Beth Morrison Projects and VisionInto Art Bring 21C LIEDERABEND, OP. 3 to BAM Today
By: BWW News Desk Nov. 22, 2013
21c Liederabend, op. 3, Beth Morrison Projects (BMP) and VisionIntoArt (VIA)'s festival of contemporary art song, brings two distinct programs to BAM as part of the 31st Next Wave Festival tonight and Saturday, November 22 and 23, at 7:30 PM? at BAM Harvey Theater (651 Fulton St, Brooklyn, NY).
Called a twenty-first century "Lieder-Palooza" by WQXR, 21c Liederabend is a biennial festival hearkening back to a 19th century liederabend ("evening of song") tradition when singers performed songs from the classical repertoire in a home or intimate setting for friends, peers, and the public. Layering contemporary compositions within this traditional format, 21c Liederabend showcases the art song boldly reconstructed and reimagined-melding lyrics with industrial electric guitar, jazz with ephemeral classical; and pairing composers with filmmakers, and projection, sculptural lighting, and sound designers. Its launch in 2009 was selected as the "Best of 2009 in Classical and Opera" by Time Out New York, and the 2011 Festival garnered further acclaim with a host of breaking talent.The 2013 installation includes two distinct evenings of art song by twenty-two living composers, featuring nine world premieres, including a commissioned song cycle by 2013 composer-in-residence Anna Clyne [pictured right, credit Todd Rosen] based on Emily Dickinson's poems, and commissioned libretto by 2013 librettist-in-residence Royce Vavrek [pictured left] for a composition by Marie Incontrera. Op. 3's featured performers include NOVUS NY and The Choir of Trinity Wall Street, Trio Medieval , Christopher Burchett, Abigail Fischer, Eve Gigliotti, Sarah Heaton, David Adam Moore, Jessica Rivera, DM Stith, Daisy Press, and Amelia Watkins.
Friday, November 22, 7:30 PM: In addition to the new work from Marie Incontrera and Royce Vavrek, Friday's program boasts world premieres from Mohammed Fairouz, Ted Hearne, David T. Little, and Missy Mazzoli; New York City premieres from Alexandra Vrebalov and Tod Machover (from Death and the Powers); and songs from Tom Cipullo, David Handler, Huang Ruo, and 2011 Liederabend commissionee, Du Yun.Saturday, November 23, 7:30PM: The second evening picks up with world premieres by Christopher Cerrone and Judd Greenstein; a U.S. premiere from Nico Muhly; the New York City premieres of Julian Wachner's "Come My Dark Eyed One," Paola Prestini's Hubble Cantata, and a selection from from Dutch composer Michel van der Aa's After Life; and songs from Thomas Cabaniss and noted Austrian composer, Olga Neuwirth. Music videos serve as prelude to the world premiere performances of Paola Prestini's Distance to the Market, which opens both nights with an invocation to join the Liederabend tradition in the twenty-first century.
Composer biographies, audio and video clips, images, and Festival extras can be found at http://21cliederabend.com.21c LIEDERABEND LINEUP:
PROGRAM ONE
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 22 / 7:30 PM
BAM Harvey Theater
Distance to the Market (2012)
Composed by Paola Prestini
Libretto by Donna Di Novelli
Chris Burchett, baritone; Steven Gosling, piano
Commissioned for the Opera America Songbook
Composed by Tom Cipullo
Libretto by Robert Hayden
I. Monet's Water Lilies
II. The Whipping
David Adam Moore, baritone; Steven Gosling, piano
Commissioned by Andrew Garland and Donna Loewy "Líadan's Lament" from Celtic Verses (2009)
Composed by David Handler
Anonymous
Daisy Press, Soprano; Orlando Alonso, Harpsichord "Written on the Wind" from Drama Theatre: No. 3 (2009)
Composed by Huang Ruo
Text by the composer
Min Xiao-Fen, Pipa and vocal Cloudburst (1992)
Composed by Eric Whitacre
Text by Octavio Paz
Choir of Trinity Wall Street; André de Quadros, conductor Scene from the opera Bhutto (world premiere)
Composed by Mohammed Fairouz
Libretto by Olivia Giovetti
Rachel Calloway, mezzo-soprano; Timur Bekbosunov,
Countertenor; Christopher Burchett, baritone; Choir of Trinity Wall Street; Ted Hearne, conductor Mileva (2011)
Composed by Aleksandra Vrebalov
Libretto by Vida Ognjenovic
I. Lullaby
II. Ursong/Epilogue
Anne-Carolyn Bird and Sara Heaton, sopranos; Choir of Trinity Wall Street; Ted Hearne, conductor His Name is Jan (world premiere)
Composed by Missy Mazzoli
Libretto by Royce Vavrek
Marnie Breckenridge, soprano; Ted Hearne, conductor
Commissioned by The Serbian National Theater "Miranda's Aria" from Death and the Powers (2010)
Composed by Tod Machover
Libretto by Robert Pinsky & Randy Weiner
Sara Heaton, soprano; Ted Hearne, conductor "I Must Survive" from Woman: The War Within (2013)
Composed by Du Yun
Libretto by Matthew Maguire
Solange Merdinian, mezzo-soprano; Ted Hearne, conductor "Albert, Bound or Unbound" from No Shirts, No Skirts, No Service (world premiere)
Composed by Marie Incontrera
Libretto by Royce Vavrek
Marnie Breckenridge, soprano; Tyrone Chambers, tenor, Chorus of Soldiers: Peter Tantsis, Timur
Bekbosunov, David Adam Moore, and Christopher Burchett; Ted Hearne, conductor The Source (world premiere)
Composed by Ted Hearne Libretto by Mark Doten
I. Julian in a Nutshell
II. Oh the Shark
Theresa McCarthy, Ken Barnett, and Daniel Breaker, vocal soloists; Ted Hearne, conductor Artaud in the Black Lodge (world premiere)
Composed by David T. Little
Libretto by Anne Waldman
I. Petrograd, 1917
II. Here my severed digit / write my way out
Timur Bekbosunov, tenor Netsayi and Black Pressure
I. Hondo
II. Georgie
III. Sara Regina
Photography by Helena Christensen
Netsayi B. Chigwendere, vocals, acoustic guitar and mbira; Humfrey N. Domboka, electric guitar, marimbas and vocals; Raymond T. Mupfumira, electric guitar, mbiras, marimbas and vocals; Tapuwa B. Bright, drums
PROGRAM TWO
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 23 / 7:30 PM
BAM Harvey Theater
Distance to Market (2012)
Composed by Paola Prestini
Libretto by Donna Di Novelli
Christopher Burchett, baritone; Steven Gosling, piano
Composed by Thomas Cabaniss
Libretto by Douglas Langworthy and David Hershkovitz
Amelia Watkins, soprano; Steven Gosling, piano I Will Learn to Love A Person (2013)
Composed by Chris Cerrone
Libretto by Tao Lin
I. That Night with the Green Sky
II. Eleven Page Poem Part III
Daisy Press, soprano; Steven Gosling, piano
Commissioned for the Opera America Songbook A Boy and a Girl (2002)
Composed by Eric Whitacre
Text by Octavio Paz
Choir of Trinity Wall Street; André de Quadros, conductor Hubble Cantata (world premiere with chorus)
Composed by Paola Prestini
Libretto by Royce Vavrek and Mario Livio
Film by Carmen Kordas
Cornelius Dufallo, violin and live electronics
Jessica Rivera, soprano; Choir of Trinity Wall Street; Julian Wachner, conductor
Commissioned by Bay Chamber Concerts "Mannahatta" from My City (world premiere)
Composed by Judd Greenstein
Text by Walt Whitman
DM Stith, vocals and guitar; Julian Wachner, conductor
New animation by Joshua Frankel
Commissioned by the Orchestra Engagement Lab, Detroit Symphony Orchestra and Waterbury Symphony
Orchestra The Lost Thought (world premiere, Liederabend commission)
Composed by Anna Clyne
Text by Emily Dickenson
Film by S. Katy Tucker
Trio Medieval (Anna Maria Friman-Henriksen, Linn Andrea Fuglseth, Torunn Østrem Ossum); Julian
Wachner, conductor Hymns for Private Use (world premiere)
Composed by Nico Muhly
Marnie Breckenridge, soprano; Julian Wachner, conductor
Commissioned by Het Concertgebouw Amsterdam and Wigmore Hall, London "Come My Dark Eyed One" from Graham Crackers (NYC premiere)
Composed by Julian Wachner
Text by Sara Teasdale and e. e. cummings
Christopher Burchett, baritone; soprano (TBD); Julian Wachner, conductor "Ilana's Dream" from After Life (2006)
Composed by Michel Van der Aa
Text by the composer after Hirokazu Kore-Eda
Film by Michel Van der Aa
Marnie Breckenridge, soprano; Maeve Hoglund, soprano, Julian Wachner, conductor
Commissioned by De Nederlandse Opera and the Holland Festival Selections from Hommage à Klaus Nomi (2004)
I. So Simple (Simple Man)
II. Awake from Winter (Cold Song)
III. The Witch
Composed by Olga Neuwirth
Libretto by Klaus Nomi
Timur Bekbosunov, countertenor; Julian Wachner, conductor
Commissioned by the Salzburg Festival Netsayi and Black Pressure
I. Chosen Ones
II. Nyuchi MuDhorobha
III. Don't' Wake Me Up
Photography by Helena Christensen
Netsayi B. Chigwendere, vocals, acoustic guitar and mbira; Humfrey N. Domboka, electric guitar, marimbas and vocals; Raymond T. Mupfumira, electric guitar, mbiras, marimbas and vocals; Tapuwa B. Bright, drums.
ABOUT BMP: Creative producer Beth Morrison Projects identifies and supports the work of emerging and established composers and their collaborators through the commission, development, and production of their work, taking the form of opera-theatre, music-theatre, and multi-media concert works. Relying on the core values of collaboration, exploration, experimentation, artistry, and excellence, BMP provides a nurturing structure that allows artists to push the boundaries of their art form. Founded in 2006, BMP rapidly developed a reputation for "envisioning new possibilities and finding ways to facilitate their realization" (The New York Times). In 6 years, BMP has commissioned, developed, and produced more than thirty operas and music-theatre pieces that have premiered or been performed in New York, across the country, and around the globe. The Wall Street Journal said, "Ms. Morrison may be immortalized one day as a 21st-century Diaghilev, known for her ability to assemble memorable collaborations among artists." BMP's ability to recognize emerging talent, invest in the vision of living composers and their collaborators, and partner with presenters to bring new work to life has allowed it to become vital in the landscape of new music and opera. The New York Times recently said, "The production of new [opera] works in the city still falls mostly to the tireless Beth Morrison and her Beth Morrison Projects..." BMP is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council for the Arts, the Department of Cultural Affairs of New York City, Meet the Composer, The Aaron Copland Fund for Music, the ART NY/ JP Morgan Chase Fund for Small Theaters, The Map Fund, a program of creative Capital supported by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. www.bethmorrisonprojects.org
BMP is led by Creative Producer Beth Morrison, an opera and theatre producer, singer, and voice teacher with bachelor and master of music degrees and a master of fine arts in theatre management/producing from the Yale School of Drama, as well as many years of experience in the development of new opera and theatre works. She first cultivated her extensive experience in arts administration at the Boston University Tanglewood Institute where she served as administrative director for four years. Beth served a founding tenure as the Producer for the Yale Institute for Music Theatre from 2009-2011, as well as Producer for New York City Opera's VOX:Contemporary American Opera Lab from 2010-2011. Beth is also a founding director of PROTOTYPE: Opera/Theatre/Now, a festival showcasing contemporary chamber opera-theatre and music-theatre projects that tour. BMP is the realization of Beth's vision, which stems from a deep commitment to nurturing composers and other artists and fostering the development of new opera and other new music-theatre works.
About VisionIntoArt: VisionIntoArt, "always intriguing and frequently beguiling" (The New York Times), is a multimedia production company that creates interdisciplinary works stemming from new music. With the belief that collaboration sustains artistic innovation, VIA creates and commissions works that involve various disciplines, presented around the world for the general audience, and forged from the most exciting emerging and established artists living today. Since Paola Prestini co-founded the company in 1999 at the Juilliard School, VIA has created and performed over fifty original works. VIA's works have been seen at Lincoln Center, the Barbican Centre, the Atlas Theater, HIFA, in Zimbabwe, and the Kennedy Center. VIA's works have toured to colleges and universities in the US, and to international festivals such as Apertif in Concerto at Teatro Manzoni, Etna Fest in Italy, and BEMUS in Belgrade, Serbia. Support for VIA comes from the National Endowment of the Arts, Cary Trust for New Music, the Trust for Mutual Understanding, the New York State Council on the Arts, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, American Music Center, ASCAP, the BMI Fund, the Kenan Institute, Nathan Cummings Foundation, National Video Resources, the Council on Foundations, the Amphion Foundation and individual donors. www.visionintoart.com
Paola Prestini is known as the "visionary-in-chief" (Time Out New York) of VisionIntoArt, an interdisciplinary production company based in NY, and the creative director of a new Brooklyn based venue, Original Music Workshop. The New York Times has said that she is "an inventive composer whose style mixes the ancient and the up-to-date, the folk inspired and the artfully polished." Named by NPR as one of the "Top 100 composers in the World under 40," she has been commissioned and performed by the Krannert Center, Kronos Quartet, Carnegie Hall, and New York City Opera in venues and festivals worldwide. Her current projects include works for the New York Philharmonic's 2014 Biennale; an evening length ballet with Lar Lubovitch; Oceanic Verses at the Barbican Centre with the BBC Symphony Orchestra; and an opera with Julian Crouch, Rinde Eckert, and the Brooklyn Youth Chorus.
About BAM: Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) is recognized internationally for its innovative programming of dance, music, theater, music-theater, opera, and film. Its mission is to be the home for adventurous artists, audiences, and ideas. BAM presents leading national and international artists and companies in its annual Spring Season and highlights groundbreaking, contemporary work in the performing arts with its Next Wave Festival each fall. Founded in 1983, the Next Wave is one of the world's most important festivals of contemporary performing arts. BAM Rose Cinemas features new, independent film releases and BAMcinématek-a curated, daily repertory film program. In 2012, BAM added the Richard B. Fisher Building to its campus, providing an intimate and flexible 250-seat performance venue-the Fishman Space-as well as the Hillman Studio, a rehearsal and performance space.
BAM serves New York City's diverse population through a weekend concert series in BAMcafé, community events, literary series, and a wide variety of educational and family programs. BAM, America's oldest performing arts center, has presented performances since 1861, and attracts an audience of more than 650,000 people each year. The institution is led by President Karen Brooks Hopkins and Executive Producer Joseph V. Melillo-each of whom has been associated with BAM for more than twenty-five years. Visit www.BAM.org
BAM Harvey Theater is located at 651 Fulton St, Brooklyn, NY, 11217.
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