Contemporary Composers Showcase Six Scenes From New Operas
A dominatrix dungeon, a Nazi concentration camp, and the end of space and time are just three of the places audiences will find themselves at when AOP (American Opera Projects) presents Six Scenes, concert readings from operas-in-development created during AOP’s Composers & the Voice (C&V) program. Performances will be held on Friday, September 7 and Sunday, September 9, 2012 at 7:30PM, at South Oxford Space in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, home of AOP. Tickets are $15 general admission, $10 for students/seniors. Six emerging composers and one librettist were chosen in 2011 by AOP to spend a year writing for the operatic voice. The Six Scenes program for voice(s) and piano, represents compositions created during the free fellowship — “The Waiting Woman” by Ronnie Reshef, “Stop and Frisk” by Sidney Marquez Boquiren, “Companionship” by Rachel Peters, “Safe Word” by Robert Paterson, “Decoration” by Mikael Karlsson, and “Male Identity” by Zach Redler and Sara Cooper. The composers will discuss with the audience what it takes to create new operas that range from topical subjects like repercussions from a stop-and-frisk incident to the dark humor of an emotionally delicate woman's relationship to her sentient baking dough.
Members of the AOP Resident Ensemble of Singers for the 11-12 season will perform the scenes: sopranos Amy Shoremount-Obra (Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera), mezzo-sopranos Rebecca Ringle (Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera, Washington National Opera) and Rosalie Sullivan (Carnegie Hall, SF Opera Merola program), tenor Brandon Snook (Cincinnati Opera, Michigan Opera Theatre, Sarasota Opera), baritone Jorell Williams (New York City Center Encores!, Caramoor International Music Festival, Ravinia Festival), and bass Justin Hopkins (Fort Worth Opera, Opera Company of Philadelphia). Supporting on piano will be Composers & the Voice Music Directors Jeanne-Minette Cilliers, Mila Henry and Kelly Horsted.
Selected scenes from this concert will perform later in September as part of the inaugural BEAT (Brooklyn Emerging Artists in Theater) Festival and in March 2013 at the Manhattan School of Music as part of the New American Opera Previews: From Page to Stage.