Stephen Kitsakos News

By popular demand, The Studios of Key West has extended its innovative online summer conversation series, 'Between Two Palms,' into the fall. The program invites award-winning theater, television, film and literary personalities online for a lively, unscripted hour-long conversation produced by The Studios.

Community Conversation presented by Change the Perception has covered numerous issues each month. Gay Pride may have been in June, but at the July 23 meeting LGBT will be the topic with a reading of Gregory G. Allen's 'Hiding in Daylight': a dystopian play about life after a gay purge. Dallas actors will read the one act play and then open up the floor for a discussion. Please be advised the work is for mature audiences.

The opera A Thousand Splendid Suns is totally concerned with the political upheavals that have transformed Afghanistan over the past half-century. It is also the story of how the lives of women in that country have been transformed. And, yes, it features human drama. What else should one expect from an opera?

A newly created opera is worthy of some special attention. And, who better to focus a spotlight on such an endeavor than Northeast Public Radio's interviewer/host Joe Donahue? This coming Thursday at 11:10AM, the co-creators of A Thousand Splendid Suns will be interviewed on WAMC 90.3FM. Live streamed at www.WAMC.org.

On Thursday, September 28th at 6pm learn how an opera is created. The Hudson Area Library is presenting composer Sheila Silver and librettist Stephen Kitsakos in A Thousand Splendid Suns: Turning a Novel into an Opera Libretto.

Author Khaled Hosseini did not think that his second novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, was opera material until composer Sheila Silver convinced him otherwise. I had written him several letters, the Spencertown resident said. But it wasn't until I sent him a very, very heartfelt letter, explaining why this is an opera, that he called me and said 'okay'.

OPERA America, the national service organization for opera and the nation's leading champion for American opera, is pleased to announce the latest recipients of Commissioning Grants from the Opera Grants for Female Composers program, made possible through the generosity of the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation.

OPERA America, the national service organization for opera and the nation's leading champion for American opera, announces the details for the New Opera Showcase, taking place on Monday, January 18 at 8:00 p.m. at historic Trinity Wall Street in Lower Manhattan. The Showcase offers artists, producers and audiences a unique opportunity to hear some of the most exciting operas being composed today.

ASD Publishing is proud to announce the release of Stephen Kitsakos's debut novel, 'The Accidental Pilgrim' (ISBN: 9780996102919, Release date March 3, 2015). Crossing several decades, this novel explores the intersection of science, religion, and the unexplainable. In the summer of 1974, Dr. Rose Strongin, a marine biologist, disappears for three hours on the last day of an archaeological dig at the Sea of Galilee. She has no memory of the disappearance, but it causes her to miss her flight home to Canada. That plane, TWA 841, explodes over the Mediterranean killing all aboard. Twelve years later a discovery is made, and she begins to put the missing pieces together. But it is not until after her death, when her family gathers to say goodbye that her secrets start to make themselves known. Kitsakos is a theatre writer and journalist as well as the author of three opera librettos. His current project is the opera adaptation of Khaled Hosseini's international bestseller 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' all with music by Sheila Silver. Other librettos include the Sackler Prize award-winning 'The Wooden Sword' and 'The White Rooster: A Tale of Compassion' for the Smithsonian Institution. His work often explores the connection between religion and art. He divides his time between Key West and New York. 'I've known Stephen as a writer, composer and journalist for years,' says ASD Managing Editor Greg Goldston. 'When I read the first manuscript of his debut novel, I was blown away by the amount of historical research he had weaved into this captivating fictional story. After months of working back and forth on this very layered story, ASD is thrilled to be able to share it with the world.' Author Sharon Boorstin calls it, 'A beautifully written page turner that reveals the strength of family relationships against the backdrop of a mysterious archaeological discovery in the Holy Land.' Author Paul Pines adds, 'A riveting read that spans geographical distance even as it explores the tension between science and altered states...Kitsakos threads a labyrinth of questions and embraces the greatest mystery of all: what connects us to our ancestors, ourselves and each other.' 'My work in theatre and opera introduced me to a number of sacred texts in both the Western and Eastern traditions which were important to understand as background material for projects,' says author Kitsakos. 'In particular, the sublime poetry of Paramahansa Yogananda and a passage in John's Gospel brought into focus for me a story I had been percolating for a while. My protagonist, a strong Jewish heroine, took me on one path and then abruptly brought me somewhere else.' The book will be available in print and eBook from all online retailers as well as indie bookstores across the country. Kitsakos will be hosting book signings and discussions in several states. To keep up with where he will be, please check out his website at www.stephenkitsakos.com ASD Publishing, a division of ASD Media & Entertainment, is an independent book publisher based in New Jersey, specializes in thought-provoking literary fiction, memoir, self-help nonfiction, and written word that champion personal growth and the independent spirit. www.asdpublishing.com

OPERA America, the national service organization for opera, is pleased to announce the first round of recipients of its new program: Opera Grants for Female Composers, made possible through the generosity of The Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation. From among the 112 eligible applicants, an independent adjudication panel selected eight composers. The recipients have each been awarded $12,500 to support the development of their compositions listed below.