Con Vivo Music to Present World Premiere Of CHILLTOWN BOOGIE By Alon Nechushtan in October
Chilltown Boogie is a site-specific historical opera set in five vignettes, each of which will be performed in a different location in Jersey City.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Sep. 06, 2022
Con Vivo Music will present the world premiere of Chilltown Boogie by Alon Nechushtan on Sunday, October 2, 2022 at 12:30pm, beginning at J Owen Grundy Pier, Exchange Place, Jersey City, NJ. Chilltown Boogie is a site-specific historical opera set in five vignettes, each of which will be performed in a different location in Jersey City. This original new opera is inspired by the events surrounding the formation of Hudson County and Jersey City. There will be an open dress rehearsal on October 1, 2022 at 7pm at Jersey City Theater Center, 165 Newark Ave, Jersey City, NJ. Each performance is free, no registration required. For more information, visit convivomusic.org.
This epic production features an ensemble of singers, dancers, and instrumentalists, and spans 150 years of history - covering the Revolutionary War, the Underground Railroad, Morris Canal, the Hague administration, and the founding of Temple Beth-El.
Librettists include Jenny Cresswell Dana Leslie Goldstein Luke Jerod Kummer Alon Nechushtan and Tony Asaro.
The program schedule will be:
THE BOATMAN
12:30pm at J Owen Grundy Pier - Exchange Place, Jersey City, NJ
1878, Morris Canal - a former alcoholic turned born-again Christian discusses his life on the canal
THE HERO
2:00pm at Paulus Hook Park - 226 Washington St, Jersey City, NJ
1779, Paulus Hook - George Washington and Henry Lee discuss the Revolutionary War
THE MAYOR
3:30pm at City Hall Park - 280 Grove St, Jersey City, NJ 0
1949, City Hall - newly defeated Frank Hague and elected mayor John V. Kenny discuss change in Jersey City
THE HAUNT
5:00pm at Berry Lane Park - 1000 Garfield Ave, Jersey City, NJ
1830, Old Bergen Cemetery - a ghostly meeting discusses the underground railroad and generational change
THE CHOICE
6:30pm at Temple Beth-El - 2419 John F. Kennedy Blvd, Jersey City, NJ
1892, Temple Beth-El - Rabbi Schweizer discusses the growing community of Jewish immigrants
In the event of rain, the entire opera will be performed indoors at 3:00pm at Jersey City Theater Center, 165 Newark Ave, Jersey City, NJ.
Cast
THE BOATMAN - Daniel Chiu, baritone
THE BOATMAN - Amy van Roekel, mezzo-soprano
THE HERO - Colin Levin, baritone
THE HERO - Sarah Nelson Craft, mezzo-soprano
THE MAYOR - Daniel Klein, baritone
THE MAYOR - Charles Williamson, tenor
THE HAUNT - Jonathan R. Green, baritone
THE HAUNT - Kimberli Render, mezzo-soprano
THE CHOICE - Peter Kendall Clark, baritone
THE CHOICE - Jessica Bowers, soprano
Production Team
Karina Parker, director
Ben Grow, musical director
Zach Herchen, production manager
Orchestra
Sarah Goldfeather, violin
TBA, cello
Andrew Roitstein, bass
Riko Higuma, keyboard
Dennis Sullivan, percussion
Dance
Nimbus Dance, company
Harumi Elders, choreographer
Chilltown Boogie is presented in partnership with Jersey City Theatre Center, Nimbus Dance, and Cultural Affairs Office of New Jersey.
This program is made possible by a grant from the New Jersey State Historical Commission, a division of the Department of State, and administered by the Hudson County Office of Cultural & Heritage Affairs, Thomas A. DeGise, Hudson County Executive & the Hudson County Board of County Commissioners.
Supported by public funds from the Jersey City Arts and Cultural Trust Fund.
About Alon Nechustan
"A talent to watch, with a surfeit of ideas, an unbridled spirit and bold, two-fisted sense of Architecture" - (Down Beat magazine 2011), composer Alon Nechustan's music adventures have brought him to far corners such as the Yokohama Festival Japan with his contemporary compositions, The Sao-Paolo Brazil Jewish Music Festival with his Quintet Talat, Toronto, Manila with his concerto for the Philippine Symphony Orchestra and The Tel Aviv New Music Biennale with his Compositions for Large Ensemble. A resident of New York City, he has performed in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Central Park Summer Stage, The Blue Note Jazz Club and Joe's Pub frequently with his projects as a band leader of various groups or as an in-demand sideman. All About Jazz magazine called him "a fantastic pianist-composer with abundant chemistry and boundless eclecticism." He studied composition with Michael Gandolfi, orchestration with Lee Hyla, and additional composition lessons with Lukas Foss At the B.U, John Harbison & Louis Karchin at June In Buffalo Composition Masterclasses with Fredrick Rjewski, Pierre Boulez and Alexander Gehr. Piano with Fred Hersch, Paul Bley, Ran Blake, Danilo Perez, big band and jazz composition with Bob Brookmeyer, improvisation with Jerry Bergonzy, Bob Moses, George Garzone, Henry Threadgill and Uri Caine. He has released over 10 solo recordings on various leading recording labels: Enja (Germany), MGN (Netherlands), Tzadik (USA), BuckyBall (USA), Creative Sources (Portugal), Between the Lines (Netherland), Ayler (Sweden). www.musicalon.com
About Con Vivo Music
Con Vivo Music is a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing the communal spirit of chamber music to diverse audiences through world-class concerts and educational opportunities in parks, schools and community spaces. With over 100 free concerts presented across 15 years, CVM has reached thousands of listeners. The New York Times has described our work as "delightful and expert playing" and the Jersey City Reporter stated we are "bringing sweet music to the masses." Our performers hail from acclaimed ensembles such as the New York Philharmonic, Metropolitan Opera, International Contemporary Ensemble, Alarm Will Sound, and more. CVM's concert programming ranges from baroque to modern chamber music, including music by JS Bach, Claude Debussy, Toru Takemitsu, Henry Thacker Burleigh, Robert Ashley, Frederic Rzewski, Amy Beth Kirsten, Matthew Aucoin, and many more. convivomusic.org
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