This new musical with book, lyrics and music by Dustin Ceithamer, set in the eccentric world of 1980's Wrestling, features Nick Rashad Burroughs, Blaine Alden Krauss, AJ Rafael, Correy West, Jamari Johnson Williams, Adrianna Rose Lyons, Dexter McKinney Jr., Karl Warden, Matthew Ballestero and more!
Elton John, Warren Buffett, Sesame Workshop and the co-founders of the Black Lives Matter movement were all honored Saturday night during NBC's “Global Citizen Prize” telecast.
Talking to Khori Dastoor, General Director of Opera San José brings to mind that old quote from Elizabeth Taylor when she was faced with unimaginable adversity, “Now is the time for guts and guile.” Just one year into her tenure as GD, Dastoor is faced with an almost impossible situation due to the Covid pandemic. Out of all the arts, opera, the artform which she has made her life’s work, arguably has the biggest challenges. After all, the act of singing operatically produces enormous amounts of aerosols, the core audience is older and thus especially at risk for Covid, and the population at large may not consider opera to be essential to their lives. Since creating new works is practically impossible, many GD’s are offering a sort of greatest hits of former glories, video snippets from past years that were already in the can. Or maybe something like a “reading” of an old holiday chestnut like Der Rosenkavalier, presented Brady-Bunch style on Zoom. So what does Dastoor do instead? She goes bravely programs a brand-new, beautifully-produced production of Jake Heggie’s Three Decembers, starring no less than world-renowned opera star Susan Graham, alongside two of Opera San José’s super-talented Resident Artists, soprano Maya Kherani and baritone Efraín Solis. This immensely moving chamber work is based on an unpublished play by Terrance McNally, adapted by librettist Gene Scheer, and tells the story of a family struggling to connect during the early years of the AIDS pandemic. The work premiered in 2008, yet somehow feels more relevant than ever, given the parallels with what we’re all going through today, as evidenced by McNally’s death from Covid earlier this year. The opera is currently available for streaming through the end of December. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit operasj.org. BroadwayWorld spoke with Dastoor shortly after the filming of Three Decembers had been completed. Dastoor was remarkably open and forthcoming about the challenges of the opera world right now, even as her passion for growing the artform burns stronger than ever. We talked about how she managed to produce Three Decembers during Covid, her successful earlier career as a lyric soprano, and the imperative to keep the arts alive during these difficult times. Her responses to my questions were invariably thoughtful, often surprising and not without humor. And, as a rare woman of color leading an opera company, her understanding of the need to open up her artform runs deep. Above all, though, she is just plain fun to talk to - effortlessly engaging, whip-smart, emotionally transparent, and without an ounce of pretension.
The Sappho Project has announced the appointment of three founding members of its Board of Directors, making up the full slate of board members for 2020. Joining the Board of Directors is BRIAN LOWDERMILK (they/them or she/her), ANEESH SHETH (she/her), and REGINA VICTOR (they/them).
Grammy winner, multiple Billboard Hot 100 chart-topping artist and, international reggae legend, Buju Banton celebrates 25 years of greatness releasing his ‘Til Shiloh 25th Anniversary LP, out today, via Island Records/UMe.
Without their musical directors where would the singers of the industry be? These are the musical directors nominated for Broadway World Awards in 2020
Christmas is days away and will be celebrated regardless of what is happening in the world today. Begin the celebration early with the Elijah Rock Variety Show Christmas Special, an unforgettable night of entertainment, song, dance, jazz, comedy, and Broadway Christmas cheer. The production from Las Vegas from the Renkus-Heinz theatre at Notoriety can be viewed on demand through the New Year.
Mina Tindle, the project of Parisian singer/songwriter Pauline De Lassus released her third full-length album SISTER in October via 37d03d, and today she shares the video for shimmering lead single “Lions,” produced by and starring Indira Dominici on 8mm film
A chat with Michael West about his character Kenn Boisinger reveals a lot about the man behind the myth.
Whether it’s the music that helps us get through the day, that movie that makes us smile a little more, or a virtual dance workshop that banishes the ennui even temporarily, art has proven to be critical in times of hardship. Perhaps the hard times are when art is needed the most. Meet Funmilayo Chesney, a pioneer of Congolese dance and holistic health, from Brazil and one of the many artists reminding us perseverance in hard times is possible.
TDF presents Santa and Little B: Zoom for the Holidays!, a FREE special virtual holiday experience. Becca Yuré has created the original music and dialogue which features professional Santa Claus, Ricky Dain Jones. The show is for families with children and adults on the autism spectrum who have previously attended TDF's autism-friendly performances.
While the pandemic continues to keep us apart physically, the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh (MCP) is offering a way to connect musically and across cultures. In the new year, the choir will present Global Choral Traditions, a live, interactive, virtual exploration of choral music from around the world.
On Saturday December 19th, Heresy Records' recording artist, Caitríona O'Leary, will perform the 30th installment of Unaccompanied her weekly series of micro-concerts live-streamed on Facebook every Saturday at 2:30 PM Dublin time (GMT+1:00).
Quarantine Cabaret and Cocktails, produced and hosted by entertainer and LML Music founder, Lee Lessack, and actor and frequent SNL regular, Robert Bannon, made its debut during isolation on YouTube, and they have had nothing but star studded shows every week in the approximately hour long show, and the humor quotient has been very high, along with the music.
Translated loosely as “Work It,” or “Get Funky!” Grammy Award winning Ranky Tanky performs timeless music born from the Gullah culture with mixtures of gospel, funk, R&B and jazz. Ranky Tanky’s music ranges from playful game songs to ecstatic shouts, from soulful spirituals to delicate lullabies.
Eric Michael Gillett has done it all and he always does it with an open heart and open hand. His annual holiday gala for Benjamin House was only briefly threatened by the global health crisis - for Gillett, nothing can stop him from honoring his favorite organization to support.
International advocacy organization Global Citizen today announced the winners of the 2020 Global Citizen Prize.
On Sunday afternoon, December 12, 2020, well known operatic soprano Ana Maria Martinez hosted a concert of song from many parts of the world where Spanish is spoken. The singers, from Spanish speaking backgrounds, were at one time or are currently members of the young artist program at Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Without the house managers, what would life at the cabaret be like? Well, not quite as nice, that's for sure.
The Spreckels Organ Society and San Diego Civic Organist Raúl Prieto Ramírez announce an enchanting series of holiday webcast concerts direct from Balboa Park during the pandemic holidays 2020.
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