Center for Contemporary Opera Presents ANAIS 2/11 At The Cell

The Center for Contemporary Opera (CCO), a celebrated arts organization dedicated to the creation and performance of contemporary American opera, presents Susan Hurley's Anaïs on February 11, 2010 at 8:00 PM at the cell theatre. Soprano Charlotte Cohn and baritone Daniel Neer star in this psychological drama about the deep confessions that surfaced during the last hours of Anaïs Nin's life. CCO presents the work as an Atelier - a semi-staged reading accompanied by piano.

Anaïs Nin is best remembered as a diarist and the first prominent woman in modern Europe to write erotica. Her journals span several decades, and provide a deeply explorative insight into her personal life and relationships. In this opera, Anaïs Nin attempts to come to terms with her impending death in the presence of her lover and long-time companion Rupert Pole. In what amounts to a test of his devotion, she seeks his understanding as she reveals some of the strongest memories of her life; innumerable infidelities, incestuous relations and her violent rejection of motherhood. A shocked Rupert is unable to forgive Anaïs for these dark secrets as she approaches life's end.

Susan Hurley's works, often described as vibrant, magical and otherworldly, include her song cycle Wind River Songs and the choral work Vermont Poems. Originally from New England, she holds a master's degree from the Eastman School of Music and a doctoral degree in music composition from Indiana University's School of Music. Her mentors have included composers Nadia Boulanger and Samuel Adler, pianist Estella Olevsky, oboist Ralph Gomberg and vocalist Paul Derenne. Ms. Hurley has served as Composer-In-Residence at Lawrence University and Atlantic Center for the Arts, and has taught composition at Indiana University and the Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan.

Soprano Charlotte Cohn is a graduate of the New School's prestigious Actors Studio M.F.A. Program, and has enjoyed working alongside some of the great luminaries in theater, opera, and film. She made her debut in the Broadway production of Puccini's La Boheme directed by Baz Luhrmann, performed at the 2003 Tony Awards. In La Boheme's subsequent international tour in 2003, Ms. Cohn sang the role of "Musetta".
Ms. Cohn has also performed in Coram Boy on Broadway, and in Elliott Gould's Off-Broadway production of One Hundred Gates. She has appeared in lead roles in regional productions across the country, including The Murder of Isaac with Irene Lewis at Center Stage, and The American Conservatory Theatre's production and recording of Kurt Weill & Bertolt Brecht's Happy End. Ms. Cohn and her husband, Jason Odell Williams, are co-founders of their own Production Company, Look At Me Films.

Daniel Neer enjoys a uniquely diverse career as a singing actor in a wide variety of genres. He was introduced to show-biz at the age of 18 as back-up singer and trumpet player in a country-western band, and studied music and drama at The Ohio State University, University of Michigan, and the Royal Academy of Music in London. Broadway credits include Baz Luhrmann's production of La Bohème, and Coram Boy directed by Melly Still. Some New York and Regional stage credits: The Iliad/The Odyssey (Lensic), Stephen Schwartz's Séance on a Wet Afternoon (American Opera Projects), Strange Fruit (New York City Opera/Harlem School of Arts), The Head of Mary (SoHo Think Tank/Ohio), The Love Within (Apollo Theater), Shangri-La (The Kitchen), Strange Birds (The Tramway), and front-man for The Jazz Fauré Project (Chicago Art Institute). Concert appearances include Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Guggenheim Museum, Morgan Library, and Aspen Music Festival. Librettist and performer of Mercury Falling, a chamber opera with music by Chandler Carter, which recently received a workshop premiere at North Carolina's Long Leaf Festival.

Founded in 1982, the Center for Contemporary Opera (CCO) is dedicated to producing contemporary opera and nurturing innovative American composers, librettists, and performers. While almost every other opera company in the United States remains focused on a more Eurocentric tradition, CCO is uniquely committed to fostering an American tradition of opera and music-theater. This season, CCO embarks on a new era in its history with a new General Director, a new home, and an expanded vision.

The Center has presented over 50 works in readings, workshops, and full productions, including 18 world premieres. These include operas by such luminaries as Dominick Argento, Seymour Barab, Carlisle Floyd, Ned Rorem, Eric Salzman, and Conrad Susa to name only a few. This past season was the most ambitious yet, with highly-successful presentations of seven operas and music-theater works by Ben Yarmolinsky, Annie Pasqua, Matthew Harris, Barry O'Neal, Randall Eng, Michael Sahl, and Morton Feldman; a panel discussion on the future of music-theater; and an evening spotlighting the celebrated American composer Jack Beeson.

Jim Schaeffer, CCO General Director The CCO Board of Directors has recently appointed James E. Schaeffer is an active performing musician and arts management expert. His predecessor was Founding Director Richard Marshall, who retired in 2008. Mr. Schaeffer's primary objective has been to increase CCO's visibility and artistic standards while at the same time ensure its survival. Schaeffer is the former director of Long Leaf Opera in Chapel Hill, NC. He plans to introduce exciting new creative initiatives in the coming seasons. A conductor, composer and bassoonist, Schaeffer has performed with several orchestras throughout the U.S. and Europe, and his compositions have been performed at the American Dance Festival among other venues.

For more information, visit http://www.centerforcontemporaryopera.org

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