Nolan Gasser News

Opera Saratoga announces its 2015 Summer Festival season, which will run from July 2 - July 26, 2015 at multiple venues throughout Saratoga Springs, New York.

San Francisco Opera General Director David Gockley and San Francisco Opera Association President Keith Geeslin today announced that Gockley will retire in July 2016, concluding a ten-year, seven-month tenure with the Company and capping an internationally acclaimed and award-winning career spanning 44 years as one of America's most prominent opera impresarios. Gockley, who will be 73 at the end of the 2015–16 season, became the Company's sixth general director when he joined San Francisco Opera in January 2006. Today's announcement was made at a War Memorial Opera House press conference.

Kathy Evans, Founding Executive Director, announced the nine musicals and twenty-six writers selected for the 2014 Rhinebeck Writers Retreat, its fourth year of providing working retreats for musical theatre writers. For nine consecutive weeks beginning June 29th, each writing team will have an individual weeklong residency in Rhinebeck, New York to write their musical. They are provided with a private home, transportation, food, and a stipend. All costs are fully funded by donors including The ASCAP Foundation, The Dramatists Guild Fund, and The Noel Coward Foundation. Writers participating this year include Broadway's Mindi Dickstein (Little Women), this year's Kleban Prize winner Nathan Tysen (Burnt Part Boys), and Peter Mills, past winner of the Kleban, Fred Ebb Award, and Richard Rodgers prize. The musicals' subjects cover 19th century nautical mysteries, 20th century fairy tales, a 1970's gay bar, and modern-day meth addicts. Every score is original and styles include 16th century Renaissance, big band, folk, rock, and electronic music.

San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus (SFGMC) Artistic Director, Dr. Timothy Seelig, announced the program for LUSTER: AN AMERICAN SONGBOOK at Davies Symphony Hall (201 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco), tonight, March 25 and Wednesday, March 26, 2014 at 8 p.m.

Pace University's Pace New Musicals (PNM) program (est. 2007 by Program Head Amy Rogers), dedicated to the discovery of new theater works, and Ryan Scott Oliver, composer- lyricist and producer, will present a staged reading of Little Miss Fix-It (book and lyrics by Kirsten A. Guenther and music by Joy Son) today, January 23-27, 2014.

Today, San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus (SFGMC) Artistic Director, Dr. Timothy Seelig, announced the program for LUSTER: AN AMERICAN SONGBOOK at Davies Symphony Hall (201 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco), on Tuesday, March 25 and Wednesday, March 26, 2014 at 8 p.m. A celebration of 20th Century American music, LUSTER will feature the 300 men of the chorus and special guest Ann Hampton Callaway singing timeless classics from George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Duke Ellington and Irving Berlin. The performance will also include the world premiere of 'Tyler's Suite,' a multi-movement work created by top American composers of this century, presented in collaboration with the Tyler Clementi Foundation (TCF). Passionate about the story of Tyler Clementi, composer Stephen Schwartz selected John Bucchino, Ann Hampton Callaway, Craig Carnelia, John Corigliano, Nolan Gasser, Jake Heggie, Lance Horne, and Pamela Stewart to join him as they each created a movement for 'Tyler's Suite.' Tickets for LUSTER range in price from $25 - $75 and are available now by visiting www.SFGMC.org or by calling City Box Office at 415.392.4400.

Today, San Francisco Gay Men's Chorus (SFGMC) Artistic Director, Dr. Timothy Seelig, announced the program for LUSTER: AN AMERICAN SONGBOOK at Davies Symphony Hall (201 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco), on Tuesday, March 25 and Wednesday, March 26, 2014 at 8 p.m. A celebration of 20th Century American music, LUSTER will feature the 300 men of the chorus and special guest Ann Hampton Callaway singing timeless classics from George Gershwin, Cole Porter, Duke Ellington and Irving Berlin. The performance will also include the world premiere of “Tyler's Suite,” a multi-movement work created by top American composers of this century, presented in collaboration with the Tyler Clementi Foundation (TCF). Passionate about the story of Tyler Clementi, composerStephen Schwartz selected John Bucchino, Ann Hampton Callaway, Craig Carnelia, John Corigliano, Nolan Gasser, Jake Heggie, Lance Horne, and Pamela Stewart to join him as they each created a movement for “Tyler's Suite.” Tickets for LUSTER range in price from $25 - $75 and are available now by visiting www.SFGMC.org or by calling City Box Office at 415.392.4400.

Pace University's Pace New Musicals (PNM) program (est. 2007 by Program Head Amy Rogers), dedicated to the discovery of new theater works, and Ryan Scott Oliver, composer- lyricist and producer, will present a staged reading of Little Miss Fix-It (book and lyrics by Kirsten A. Guenther and music by Joy Son) on January 23-27, 2014.

Chance Theater presents the fifth show of its 15th Anniversary Season - a family-friendly holiday offering The Secret Garden - The Musical with book and lyrics by Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Marsha Norman, music by Tony Award nominee Lucy Simon, and directed by Casey Long and KC Wilkerson. The Secret Garden - The Musical opened on November 30 and continues through December 29 at Chance Theater. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!

Chance Theater presents the fifth show of its 15th Anniversary Season - a family-friendly holiday offering The Secret Garden - The Musical with book and lyrics by Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Marsha Norman, music by Tony Award nominee Lucy Simon, and directed by Casey Long and KC Wilkerson. The Secret Garden - The Musical will preview on November 29 and 30, open November 30 and continue through December 29 at Chance Theater.

San Francisco Opera's new commission, a modern opera take on the classic children's story, "The Secret Garden," has trouble fully blooming. Littered with beautiful lilies and roses of moments, the opera waits until its second act to really let its music breathe.

The San Francisco Opera celebrates its 90th year since it was founded by Gaetano Merola in 1923. Currently the second largest opera company in North America, the San Francisco Opera has grown from one production presented for two weeks to 75 performances of ten different operas running from September to July.

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