the company will shine the spotlight on new and innovative interpretations of opera that viewers in Los Angeles and beyond can enjoy on screens, even when stay-at-home recommendations are lifted. To date, the company reports more than 750,000 views of its online programming since its launch on March 17, 2020, demonstrating a clear demand for such content.
How to Watch

Free digital tickets for The Anonymous Lover are now available at www.laopera.org/lover. The stream will premiere at 5pm on Saturday, November 14
Learn more at LAOpera.org