Off-Brand Opera Presents SPARK: An Experimental Debut Concert

Off-Brand Opera presents SPARK an experimental debut concert May 13 & 14 at 7:30pm Soapbox Gallery (636 Dean St, Brooklyn, NY) Tickets: $30-$45: For tickets visit https://off-brand-spark.eventbrite.com.

What is opera to us today? A visceral experience of beauty? A remnant of the musical and dramatic glory of bygone eras? What are some new ways we can highlight the genre and make it relevant to modern audiences?

In its operatic debut, SPARK, Off-Brand Opera seeks to ignite a conversation about what opera CAN be to us today, though a series of experimental vignettes incorporating multiple mediums and performed by a diverse set of artists. Showcasing the work of composers, choreographers, and writers who represent nearly 400 years of theatrical history, SPARK presents an evening of interdisciplinary songs and scenes that transform traditional operatic elements to tell contemporary stories.

This program is entirely comprised of new and newly-transformed work, from world premieres to re-devised, arranged, and freshly translated reimaginings of the classical repertoire. Wine and themed mocktails will be served at this intimate event, which also offers the opportunity to get to know the artists behind Off-Brand Opera between numbers as they mingle with the audience.

SPARK features the talents of Hilary Baboukis (mezzo-soprano), Stacey Canterbury (soprano), Misha Culver (dancer), Phoebe Corde (dramaturg & writer), Alexia DelGiudice (viola), Christine Duncan (mezzo-soprano, deviser, & translator), Kayla Faccilongo (mezzo-soprano & guitarist), Emily Garber (librettist), Shira Helena Gitlin (director), Bea Goodwin (librettist), Brendan Hartnett (director & diviser), Keyana Hemphill (actor), E.B. Hinnant (tenor & actor), Felix Jarrar (composer), Erin Kennedy (soprano, pianist, deviser, & translator), Jake Landau (composer, pianist, arranger, & translator), Mark Martinez (tenor), Anthime Miller (cello), Aaron Petrovich (baritone), Nathan Respasz (percussion), Lotus Rogers (mezzo-soprano & actor), Veronica Shea (soprano, director, & translator), Steve Valenzuela (baritone), and Leslie Andrea Williams (choreographer, actor, & writer).

SPARK will take place on May 13 & 14 at 7:30pm at Soapbox Gallery, located at 636 Dean Street, Brooklyn, NY. General admission tickets are $30, with VIP tickets (including 2 drinks) available for $45.

For more information, please visit offbrandopera.org/projects. To purchase tickets, please visit https://off-brand-spark.eventbrite.com.

In a world where brand definition rules, three singers found themselves longing for a space to play around with something different-something off-brand. Tradition told them that's not how it's done. But what if it could be? Off-Brand Opera strives to push and blur the boundaries of genre and performance practice, bringing musical communities together in the service of telling a story. We encourage cross-disciplinary collaboration in order to foster fresh, relatable, and relevant interpretations of beloved works.

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