Opera Atelier's 30th Anniversary Seasonwill celebrate the company's status as the busiest touring opera company in North America. A new Canadian production of Mozart's Lucio Silla (Apr. 7-16, 2016) will form the cornerstone of Opera Atelier's anniversary season in Toronto, paired with a revival of its landmark production of Armide (Oct. 22-31, 2015). The company has secured a recurring engagement at the Palace of Versailles and will present one of its Canadian-made productions at the famed Opéra Royal every second year. Armide will return to Versailles following its Toronto run in the fall of 2015. Today's announcement by founding artistic directorsMarshall Pynkoski and Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg comes just weeks before they make their debuts atLa Scala Opera House in Milan with their celebrated staging of Lucio Silla. Both operas in the 30thAnniversary Season are rarely performed works that have recently been given international profile by the artists of Opera Atelier.
DreamWorks Animation (DWA) is implementing a new strategic plan to restructure its core feature animation business to ensure the consistent and profitable delivery of the high quality films that audiences have come to expect from the studio. Following a full review of the business, the company will focus its feature production from three films per year down to two, maximize its creative talent and resources, reduce costs, and drive profitability.
Opera Atelier's 2014-2015 season continues with the Berlioz version of Gluck's Orpheus and Eurydice, a timeless love story based on the Greek myth.
Opera Atelier most recently produced Gluck's opera in 2007, but this will mark the company's first exploration of Berlioz's 1859 version, in which the role of Orpheus is scored for a female contralto. Opera Atelier's co-artistic directors are proud that Tafelmusik has agreed to be part of this groundbreaking project, which marks the orchestra's furthest foray into 19th century orchestration.
DreamWorks Animation announced today that it has appointed two veteran producers, Bonnie Arnold and Mireille Soria, as co-presidents of feature animation.
New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark is your destination for world-class, affordable holiday shows -- whether you are purchasing tickets as a gift or taking the family to a holiday experience, NJPAC has a versatile selection of shows including classics like Rudolph-The Musical -- celebrating 50 years of the television production, New Jersey's Best production of Handel's Messiah and children's annual event Holiday Swingin.'
Joining the illustrious list of renowned ballet companies presented by Segerstrom Center for the Arts, the Mikhailovsky Ballet from St. Petersburg, Russia will make its West Coast debut opening the Center's 2014 - 2015 International Dance Series performing The Flames of Paris, a work rarely seen in a full production. The Mikhailovsky will dance four performances November 28 - 30, 2014 in Segerstrom Hall.
Franklin Performing Arts Company (FPAC) presents The Diaries of Adam and Eve, a compelling exploration of the relationship between men and women as told through the lens of the world's first love story. The light-hearted dramatic comedy play by David Birney is an adaptation of the book by America's great humorist, Mark Twain. FPAC's production is directed by Nick Paone and stars Franklin's Charley and Mireille Eastman in the title roles.
New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark is your destination for world-class, affordable holiday shows -- whether you are purchasing tickets as a gift or taking the family to a holiday experience, NJPAC has a versatile selection of shows including classics like Rudolph-The Musical -- celebrating 50 years of the television production, New Jersey's Best production of Handel's Messiah and children's annual event Holiday Swingin.'
Music Director Jacques Lacombe and the New Jersey Symphony Chamber Orchestra present Handel's Messiah with the Montclair State University Singers and a quartet of international vocalists December 19–21 in Princeton, Neptune and Newark. Soprano Nathalie Paulin, mezzo-soprano Mireille Lebel, tenor Isaiah Bell and bass Gordon Bintner join the Orchestra for Handel's masterwork—a Christmastime tradition in concert halls across the world.
Franklin Performing Arts Company (FPAC) presents The Diaries of Adam and Eve, a compelling exploration of the relationship between men and women as told through the lens of the world's first love story. The light-hearted dramatic comedy play by David Birney is an adaptation of the book by America's great humorist, Mark Twain. FPAC's production is directed by Nick Paone and stars Franklin's Charley and Mireille Eastman in the title roles.
Opera Atelier's 2014-2015 season begins with the Canadian premiere of a fully staged period production of Alcina (today, Oct. 23 – Nov. 1, 2014). George Frideric Handel's magical Alcina is a Baroque masterpiece and premiered in London in 1735. This production will mark Opera Atelier's first major Handel production at the Elgin Theatre. Alcina tells the story of a sorceress whose world is a mirage composed of the souls of her past lovers, and the Christian knight Ruggiero who is destined to set them free.
Tate Publishing is proud to announce the signing of local author Robert Branham and his soon-to-be-published book, 'A Matter of Truth.'
'A Matter of Truth' takes four ordinary people, whose lives would have never intersected otherwise, out of their comfortable environment and places them into a cold and unfamiliar city without explanation, without recourse, without anything.
'A Muslim from Turkey and a Baptist Preacher from Oklahoma head the list of characters that are thrown into the mix,' shares Branham. 'People who would otherwise be at odds must decide if they should or can work together to survive in their unforeseen predicament.'
'A Matter of Truth' will put you on the edge as a search for truth, in religion. Robert spent roughly nine years living abroad in Istanbul Turkey. His life experiences magnifies curiosity while uncovering deep issues we have all questioned at one time or another,' said Mireille Mistkowski, the acquisitions editor for the book.
Branham's personal experiences living in Turkey served as the inspiration for the book. 'I first moved to Turkey from Waco, TX in 2005. Ever since we moved it has been an ongoing curiosity to observe and make note of the cultural differences,' says Branham. 'There are many differences that distinguish our two cultures but also there are similarities. I sometimes imagine what it would be like if I could instantaneously transport someone from central Texas over to Istanbul, Turkey (and vice versa).'
Branham's cultural surroundings also color the book in a vivid, illustrative manner. '100% of the book was written in the country of Turkey, with 90% was written a stone's throw from my neighborhood mosque. The sights, sounds and smells from the crowded streets of Istanbul flavored the story line,' says Branham. 'I wrote while the 'call to prayer' blared throughout the day from speakers at the Mosque across the street alerting all passersby that it was time to come inside and pray. There were countless glasses of Turkish chai set before me in those distinctive figure 8 shape glasses amidst the cloud of cigarette smoke that often hovered where I drank, sat and wrote at my favorite cafe. All of this helped to flavor the writing so that hopefully the reader will gain a unique experience from this part of the world.'
Branham expresses that the gut-wrenching awareness/mystery of the afterlife deeply influences and uses the word 'scary' to describe this theme in the book, sharing 'somewhere deep inside of each of us, no matter where we live or what language we speak or what religion we say we have, deep down inside is an idea that we hold to in the very center of our soul that explains the meaning of life, death, heaven and hell. The more people that I have talked to around the world, the more I see that it is the same regardless of culture and religion. People want to believe in a heaven and hell.'
'But,' Branham questions, 'why do we believe what we do? Is it something we heard from a parent, teacher, or preacher? Maybe it was something we read in a book? What if that teacher was wrong? What if the church got it wrong? What if the best selling author that we read was incorrect? Where does that leave us...for eternity?... Perhaps even more interestingly almost everyone seems to live with the notion that they are going to heaven and that it will be the 'other' guys that are going to hell. This is the scary part, unless truly everyone around the world is going to heaven. But if we are wrong, how do we know?'
Branham hopes this overarching themes will 'cause readers to reexamine what they believe and why. Hopefully it will be scary enough to cause readers to reevaluate their core beliefs... David Hume said that errors in philosophy are just ridiculous but errors in religion are dangerous. We can afford to be sloppy in our convictions about some things but not about religion.'
Published by Tate Publishing and Enterprises, the book will be available upon its release through bookstores nationwide, from the publisher at www.tatepublishing.com/bookstore, or by visiting barnesandnoble.com or amazon.com.
Robert Branham is married to Joni Branham. They have been married for 24 years and have four children. They moved from Waco, Texas to Turkey in 2005. Robert left a position with Baylor University in the Information Systems Group where he was Senior Systems Analyst at that time to teach in a private Turkish school.
For more information or interview requests please contact Michelle Whitman, publicist, at (405) 458-5642 or send an email to michelle@keymgc.com.
Joining the illustrious list of renowned ballet companies presented by Segerstrom Center for the Arts, the Mikhailovsky Ballet from St. Petersburg, Russia will make its West Coast debut opening the Center's 2014 - 2015 International Dance Series performing The Flames of Paris, a work rarely seen in a full production. The Mikhailovsky will dance four performances November 28 - 30, 2014 in Segerstrom Hall.
Today, WaterTower Music releases the soundtrack to New Line Cinema's and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures' drama 'If I Stay,' based on Gayle Forman's New York Times best-selling novel. The film will be released three days later on August 22.
Cirque du Soleil celebrates 30 years of spectacular circus arts this year with the presentation of the first ever majority female performance ensemble. Directed by renowned director, Diane Paulus, AMALUNA features a 70% female company of astonishingly skilled circus artists.
If I Stay is a young adult novel by Gayle Forman published in 2009. The story follows 17-year-old Mia as she deals with the aftermath of a catastrophic car accident involving her family. In a coma, Mia has an out-of-body experience, and watches as friends and family gather at the hospital where she is being treated. Mia watches as her memories flash before her eyes as she comes to realize that she must decide if she is to wake up and lead a life far more difficult than she ever anticipated, or to slip away and die. It has received widely positive reviews. A sequel hit shelves in April 2011, entitled Where She Went.
A film version, directed by R. J. Cutler, is set to be released on August 22, 2014, starring Chloë Grace Moretz, Mireille Enos, Joshua Leonard and Stacy Keach.
Opera Atelier's 2014-2015 season begins with the Canadian premiere of a fully staged period production of Alcina (Oct. 23 – Nov. 1, 2014). George Frideric Handel's magical Alcina is a Baroque masterpiece and premiered in London in 1735. This production will mark Opera Atelier's first major Handel production at the Elgin Theatre. Alcina tells the story of a sorceress whose world is a mirage composed of the souls of her past lovers, and the Christian knight Ruggiero who is destined to set them free.
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