Opera On Tap Announces Lead Producer Partnership With Adrienne Danrich's Music As The Message

Opera on Tap has announce their formal partnership with Adrienne Danrich's Music as the Message, offering interactive, hybrid performances. Music as the Message (MaM) was created in 2020 by Emmy Award-winning soprano Adrienne Danrich, in response to the need for communal sharing and healing, despite our physical isolation, during the height of the pandemic, and in the wake of George Floyd's murder.

MaM's mission is to create shared musical experiences, celebrating the unifying power of music to inspire healing, joy, laughter, love and most importantly, community. Adrienne serves as host, inviting guest artists from a wide range of backgrounds, genres, and experiences to offer performances of songs, dance, and spoken word. Within the provided safe space, attendees are encouraged to choose their level of participation — whether quietly enjoying, or lifting their voices in tandem with the performers. Each episode also sees the premiere of newly commissioned works, as well as partnerships with charity organizations, sharing in the musical offerings and proceeds.

MaM was previously produced and presented by The American Opera Project (AOP) and Opera on Tap, in association with Broadway Presbyterian Church. AOP will continue to be involved on a per episode basis, while Opera on Tap will take over as lead producer and presenter. Adrienne states, “During the isolation of the pandemic, I, like many others, found myself in the darkest headspace that I had ever experienced. My joy of being physically surrounded by the people I love had been torn away. And then came the murder of George Floyd. I had never been struck so hard by a stranger's death. I grieved for George like he was a part of my family, because, in his face I could see the reflection of the men in my own family. The only way that I was able to cope and heal was through music, and through an active practice of empathy and the discipline of gratitude. Music became my medicine, my comfort and my escape. Music as the Message began with my desire to pass on the healing medicine of music to others around the world, and create a safe space for all who attend to sing, dance, and be lifted up. I am ever grateful to my original producers The American Opera Project for believing in and supporting my vision, to Broadway Presbyterian Church for providing a platform for MaM to thrive, and to Opera on Tap for continuing to help MaM reach music lovers near and far.”

Executive & Artistic Director of Opera on Tap, Anne Hiatt states, “Adrienne and her team have developed a deeply moving and loving experience with Music as the Message.  To participate is to feel the warmth and connection alongside everyone there with you.  Over the course of the past two years, I have seen people of all ages visibly expand their chests, reach out to their fellow participants and share in the making of music together- a practice that has declined so much over the course of the last several decades in our culture. To participate in Music as the Message- whether as a contracted professional artist or audience member, is to heal through music and feel the strength of your community through music.  We all need to hear this Message!  It is an honor to support Adrienne's work as Music as the Message enters into its next phase of development.  The program's purpose perfectly aligns with Opera on Tap's mission of engaging our communities through our artistic practice.   I look forward to supporting Adrienne's work to expand the program's impact to more and more communities, leveraging Opera on Tap's unique, intimate and accessible approach to audience engagement.”

Beginning solely as an online experience, MaM has grown into a vibrant, interactive performance experience held live and simultaneously streamed via Zoom. The hybrid model fosters a greater global presence, reaching audience members from across the globe. Seeking to continue the expansion of its mission, MaM will soon announce new additions to its thriving programming offerings, including partnerships with Educational Institutions and Musical Retreats which focus on Music Making, Meditation, and Movement. 

MaM provides presenters with intimate and impactful opportunities to engage with their local communities and expand their audience base of all ages.  Opera in Tap is actively seeking co-producing and presenting partners to help further MaM's mission and reach. 

Opera on Tap (OOT) was born in 2005 at Freddy's Bar and Backroom in Brooklyn and incorporated in 2007 to promote opera as a viable, living and progressive art form and to support the developing artists who continue to keep the art form alive. What began as a small monthly gathering of ambitious, classically trained singers looking for more performance opportunities, has grown into a producing organization that has gained a loyal audience base and national recognition as an innovative force on the classical music scene. Through its Chapter program, which now has over twenty vibrant national (and international!) chapters, OOT has created a large network of performers, creators, and supporters. Our mission is to expose new audiences to opera and classical music by taking opera and classical music out of the concert hall and performing it in alternative venues, to aid young performers in their development by giving them the opportunity to perform and to promote and support them through our organization and to help promote new classical works of contemporary classical and operatic composers. Learn more about our programs here: https://operaontap.org

Created and hosted by Emmy Award-winning soprano Adrienne Danrich, Music as the Message (MaM) is an interactive, hybrid performance experience held live at the beautiful Broadway Presbyterian Church in NYC and simultaneously streamed on Zoom. MaM celebrates the power of music to unify and to inspire healing, joy, laughter, love and most importantly, community. As Adrienne, guest artists, and commissioned composers lead a program of uplifting songs and spoken word, attendees are encouraged to join in and lift their voices, whether they are attending in person or on Zoom (on mute, of course). 

Meet the Team:

Adrienne Danrich, creator, host & executive producer
Meagan Brus, lead creative content producer
Joelle Lamarre, lead creative consultant
Anne Hiatt, Opera on Tap producer

Music as the Message is produced by Adrienne Danrich and Opera on Tap, in association with Broadway Presbyterian Church. Free to the public, goodwill offerings accepted. Learn more here: https://operaontap.org/music-as-the-message

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