Blog
Monthly Archive: October 2008
Dawn again
Posted on Monday, October 27, 2008
Piosenki has a further performance with Dawn Upshaw, Baritone Evan Hughes and Ensemble ACJW at Carnegie's Zankel Hall this Sunday. It's Piosenki's third performance at Carnegie in little over 18 months, which is obviously quite a treat and an honour for me. Also on the program, some gorgeous Dowland arrangements by Stephen Prutsman, Golijov's equally gorgeous Lua Descolorida, and the new piece Treny by Michael Ward-Bergeman, which I talk about here.
>>Details here
National Opera Association
Posted on Sunday, October 26, 2008
My opera A Bird in Your Ear has just been selected as one of three finalists of the National Opera Association's Chamber Opera Competition. Extracts the opera will be performed at NOA workshops in Arlington, Virginia in January, and one of the three finalists will go on to a full production the following year.
A Bird in Your Ear is a 60 minute opera with a fantastic libretto by Alasdair Middleton (whose work includes Jonathon Dove's Pinnochio, soon to have a new production at Minnesota Opera). It was commissioned at Dawn Upshaw's behest by Bard College, NY, for the inaugural production by Upshaw's students on the Graduate Vocal Arts Course at Bard. The forces used are manageable for a small opera company or university establishment (Bard draughted in a few extra instrumentalists, but the vast majority of the orchestra were undergrads, and the choir was non-music majors, so would be manageable by any amateur choir). The 8 solo parts (5 sop, mez, ten, bar) are more challenging but have a range of vocal styles and each singer is given a moment to shine in performance.
Olé!
Posted on Saturday, October 25, 2008
Todd and the St Lawrence Quartet finishing with a flourish, during the premiere of Gumboots on Thursday.
Ole
Posted on Saturday, October 25, 2008
Todd and the St Lawrence Quartet finishing with a flourish, during the premiere of Gumboots on Thursday.
It warms the cockles...
Posted on Wednesday, October 22, 2008
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Forgive the self-indulgence, but Carnegie is a concert venue in its own league, and tomorrow night is Gumboot night.
>> Concert Details.
>> More details about the piece here.
Dawn, Evan and Boot
Posted on Sunday, October 19, 2008
Pictured above with Dawn Upshaw, baritone Evan Hughes, and my friend the lagerphone, after the 2 performances of Piosenki with the St Paul Chamber Orchestra. Sadly Dawn caught a cold and had to stand out of the second concert, but Evan did an incredible job of learning the Polish tongue-twisters in a matter of hours, and earned a standing ovation for it. We're all now really looking forward to the next performance in Carnegie's Zankel Hall on November 2nd. Details here
