One year after its sold-out world premiere, Opera Philadelphia seeks an encore engagement for We Shall Not Be Moved, “a rare work in the genre to be created by artists of color” (New York Times). When it first played to seven sold-out Wilma Theater audiences during O17, Opera Philadelphia's inaugural annual festival, the opera – a company commission from Daniel Bernard Roumain, Marc Bamuthi Joseph, and Bill T. Jones – was a hit with audiences and critics alike, being hailed as a “deeply moving” (Washington Post), “poignant and genre-bending” (Wall Street Journal), “highly polished piece of theater” (Philadelphia Inquirer). “One minute I was on the verge of tears,” said a local high-school student; “next minute I was on the edge of my seat.” As Opera News noted, with its “compelling score utilizing classical, jazz, music theater, hip-hop and dance music vocabulary,” We Shall Not Be Moved “succeeds on the level of art and not just polemic.”
John Holiday is a countertenor for people who don't usually appreciate countertenors--or think of them as “an acquired taste.” Holiday is definitely not that. He has a gorgeous, expressive voice, that somehow balances sweetness and power, whether he's singing Baroque, gospel, American songbook or jazz (and lots in between).
Acclaimed bass Soloman Howard will join conductor Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic in their performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, presented by Lincoln Center's Great Performers series, on April 29, 2018, at 3:00 pm in David Geffen Hall. He will replace Davone Tines, who withdrew due to illness.
On Sunday, April 22, 2018, the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra gave a matinee performance of Leonard Bernstein's Chichester Psalms together with Ludwig van Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 in D Minor.
Ars Lyrica Houston, the Grammy-nominated early music ensemble, announces its 2018/19 season: Out of the Box: Celebrating Ambition & Innovation. Ars Lyrica Houston takes on its first full-length Baroque opera with Handel's Agrippina plus the complete "Brandenburg" Concertos by J. S. Bach. Artistic Director Matthew Dirst has created a program "that highlights composers and works that are exceptional, definitive, unusual, even infamous." With Bach's six concertos appearing in pairs throughout the season, individual programs explore distinct ways of thinking about the general theme, from unexpected musical gifts to singular collections and composers.
Des Moines Metro Opera (DMMO) announces an exciting concert and reception featuring internationally acclaimed countertenor John Holiday on Sunday, April 8 at 7:00pm. Featuring an eclectic mix of opera, jazz and gospel selections, the concert will be held in the sanctuary at Plymouth Church in Des Moines. Scott Arens, DMMO's director of marketing and public relations, will be joining Mr. Holiday at the piano for the performance.
Des Moines Metro Opera's (DMMO) General and Artistic Director, Michael Egel, is pleased to announce the full casting for the Company's 46th Festival Season, which runs from June 22 through July 15, 2018, and offers 17 performances of four different operas.
Conducted by music director Martin Pearlman, the season is anchored by a powerful new performing version of Monteverdi's L'incoronazione di Poppea by Pearlman. The season includes the Boston Baroque debuts of countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo and soprano Layla Claire, with performances by renowned Baroque interpreters such as David Daniels, Nicholas Phan, Amanda Forsythe, and clarinetist Eric Hoeprich.
Western Connecticut State University will host a community birthday celebration for Marian Anderson, a musical and civil rights icon who lived in Danbury.
Ars Lyrica Houston presents the fourth concert of the 2017/2018 Artful Women season with Esther & Jonah in Zilkha Hall at the Hobby Center on Friday, February 16 at 7:30pm. Produced in collaboration with Bach Society Houston as part of the 2018 Houston Early Music Festival, this program comprises two concise music dramas from opposite ends of the 18th century: G. F. Handel's Esther (1718) and Samuel Felsted's Jonah (1775).
It's just about time to wish you all a happy 2018--but I'm not quite ready to put 2017 to rest. Though it won't go into the annals as one of the best years ever, there were quite enough performances and performers that made this year a winner for me, operatically speaking at least, in my corner of the world.
Washington National Opera (WNO) continues its 2017 2018 season with the company premiere of Handel's magical Baroque opera Alcina - starring megawatt soprano Angela Meade in the title role - November 4 19, 2017, in the Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater.
WE SHALL NOT BE MOVED, which made its NY debut in a pair of performances at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem last weekend, after its world premiere at Opera Philadelphia's O17 festival last month, is more than an opera or performance piece. And it sure as hell isn't an evening's entertainment. Composed by Daniel Bernard Roumarin with libretto by Marc Bamuthi Joseph, and directed, choreographed and shaped by Bill T. Jones, it is by turns incredibly moving and infuriatingly contemporary in a bold performance that I won't soon forget.
Washington National Opera (WNO) continues its 2017 2018 season with the company premiere of Handel's magical Baroque opera Alcina - starring megawatt soprano Angela Meade in the title role - November 4 19, 2017, in the Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater.
O17, the inaugural edition of Opera Philadelphia's game-changing new annual season-opening festival, launched like a rocket earlier this month, trailing a blaze of critical and popular acclaim. Next Today, one of the three new operas that received its world premiere at the festival - We Shall Not Be Moved, a 'deeply moving' work (Washington Post) that 'succeeds on the level of art and not just polemic' (Opera News) - is set to make its New York premiere at Harlem's Apollo Theater (Oct 6 & 7).
O17, the inaugural edition of Opera Philadelphia's game-changing new annual season-opening festival, launched like a rocket earlier this month, trailing a blaze of critical and popular acclaim. Next Friday, one of the three new operas that received its world premiere at the festival - We Shall Not Be Moved, a 'deeply moving' work (Washington Post) that 'succeeds on the level of art and not just polemic' (Opera News) - is set to make its New York premiere at Harlem's Apollo Theater (Oct 6 & 7).
WE SHALL NOT BE MOVED made its world premiere on September 16, and will play through September 24 at The Wilma Theatre as part of Opera Philadelphia's O17 Festival, and the critics are weighing in!
September marks the launch of O17, the inaugural edition of Opera Philadelphia's game-changing new annual season-opening festival, and We Shall Not Be Moved (Sep 16-24) is one of three world premieres with which the company looks forward to baptizing the festival by fire.
September marks the launch of O17, the inaugural edition of Opera Philadelphia's game-changing new annual season-opening festival, and We Shall Not Be Moved (Sep 16-24) is one of three world premieres with which the company looks forward to baptizing the festival by fire.
There are opera festivals and then there are OPERA FESTIVALS, but none that promise to be the equivalent of Opera Philadelphia's O17, which opens on September 14 for a 12-day run. It's a dazzling array of the old and new, the well-known and emerging, being produced at prestigious venues around the city, from the Academy of Music to the Barnes Foundation. There's even a screening in Independence Park of a hit from the last opera season.
