Music-Theatre Group News

Opera Philadelphia, in collaboration with Music-Theatre Group in New York, is proud to announce that composer Rene Orth, whose music “is whimsical, spikey, sometimes show-bizy, always dramatic, reflective, rarely predictable, and often electronic” (Musical America), has been selected as its sixth Composer in Residence (CIR). Orth was chosen from a national field of applicants for the position and now has the opportunity to follow a personalized development track focused on the advancement of her skills as an operatic composer.

LA Opera's 30th Anniversary Season will include the west coast premiere of Song from the Uproar, a new multimedia opera by Brooklyn-based composer Missy Mazzoli. This compelling new work is presented under LA Opera's Off Grand banner, which complements the company's mainstage programming through a wide variety of forms of artistic exploration. A unique combination of live music and original film, Song from the Uproar was inspired by the life and writings of early 20th-century explorer Isabelle Eberhardt. The audience witnesses key moments in her life: the death of her family, her journeys in the North African desert, her ecstatic religious conversion and, ultimately, her tragic drowning in a flash flood at the age of 27. 

Board Chairman Daniel K. Meyer, M.D. announced today that Opera Philadelphia's Board of Directors has extended David B. Devan's contract as the company's General Director and President, and Corrado Rovaris's contract as the Jack Mulroney Music Director, through the end of the 2019-2020 Season.

(Los Angeles) September 17, 2015 — LA Opera's 30th Anniversary Season will include the west coast premiere of Song from the Uproar, a new multimedia opera by Brooklyn-based composer Missy Mazzoli. This compelling new work is presented under LA Opera's Off Grand banner, which complements the company's mainstage programming through a wide variety of forms of artistic exploration. A unique combination of live music and original film, Song from the Uproar was inspired by the life and writings of early 20th-century explorer Isabelle Eberhardt. The audience witnesses key moments in her life: the death of her family, her journeys in the North African desert, her ecstatic religious conversion and, ultimately, her tragic drowning in a flash flood at the age of 27. 

The producers of the critically-acclaimed new play The Absolute Brightness of Leonard Pelkey announced today that Tony Award winning playwright, performer and activist Eve Ensler will be the next recipient of the Absolute Brightness Award. The award, previously awarded to LGBT civil rights hero Edie Windsor and Tony Award Winner and activist Alan Cumming, is given to a unique individual who is a shining beacon in their community, and an inspiration to live as your truest self. Ms. Ensler will be given the Absolute Brightness Award after the evening performance on Wednesday, September 23, 2015, at the Westside Theatre (407 West 43 Street).

WASHINGTON)—Washington National Opera (WNO) today announced details for the fourth season of the American Opera Initiative, its comprehensive commissioning program that brings contemporary American stories to the stage while fostering the talents of rising American composers and librettists. Three pairings of new opera composers and librettists—Christopher Weiss and John de los Santos, David Clay Mettens and Joshua McGuire, and Sarah Hutchings and Mark Sonnenblick—will premiere new one-act operas, each based on a contemporary American story, in a semi-staged concert performance on December 2, 2015 in the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater. Composer Luna Pearl Woolf and librettist Caitlin Vincent, an alumnus of the program's second season, will present their new hour-long work Better Gods—based on the life of Queen Lili'uokalani, the last monarch of Hawaii—on January 8 and 9, 2016 in the Terrace Theater.

Set in the unknown reaches of outer space, Separation Street is a walking theatrical adventure with a twist: kids are separated from their accompanying adults and taken on their own electrifying journey into a tangible, interactive and walk-through world.

Opera Philadelphia, in collaboration with Gotham Chamber Opera and Music-Theatre Group in New York, is proud to announce that composer David Hertzberg, whose music 'demonstrates that a gifted young composer can be inspired by masters and still speak with a vibrantly personal style' (the New York Times), has been selected as its fifth Composer in Residence (CIR). Hertzberg was chosen from over 150 applicants for the position and now has the opportunity to follow a personalized development track focused on the advancement of his skills as an operatic composer.

Get a first look at CROSSING!

Go inside tech week for CROSSING!

Get a new look at CROSSING!

Get a first look at CROSSING!

Classic Stage Company presents William Shakespeare's HAMLET, starring acclaimed actor Peter Sarsgaard as Hamlet, and directed by Austin Pendleton. Previews for HAMLET began on March 27 at CSC (136 East 13th Street) for a limited engagement through May 10. The official press opening is tonight, April 15.

The American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) at Harvard University, under the leadership of Artistic Director Diane Paulus, announces the casting of the world premiere of Crossing, an opera by Matthew Aucoin, directed by Diane Paulus, featuring the chamber orchestra A Far Cry, produced in association with Music-Theatre Group.

On March 12, 2015, San Diego Opera announced that Bennett would be taking the reins of the company

Classic Stage Company presents William Shakespeare's HAMLET, starring acclaimed actor Peter Sarsgaard as Hamlet, and directed by Austin Pendleton.

Opera Philadelphia is inviting the public to witness the artistic development of its three Composers in Residence as they participate in a Master Class conducted by acclaimed soprano Dawn Upshaw. This unique, 'opera in the making' event, spotlighting new music being written composers Missy Mazzoli, Andrew Norman, and David T. Little, takes place tonight, March 17, at 7:00 p.m. in the Perelman Theater at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts.

Opera Philadelphia is inviting the public to witness the artistic development of its three Composers in Residence as they participate in a Master Class conducted by acclaimed soprano Dawn Upshaw. This unique, “opera in the making” event, spotlighting new music being written composers Missy Mazzoli, Andrew Norman, and David T. Little, takes place on Tuesday, March 17, at 7:00 p.m. in the Perelman Theater at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts.

Classic Stage Company, under the leadership of Artistic Director Brian Kulick, Managing Director Jeff Griffin and Executive Director Greg Reiner, announced complete casting today for their upcoming production of William Shakespeare's HAMLET, starring acclaimed actor Peter Sarsgaard as Hamlet, and directed by Austin Pendleton.