The ICELAND Concert on Friday October 7th at Ford Theatres

Overtone Industries, a celebrated force in the evolution of contemporary music theatre and experimental opera, will share the next phase of its epic new multidisciplinary production, ICELAND, in concert form, at the Ford Theatres' stunning, newly renovated amphitheatre in Los Angeles on Friday, October 7, 2016 at 8:30pm. Written and composed by O-Lan Jones, in collaboration with critically acclaimed Irish singer-songwriter Emmett Tinley, ICELAND is a modern love story, set in a mythical and timeless world, where ancient creatures challenge the hero and heroine on an archetypal journey. The work tells an intimate story, beginning in an Icelandic airport and journeying off the map of the known world, into the realm of "The Hiddenfolk" and the vast mythic inner landscapes of Iceland.

The ICELAND Concert at the Ford, presented for the first time with full orchestration and complete score, will be directed and choreographed by local legend Ken Roht, with musical direction by David O, as well as additional creative scenic design elements and impressionistic costumes. Additional information can be found at fordtheatres.org.

The ICELAND Concert will run for just under two hours, including one intermission. VIP tickets are $100 and include premium seating, pre-show reception, and an artist meet and greet. Tickets start at $30. Tickets are available online here or by calling 323-461-3673 (for non-visual media 323-GO-1-FORD). The Ford is located at 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East, Hollywood, CA 90068. Ford Theatres also encourages guests to bring picnics (including beer & wine) to enjoy on the majestic newly renovated grounds, for dining under the stars, starting two hours before show time (additional details below).

The ICELAND Concert will feature a 10-piece chamber orchestra, 12-voice choir, acclaimed Irish singer-songwriter Tinley as "Mundi" (the male lead), award-winning Los Angeles actress-singer Cesili Williams as "Vala" (the female lead), four operatic soloists as The Mythic Beasts, and staging by the incomparable Ken Roht, well-known for his unexpected and highly imaginative musical extravaganzas. The work is presented by Overtone Industries, a company that creates new myths in the form of music, theatre, and opera. Overtone's work has been called "audaciously experimental entertainment" by the Los Angeles Times.

Early in 2016, David Schweizer came on board to direct the creative long-term development for the fully staged production of ICELAND's World Premiere. "David's schedule did not allow him to direct The ICELAND Concert at the Ford this fall, however, we are absolutely thrilled to announce that Los Angeles sensation Ken Roht will direct and choreograph on October 7th," says Jones. "Ken's involvement has upped the ante completely - his eclectic talents and the creativity of his visual team will transform the Ford event into a magical experience."

ICELAND is written and composed by Overtone's founder O-Lan Jones and Emmett Tinley. The new work features original songs written forICELAND by Tinley, internationally praised for his solo work and for his folk-indie band, The Prayer Boat. The ICELAND Concert at the Ford will be the first time the new work's complete score will be presented with full orchestration.

An intimate, contemporary love story, steeped in the epic living mythology of Iceland, the two-act piece explores the archetypal passage through the "dark night of the soul," as the heroine, Vala, and hero, Mundi, travel through a hidden world in order to find themselves and each other. Mundi, a white man, and Vala, an African-Icelandic woman, were childhood sweethearts. Years later, they reconnect during a chance encounter at an Icelandic airport.

Along their journey, which takes them off the map of the world as we know it, they encounter Hiddenfolk - ancient, powerful, unseen beings who, with the help of four Mythic Beasts (The Bird, The Giant, The Bull, and The Dragon), create the paths and obstacles that help Vala and Mundi to grow. The Hiddenfolk, intermediaries between the great cosmic forces and human lives, remind them (and us!) that there is a hidden world, which has been forgotten. Ultimately, the story explores longing, courage, and the transcendent power of love.

Overtone Industries is working, once again, with Michelle Magaldi of Vibrant Production Management, who produced Overtone's epicSongs and Dances of Imaginary Lands and The Woman in the Wall. A number of Overtone alums will also be featured as Hiddenfolk, includingPatty Cornell, Matthew McCray, MJ Silva, and Silvie Zamora. John Ballinger is also on board, contributing musical arrangements and performing as a multi-instrumentalist.

LA audiences previously got a glimpse of ICELAND when the first 20 minutes were presented at REDCAT's New Original Works Festival 2014 (NOW Festival). This October's Ford hybrid concert, the next phase in the development of the production, will feature the full story and music of both acts, enhanced by Roht's eclectic choreography, music direction by David O, and additional creative elements.

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