Edgar Allan Poe Meets Philip Glass in Long Beach Opera's DEEP INTO DARKNESS Today

Two American artistic pioneers - Edgar Allan Poe, the "father of the modern mystery" and Philip Glass, the face and sound of 21st century American music - meet at 1:00 PM today January 19, 2013, when Long Beach Opera (LBO) presents Deep into the Darkness at the Art Theater of Long Beach. Deep into the Darkness is the perfect introduction to LBO's 2013 season opener, Glass' THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER. Based on Poe's classic horror story, this haunting opera explores the dark places nightmares begin.

The afternoon's festivities begin with a screening of The Raven, a 1915 silent movie by Charles Brabin, which weaves Poe's famous poem of the same name through an imaginative documentary about his tragically short life; this striking fantasy is accompanied by live performances of Glass' piano music by concert pianist Michelle Schumann.

Highlighting the second half will be a dramatic reading of Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher by Los Angeles-based actor Mark Bringelson. The story will be interspersed with selections from Glass' Usher sung by LBO cast members: Suzan Hanson as Madeline Usher, reprising her role in the opera's world premiere; Ryan MacPherson as Roderick Usher; and Lee Gregory as Roderick's friend, William.

Mark Bringelson, a favorite at LBO, is a versatile stage and screen actor. Audiences have seen him in Heathers and Austin Powers and, at LBO, in Maria de Buenos Aires, No Mozart, The Clever One, and Emperor of Atlantis.

Michelle Schumann at the piano "doesn't just make sounds with it; she coaxes feelings from it, vivid emotions in cascading rhythms and artfully shaded tones. " (Austin Chronicle) Winner of the 2006 Janice K. Hodges Competition for Contemporary Music and the Director of the Austin Chamber Music Center, she is no stranger to LBO having appeared in several Coincidences and operas. Her sensitive playing in LBO's Winterreise was described by Alan Rich as, "the saddest music in the world - and also, at that moment, at least, the most beautiful."

Deep Into Darkness will take place on Saturday, Jan. 19, 2013 from 1:00PM-3:00PM in the Art Theatre of Long Beach, 2025 East 4th St., Long Beach, Calif. TICKETS: $20. Subscribers qualify for special discounts. To purchase tickets, call LBO Ticket Services at 562-432-5934 or go online to: www.longbeachopera.org/tickets.

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