Five Boroughs Music Festival And On Site Opera to Present The Premiere Of FIVE BOROUGH SONGBOOK, VOLUME III
The Five Borough Songbook, Volume III is divided into five sections with three songs inspired by locations in each of New York City's boroughs.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Mar. 22, 2022
Five Boroughs Music Festival and On Site Opera will present the premiere of the Five Borough Songbook, Volume III with two performances: on Thursday, April 21, 2022 at 7:30pm in a free concert at Brooklyn Public Library's Central Branch, co-presented by BPL Presents; and on Sunday, April 24 at 4:00pm at Trinity Lutheran Church on Staten Island. Pre-concert composer chats take place a half hour prior to each concert.
The new cycle of 15 songs, duets, and ensemble works by 15 composers was commissioned in honor of 5BMF's 15th Anniversary and On Site Opera's 10th Anniversary seasons, and marks the third installment of 5BMF's critically-acclaimed flagship Five Borough Songbook project.
The Five Borough Songbook, Volume III is divided into five sections with three songs inspired by locations in each of New York City's boroughs. It features 15 new works written by Arianne Abela, Raquel Acevedo Klein, Kinan Azmeh, Colin Britt, Majel Connery, Laura Jobin-Acosta, Will Healy, Brian Lawlor, Jessica Meyer, Angélica Negrón, Nkeiru Okoye, Juri Seo, Aaron Siegel, Darian Thomas, and Jonathan Woody. Song texts were drawn from a variety of sources - written by the composers themselves; drawn from existing poetry by Joseph Tusiani, Amy Lowell, and Walt Whitman; or featuring newly commissioned words in Arabic by Firas Suleiman, in Spanish and English by Noel Quiñones, and by Valerie Seeley.
The Songbook is performed by members of Kaleidoscope Vocal Ensemble-sopranos Michele Kennedy and Gitanjali Mathur, mezzo-soprano Cecilia Duarte, tenor Haitham Haidar, and baritone Jonathan Woody-in addition to pianist Candace Chien, violinist Pala Garcia, and cellist John Popham. Its citywide journey will continue in fall 2022 with borough premieres in Manhattan, Queens, and the Bronx.
Five Boroughs Music Festival and On Site Opera are committed to the health and safety of patrons, artists, and staff, and continue to monitor and comply with current New York City COVID-19 guidelines and requirements. All guests aged 12 and up attending 5BMF's indoor, or indoor/outdoor hybrid, performances are required to show proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 at time of entry. Masks are required at all times inside 5BMF venues. 5BMF's health and safety guidelines are subject to change as federal, state, and city recommendations evolve.
Concert Information
Thursday, April 21, 2022 at 7:30pm (Pre-Concert Chat at 7:00pm)
Brooklyn Public Library (World Premiere)
Dweck Cultural Center, Brooklyn Public Library
10 Grand Army Plaza
Brooklyn, NY 11238
Pre-concert composer chat at 7:00pm
Tickets: Free with reservation
Link: https://www.bklynlibrary.org/calendar/five-borough-songbook-central-library-dweck-20220421
Sunday, April 24, 2022 at 4:00pm (Pre-Concert Chat at 3:30pm)
Trinity Lutheran Church (Staten Island Premiere)
Trinity Lutheran Church
309 St Pauls Ave
Staten Island, NY 10304
Pre-concert composer chat at 3:30pm
Tickets: $25 General Admission, $15 Students with ID
Link: https://5bmf.org/events/songbook-vol-iii
Program:
Five Borough Songbook, Volume III
Brooklyn
Crossing the BQE by Raquel Acevedo Klein
New work by Angélica Negrón
In Kings by Jonathan Woody
The Bronx
The Rocking Chair with music by Laura Jobin-Acosta and text by Noel Quiñones
New York Revisited with music by Will Healy and text by Joseph Tusiani
Mantras from Jesup with music by Brian Lawlor and text by Valerie Seeley
Manhattan
We Met at the Symphony with music and text by Nkeiru Okoye
New work by Juri Seo
TimesSquare by Darian Thomas
Queens
New work by Arianne Abela
Others Will See with music by Colin Britt and text by Walt Whitman and Amy Lowell
The Sea Rolls Along with music by Majel Connery and text by Henry Beston
Staten Island
جزيرة (The Island) with music by Kinan Azmeh and text by Firas Sulaiman
New work by Jessica Meyer
Song of Fresh Kills with music and text by Aaron Siegel
Kaleidoscope Vocal Ensemble
Michele Kennedy, soprano
Gitanjali Mathur, soprano
Cecilia Duarte, mezzo-soprano
Haitham Haidar, tenor
Jonathan Woody, baritone
Candace Chien, piano
Pala Garcia, violin
John Popham, cello
About Five Boroughs Music Festival (5BMF)
Since 2007, Five Boroughs Music Festival (5BMF) has brought virtuosic chamber music performances of the highest caliber to every borough of NYC, cultivating new audiences for the genre and encouraging music lovers to look beyond Manhattan for outstanding performances. Lauded as "imaginative" by The New York Times, "enterprising" by The New Yorker, and "vital" by WQXR's Operavore blog, 5BMF's commitment to musical outreach and diverse programming has distinguished it as a standout presence in the New York City arts community from its earliest days.
5BMF's artist roster of over 250 individual performers and ensembles is comprised of talented emerging artists and distinguished musicians alike, representing a diverse range of musical genres and styles. Its venues are just as eclectic, and have included performing arts spaces, cultural centers, and historic New York City landmarks such as Federal Hall, Pregones Theater, Flushing Town Hall, King Manor Museum, Brooklyn Historical Society, the Alice Austen House, and the Staten Island Museum, to name merely a few.
As champions of new music, 5BMF has commissioned over 50 composers and presented world premieres of their works all across New York City, most notably the two borough-wide tours of its Five Borough Songbook Volumes I and II. 5BMF's outreach initiatives continue to expand every year, and have included program-related interactive lectures and discussions, public masterclasses with world renowned performing artists, and free public programming. Learn more at www.5bmf.org.
About On Site Opera
Founded in 2012, New York City-based On Site Opera (OSO) is the country's leading presenter of site-specific operas in non- traditional venues. Rooted in collaboration and storytelling, On Site Opera celebrates the connection between artist and audience through highly curated experiences led by exciting opera artists and bold and innovative creative teams. Each On Site Opera production invites New Yorkers to explore their city in new and unique ways, while cultivating a new generation of opera audiences. To date, OSO has produced 19 operas in as many unique locations to critical acclaim, including the Bronx Zoo, Harlem's historic Cotton Club, Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum, the Atlanta Botanical Garden, the American Museum of Natural History, Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Committed to exploring new technology to make opera more accessible, OSO was the first opera company to employ Google Glass supertitles, and the company has currently developed its own mobile app for multi-language translations and digital program information.
Following extended COVID-related theater closures in 2020, On Site Opera was recognized as a leading organization in reimagining opera, bringing productions to audiences around the world through the telephone, by mail, and online in inventive and creative productions. Learn more at www.onsiteopera.com.
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