HOMETOWN TO THE WORLD--the 70-minute contemporary chamber opera by Laura Kaminsky and Kimberly Reed about the aftermath of a 2008 raid by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on a slaughterhouse in Postville, Iowa--is about as far from the Midwest of Meredith Willson’s THE MUSIC MAN imaginable.
Washington National Opera (WNO) presents the tenth season of its acclaimed American Opera Initiative (AOI) with world premieres of three new operas on January 21, 2023, at 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. in the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater.
The Town Hall continues its 2022/23 concert series spotlighting women composers who have shaped American culture with the New York premiere of composer Laura Kaminsky and librettist Kimberly Reed's searing new chamber opera Hometown to the World on Saturday, November 5 (8 pm).
The Santa Fe Opera will present the world premiere of This Little Light of Mine, a new opera about the life of voting rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer. The one-act opera is composed by Chandler Carter with libretto by Diana Solomon-Glover. Under development since 2017, the piece is commissioned by the Santa Fe Opera and its Opera for All Voices (OFAV) consortium partners.
The Town Hall opens its 2022/23 concert series spotlighting women composers who have shaped American culture with the New York premiere of Meredith Monk's MEMORY GAME, Saturday, October 15 (8 pm).
The Town Hall has announced details on a series of concerts spotlighting four esteemed women composers who have shaped American culture over the decades: the “Mother of Contemporary Gospel music,” Dr. Elbernita “Twinkie” Clark; legendary singer-songwriter Judy Collins; acclaimed opera composer Laura Kaminsky; and trailblazing composer/singer Meredith Monk.
Conceived and funded by acclaimed librettist and lyricist Mark Campbell, the Prize is the first award in the history of American opera created specifically to honor the work of opera librettists, and comes with a $7,000 award to support the winner's creative and career development.
OPERA America is pleased to announce the selection of Stephanie Fleischmann as the 2022 Campbell Opera Librettist Prize recipient. Conceived and funded by acclaimed librettist and lyricist Mark Campbell, the Prize is the first award in the history of American opera created specifically to honor the work of opera librettists, and comes with a $7,000 award to support the winner’s creative and career development.
As General Director Timothy 2 O’Leary and Artistic Director Francesca Zambello announced today, the company’s 2022– 2023 season balances groundbreaking new work with audience favorites.
Opera star Michael Kelly willed this piece into existence and, now, it comes into the light. Read the story of how it happened in this new interview with BroadwayWorld Cabaret.
The American Opera Project (AOP) will honor International Transgender Day of Visibility with 'AS ONE: THE WORK CONTINUES…” at The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center in New York City. The one-hour live and livestreamed event, taking place on March 31, 2022 at 7 pm ET, will be moderated by baritone, model, and creative director Rahzé Cheatham who recently performed in the landmark 49th production of As One, featuring an all transgender cast.
OPERA America has announced the recipients of the 2022 Repertoire Development Grants: American Lyric Theater (New York, NY); Beth Morrison Projects (New York, NY); Houston Grand Opera (Houston, TX); Lyric Opera of Chicago (Chicago, IL); MassOpera (Salem, MA); Opera Theatre of Saint Louis (St. Louis, MO); Pensacola Opera (Pensacola, FL) and OperaDelaware (Wilmington, DE); and Virginia Opera (Norfolk, VA). A total of $225,000 was awarded to eight projects (see below) by these nine companies.
Reflecting its deep commitment and connection to the veteran community, The Atlanta Opera will honor veterans in November with the release of two works centered on Tom Cipullo's Glory Denied, a distinctly American saga about the nation's longest-held prisoner of war, who returns from the jungles of Southeast Asia to a suburban home he barely recognizes.
This intimate opera is born of the complex intersection of race, religion, ethnicity and culture that was exposed following the 2008 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency raid of America's largest kosher meatpacking plant in Postville, Iowa.
This year, 6 composers and 3 librettists have been selected to receive fellowships, including composers Gabrielle Herbst, J.E. Hernández, Raquel Acevedo Klein, Paul Pinto, Tidtaya Sinutoke and Ania Vu, and librettists Jeesun Choi, Isabella Dawis, and Troy Defour.
The Atlanta Opera returns to the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre this season for its four mainstage productions: Handel's Julius Caesar in Egypt, Gilbert and Sullivan's The Pirates of Penzance, Rossini's Barber of Seville, and Mason Bates's The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs.
The season opens with another world premiere: Micah Roberts' 'Hypernovae,' a fantastic overture inspired by the cosmos, which also marks the conclusion of the LCO's first ever call-for-scores. Roberts' score was selected from over 120 compositions, which came from 9 different countries. Other featured living composers include Anna Clyne, Arnold Friedman, Mark Berger, Karl Henning, and Lowell's own Aaron Rosenberg.
Opera Maine will celebrate a return to live opera with two performances July 28 and 30 at Merrill Auditorium. Under the direction of Artistic Director Dona D. Vaughn, the company will stage an original production of Gaetano Donizetti's endearing comic opera, L'elisir d'amore (The Elixir of Love.)
Opera Orlando is se to close its 2020-21 season 'On the Town' at Harriett's Orlando Ballet Centre with the intimate and powerful one-act opera As One. Composed by Laura Kaminsky with a libretto by Mark Campbell and Kimberly Reed, As One is a timely coming-of-age story about a transgender woman.
Opera Orlando will partner with 26 Health to present As One, a transgender coming-of-age story about identity, authenticity, and compassion: a story representative of the LGBTQ+ community for all audiences.