Beth Morris News

On CHICAGO FIRE's upcoming episode, titled 'Fireworks,' with tensions still running high between Chief Boden (Eamonn Walker) and Bennie Severide (guest star Treat Williams), things boil over when Mills confronts Bennie about the fire that killed his father. 'Fireworks' airs March 20 at 10:00 p.m. on NBC.

Applications are now being accepted for the 2013-14 Composer Librettist Development Program (CLDP). Founded in 2007 and recognized for artistic excellence by both the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts, the CLDP is the only full-time professional mentorship initiative for operatic writers in the country.

Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts has announced its May-June 2013 events, including: Phantom Limb Company: 69°S, McCoy Tyner Quartet with Special Guest Joe Lovano, Talk Cinema, Chris Botti, and Love, Loss and What I Wore.

On CHICAGO FIRE's upcoming episode, titled 'Better to Lie' Treat Williams GUEST STARS-Old emotional wounds are opened when Lieutenant Severide's (Taylor Kinney) father Bennie (guest star Treat Williams) comes to town and clashes with Chief Boden (Eamonn Walker) over the death of their former colleague.

On Tuesday, February 26, the debut recording of David T. Little's 'sharp, elegantly bristling' opera-theatre piece, Soldier Songs (2006), which recently completed a wildly successful NYC premiere run on the inaugural PROTOTYPE festival, is released on audio CD from Innova Recordings, produced by Lawson White. The recording receives its digital release on iTunes and Amazon today, February 5, 2013.

On CHICAGO FIRE's upcoming episode, titled 'Nazdarovya,' Dawson (Monica Raymund) attempts to help her brother Antonio (guest star Jon Seda) unravel the details of his drugs-and-gang investigation, and goes behind his back in turning to an unlikely source for assistance. Casey (Jesse Spencer) and his mother, Nancy (Kathleen Quinlan) struggle with their new relationship.

Fort Worth Opera (FWOpera) announced today a call for submissions for its second annual Frontiers new works showcase to be held during the 2014 Fort Worth Opera Festival. A pioneering leader in the production of contemporary opera, FWOpera launched Frontiers in the 2012-2013 season. One of the only programs world-wide designed to seek out unproduced works by up-and-coming composers from North, South, and Central America, the showcase provides composers and librettists a platform by which to gain exposure for their pieces in a live performance environment while also affording them valuable networking opportunities with industry professionals, including artistic directors of opera companies, artist managers, classical music publishers, funding organizations, and conductors.

On CHICAGO FIRE's upcoming episode, 'Warm and Dead,' a troubled Chief Boden (Eamonn Walker) goes to the police when a man dies in a hardware store fire set by Ernie (guest star Cody Sullivan), the troubled teenage firebug he's been trying to help, and his Uncle Ray (guest star Darrell W. Cox). Meanwhile, Severide (Taylor Kinney) decides on his future and reaches out to his father (guest star Treat Williams). Elsewhere, Otis (Yuri Sardarov) finds camaraderie when he fills in for a few shifts at the slowest firehouse in the city, and makes a decision of his own, while Dawson (Monica Raymund) and Shay (Lauren German) find themselves in a bad predicament during a call to a tenement apartment. Jesse Spencer, Charlie Barnett and David Eigenberg also star. Sarah Shahi, Kathleen Quinlan, Nicole Forester and Shiri Appleby guest star. 'Warm and Dead' is set to air Jan. 30 on NBC.

Beth Morrison Projects (BMP) and HERE announce programming for the inaugural PROTOTYPE: Opera/Theatre/Now, running today, January 9-19, 2013, in New York City.

Darren K. Woods, General Director of Fort Worth Opera (FWOpera) appeared on KERA's widely popular program Think-the daily topic driven and call-in radio show hosted by Krys Boyd-this afternoon, Monday, January 7, 2013, at 1:00 p.m. (CST). During this special hour long, in-depth interview he discussed the recent announcement of the organization's new artistic vision, Opera of the Americas, a ten-year commitment to the production of thought-provoking works by contemporary composers of the Americas.

On the Jan. 9 episode of CHICAGO FIRE, entitled 'Under the Knife,' Severide (Taylor Kinney) finally addresses Chief Boden (Eamonn Walker) about his injury and makes some important personal decisions about his future. Meanwhile, Casey (Jesse Spencer) struggles with family matters and Dawson (Monica Raymund) takes matters into her own hands when she discovers a young girl who is the sole survivor at the scene of a rescue call. Lauren German, Charlie Barnett and David Eigenberg also star. Sarah Shahi, Kathleen Quinlan and Nicole Forester guest star.

Soldier Songs is an evening-length multimedia event from composer David T. Little that combines elements of theater, opera, rock-infused concert music, and animation to portray a chilling and realistic view of our media-crazed, war machine culture, and of the nature of power in war. It delivers tough questions and tells tough stories through its poignant libretto, driving music, and surprising visual counterpoint. Created by the composer, the libretto was adapted from recorded interviews with veterans of five wars. Soldier Songs traces the shift in perception of war from the age of 6 to the age of 66. We follow the abstract character through the three phases of life: Child (playing war games) Warrior (time served in the military) and Elder (aged, wise,reflective).

Beth Morrison Projects (BMP) and HERE have announced the full line-up for the inaugural PROTOTYPE: Opera/Theatre/Now festival, running January 9-18, 2013, in New York City. This two-week Festival, distilling the curatorial visions of artistic directors Kristin Marting (of HERE), Beth Morrison (of BMP), and Kim Whitener (of HERE), features visionary music-theatre and opera-theatre works by pioneering artists from NYC and around the world. PROTOTYPE is unique in providing a permanent theatrical home for the presentation of such quality productions, spotlighting the high-caliber creations of an exciting new generation of composers and collaborators, with a focus on chamber-sized works.

Cellist Maya Beiser will see the New York premiere of her new production, ELSEWHERE, a "CelloOpera," in four performances from tonight, October 17 through 20 at 7:30pm, during the 2012 BAM Next Wave Festival in the inaugural season of the Fishman Space, part of BAM's new Richard B. Fischer Building which opens in September 2012 at 321 Ashland Place in Brooklyn. ELSEWHERE is produced by Beth Morrison Projects.

After three years in the making, David T. Little's "Dog Days" will receive its world premiere at Peak Performances' Alexander Kasser Theater, tonight, September 29-October 7.