On Site Opera to Stream Operas and Provide Virtual Resources

On Site Opera, New York's pioneer opera company rooted in site-specific storytelling and the immersive experience, will host a series of online performance live streams and events to remote patrons and audiences as social distancing becomes a necessary norm all over the world. With adaptation to the changing health crisis, the organization will offer encore footage from four past productions in their entirety over the next four weeks; Rhoda and the Fossil Hunt, March 23, Pygmalion, March 30, The Secret Gardener, April 6, and Murasaki's Moon, April 13. Over the next several weeks, the organization will also lead virtual "town hall" style discussions and offer online dramatic coachings with On Site Opera's General and Artistic Director, Eric Einhorn.

All weekly On Site Opera streams will begin at 12:00 p.m. EST on the company's website at https://osopera.org/on-site-opera-online/ and Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/OnSiteOpera/. A 30-minute Q+A with Einhorn will follow each stream.

"As we face tremendous uncertainty, what we need more than anything right now is a sense of community, a sense of inspiration, and a sense of hope," explains Einhorn. "It is important to us as an organization to keep opera audiences connected to the art form that they love and offer resources to our community that not only entertain, but educate and support," he continues. "Let's keep talking, let's keep creating, and let's keep singing."

STREAM SCHEDULE

Monday, March 23, 2020, 12:00 p.m. EST: Rhoda and the Fossil Hunt

Originally staged at the American Museum of Natural History, September 2017

John Musto, Composer

Eric Einhorn, Librettist and Stage Director

Jorge Parodi, Conductor
Summer Lee Jack, Costume Designer

Rhoda: Jennifer Zetlan

Charles R. Knight: Robert Orth

Dr. Henry Osborn: Patrick Cook

Co-commissioned and co-produced with Lyric Opera of Chicago's Lyric Unlimited and Pittsburgh Opera, Rhoda and the Fossil Hunt is based on the real-life experiences of 8-year-old Rhoda Knight Kalt and her trips to the American Museum of Natural History with her grandfather Charles R. Knight, the famous naturalist artist who was commissioned to create paintings and sculptures of prehistoric creatures.

Monday, March 30, 2020, 12:00 p.m. EST: Pygmalion

Originally staged at the Lifestyle-Trimco mannequin showroom, June 2014

Jean-Philippe Rameau, Composer

Ballot De Sauvot, Librettist

Eric Einhorn, Stage Director

Jennifer Peterson, Conductor
Jordan Isadore, Choreographer
Candida K. Nichols, Costume Designer
Shawn K. Kaufman, Lighting Designer

Pygmalion: Marc Molomot

La Statue: Camille Zamora

Cephise: Emalie Savoy

L'Amour: Justine Aronson

Ensemble: Lauren Kelleher, Raymond Storms, Christopher Preston Thompson, Sean Kroll

Dancers: Jordan Isadore, Eloise Deluca

Rameau's 1748 acte de ballet is widely considered one of his greatest one-acts. In Ballot de Sovot's libretto, based on Ovid, the sculptor Pygmalion creates a statue to which he professes his love, and which he asks Venus to bring to life. L'Amour (Cupid) arrives to praise Pygmalion's artistry and faith in love, and animates the statue. On Site's new production explored the themes and lessons inherent in the myth.

Monday, April 6, 2020, 12:00 p.m. EST: The Secret Gardener

Originally staged at the Westside Community Garden, May 2017

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Composer

Kelley Rourke, English Adaptation

Eric Einhorn, Stage Director

Geoffrey McDonald, Conductor
Beth Goldenberg, Costume Designer
Shawn K. Kaufman, Lighting Designer

Sandrina: Ashley Kerr

Serpetta: Alisa Jordheim

Arminda: Maeve Höglund

Ramiro: Kristin Gornstein

Belfiore: Spencer Viator

Podesta: Jonathan Blalock

Nardo: Jorell Williams

Written by an 18-year-old Mozart, The Secret Gardener is a story of love, madness, and redemption that unfolds in the lush setting of a beautiful garden. Disguises and mistaken identities abound in Mozart's charming tale of a triple love triangle! Co-produced with The Atlanta Opera.

Monday, April 13, 2020, 12:00 p.m. EST: Murasaki's Moon

Originally staged at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Astor Court, May 2019

Michi Wiancko, Composer

Deborah Brevoort, Librettist

Eric Einhorn, Stage Director

Geoffrey McDonald, Conductor
Beth Goldenberg, Costume Designer

Lady Murasaki: Kristen Choi

Genji: Martin Bakari

Buddhist Priest: John Noh

The sequestered life of a lady-in-waiting feels suffocating to the imaginative yet introspective Lady Murasaki. To escape the boundaries of the palace, she begins to write an epic tale of love and freedom. Murasaki's life in the palace helps to shape the world of her novel, The Tale of Genji, which catapults her to fame, yet creates tension within the palace. She struggles to find a balance between the relationships with those around her, the characters she creates, and the far-reaching impact of her writing. Co-commissioned by The Metropolitan Museum of Art and American Lyric Theater.

Additionally, the organization's first virtual town hall discussion was held this morning at 11:00am, and private 45-minute free online operatic vocal coaching with Eric Einhorn can be found at http://bit.ly/singwitheric upon availability. Subsequent virtual events will be announced at https://osopera.org.

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