Catherine Malfitano, Brian Castner and More to Participate in InsightALT, 5/28

American Lyric Theater (ALT) today announced details of InsightALT, the company's first festival dedicated to providing an intimate, up-close look at its process of creating new operas. Taking place between May 28 and June 3, 2013 at the Goldman-Sonnenfeldt Family Auditorium of the The JCC in Manhattan, a state-of-the-art theater on Manhattan's Upper West Side, the festival kicks-off with a special public master class by world-renown soprano Catherine Malfitano. At the center of the festival are concert readings of three new operas in different stages of their development at ALT: The Turing Project by composer Justine F. Chen and librettist David Simpatico; The Long Walk by composer Jeremy Howard Beck and librettist Stephanie Fleischmann (based on the book "The Long Walk: A Story of War and the Life that Follows" by Brian Castner); and La Reina by composer Jorge Sosa and librettist Laura Sosa Pedroza. All three operas will feature leading singers and rising-stars from the country's preeminent opera houses. Themes behind these works will be explored in two symposia led by ALT and Glyndebourne dramaturg Cori Ellison, one of the leading creative figures in the opera world today.

On Tuesday, May 28th, internationally acclaimed soprano Catherine Malfitano, who has collaborated with the greatest composers and librettists of her generation to bring an extraordinary variety of new operas to life on stage, opens InsightALT with a master class that focuses on role creation and collaboration, exploring the unique challenges of being the first singer to create a role in a new opera. Ms. Malfitano will coach singers in excerpts from the three new works being presented at the Festival -The Turing Project, The Long Walk, and La Reina - as well as work with the composers and librettists who are writing them.

Wednesday, May 29th, international dramaturg Cori Ellison leads a symposium entitled "Fantasizing History," examining the extent to which historical accuracy matters when adapting real events for the stage. All three operas presented during InsightALT are inspired by real people and actual events, but the balance between fact and fiction differs in every piece. (Guests to be announced.)

Thursday, May 30th, features the first of three concert readings of new operas in development at ALT. Commissioned in 2012 in honor of the Turing Centennial, composer Justine F. Chen and librettists David Simpatico are writing The Turing Project, a historical fantasia based on the life of the English scientist Alan Turing. A simple man of extraordinary abilities, Turing's achievements include creating the first universal computer; breaking the Nazi U-Boat code, which proved crucial to the success of the allied forces in WWII; and creating the field of Artificial Intelligence. Yet, despite the many benefits Turing's ideas bestowed upon humanity, the British government charged him with Gross Indecency for the crime of being homosexual, and punished him with chemical castration. A year after his sentence was carried out, Turing committed suicide at the age of 41, eating an apple laced with cyanide - according to the official coroner's report. Many speculate that his apparent suicide was inspired by his life-long love of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, but others don't believe his death was suicide at all. The opera explores Turing's extraordinary contributions to mankind, his county's disavowal of him because he was gay, and the mysterious circumstances surrounding his death. Featuring baritone Jonathan Estabrooks, soprano Kathryn Guthrie, mezzo-soprano Elise Quagliata, tenor Kyle Bielfield, tenor Benjamin Robinson, bass baritone Joseph Beutel, bass baritone Justin Hopkins, and conducted by Keith Chambers.

ALT presents two events on Sunday, June 2nd, both tied to the theme of war. In the afternoon, the second symposium by Ms. Ellison, "Of Arms and the Man I Sing," takes a look at how some operas have glorified war while others have laid bare its horrors. Guest speakers include Brian Castner, author of the critically acclaimed book, "The Long Walk: A Story of War and the Life that Follows." Mr. Castner's book is the inspiration for ALT's new opera of the same name by composer Jeremy Howard Beck and librettist Stephanie Fleishmann, which receives its concert reading that evening. The Long Walk dives deep into the mind of an American soldier who has returned from Iraq after serving as an officer in an Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit. Castner's battle with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, which he calls "the Crazy with a capital C," is at the center of this moving personal story of a man struggling to reintegrate himself into his family life upon his return from the war. Featuring baritone Daniel Belcher, mezzo-soprano Heather Johnson, tenor Glenn Seven Allen, tenor Kyle Bielfield, bass baritone Justin Hopkins, soprano Caroline Worra, soprano Donita Volkwijn, and conducted by Steven Osgood. Developmental support for The Long Walk has been generously provided by The Opera Fund/OPERA America.

La Reina, by composer Jorge Sosa and librettist Laura Sosa Pedroza, the third and final concert reading of the inaugural InsightALT, closes the festival on Monday, June 3rd. The story of one of the most powerful drug "queenpins" in history, La Reina explores the symbiotic relationship between the US and Mexico and their shared responsibilities in the increasingly violent drug wars, fueled by revenge and corruption on both sides of the border. The action of La Reina centers around Regina. As events from her past invade her present reality in an American prison cell, she interacts with the ghosts of the men who have shaped her life. A shrine of La Santa Muerte (a skull and bones incarnation of the Virgin Mary and the patron saint of drug dealers) comes to life and acts as Regina's guide in her journey through her past. La Santa Muerte forces Regina to relive the tragic sequences of death and treason that led to her crowning as the queen of organized crime, and to her eventual downfall and imprisonment. In English and Spanish, with English supertitles. Featuring mezzo-soprano Audrey Babcock, soprano Audrey Luna, soprano Rosa Betancourt, baritone Christopher Burchett, tenor Dominic Armstrong, tenor Javier Abreu, and conducted by Andrew Bisantz. Support for La Reina has been generously provided by The Opera Fund/OPERA America.

After each opera, there will be an open discussion exploring the creative process with the composers and librettists, moderated by ALT's Producing Artistic Director, Lawrence Edelson. Following these discussions, audience members are invited to join the writers and performers at meet-the-artist receptions, with the artists, generously sponsored by Dalton Winery and Teperberg Winery, and provided by Gotham Wines & Liquors.

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