Seaglass Theater Company to Present NOT AFRAID TO DARE This Month

On April 28, 2024 at 3:00PM, Seaglass Theater Company will present Not Afraid to Dare at Gallery X in downtown New Bedford-site of the former Frederick Douglass Memorial AME Zion Church.

Isabel Randall and Anthony Pilcher make their Seaglass debuts in a concert that highlights Black composers who have made tremendous contributions to classical music despite significant obstacles. Join us for a thought-provoking performance of original works and spirituals from the 20th century to the present day. In addition, there will be an exhibition of the artwork by Meclina Gomes, who designed the graphic materials for the production.

The concert features mezzo-soprano and poet Isabel Randall, known on social media as "The Inquisitive Typist", baritone and recent Grant Park Music Festival Fellow Anthony Pilcher and pianist Dr. Matthew Larson presenting songs from Florence Price to Shawn E. Okpebholo, plus poetry by Ms. Randall.

"Anthony and Isabel have created a beautifully rich program of music and poetry that illuminates the black experience. Seaglass Theater Company is proud to present these two amazing young artists in a program of their own curation." says Artistic Director Patrice Tiedemann.

Not Afraid to Dare is supported by a grant from the Southcoast Community Foundation.

Tickets are $25-30 and may be purchased online at www.notafraidtodare.eventbrite.com. Tickets may also be purchased with cash, credit card, or check the day of the concerts at Gallery X a half hour before the performance.

For more information, please visit www.seaglasstheater.com

ABOUT THE PERFORMERS

ANTHONY PILCHER

(Baritone) Anthony Pilcher was most recently a Vocal Fellow with the Grant Park Music Festival in Chicago, IL, and plans to return for their next choral season. Upcoming performances include Odyssey Opera's production of Dominick Argento's The Voyage of Edgar Allan Poe, as well as Seaglass Theater Company's May production of Stars & Stripes. He has performed operatic and concert works with Boston University's Opera Institute, Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, and the Bay View Music Festival, including the GRAMMY-nominated recording of The Lord of Cries (Corigliano/Adamo) with Odyssey Opera and Boston Modern Orchestra Project. Originally from Buffalo, NY, he holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance and Music Education from Ithaca College, and a Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance from Boston University.

ISABEL RANDALL

(Mezzo soprano) Isabel Randall, a civic-engaged opera singer from Rota, Spain, is passionate about making opera more accessible and performing contemporary works. Last year, Isabel originated the role of Mable in Boston Opera Collaborative's world premiere of Courthouse Bells and participated in a workshop for Damien Geter's and Jessica Murphy Moo's Loving v. Virginia. Known as "The Inquisitive Typist" in her poetry, Isabel collaborated with composer Ben Russman to transform her COVID-19 pandemic-themed poems into a song cycle titled "Five Short Pieces: The Inquisitive Typist," receiving the St. Botolph Club Foundation 2023 Emerging Artist Award in Music. Additional awards include the 2nd Prize Award for the 2023 Wilkinson Young Singers' Fund and the Longy School of Music's 2023 Roman Totenburg Artistry Award. Isabel was an Apprentice Artist at Des Moines Metro Opera in 2022 and 2023. She holds a Graduate Performance Diploma in Voice from Longy School of Music of Bard College, a Master of Music in Vocal Performance from Azusa Pacific University and a Bachelor of Arts in Music from Baylor University. www.isabelrandall.com

DR. MATTHEW LARSON

(Pianist and Music Director) Matthew Larson received his Doctorate in Collaborative Piano from Arizona State University under the tutelage of Eckart Sellheim. An accomplished recitalist, Dr. Larson has played over 1,000 performances in the US and Europe. He has worked with such varied artists as Metropolitan Opera stars Carol Vaness, Maria Spacagna, Eric Owens, and Lawrence Brownlee; Academy of Ancient Music director Christopher Hogwood; vocal pedagogy pioneer Richard Miller; and the eminent collaborative artist Dalton Baldwin, with whom Matthew was invited to study in New York. Past positions include Assistant Conductor for Boston Lyric Opera; Music Director for the University of Connecticut Opera Program; Staff Pianist for Yale University Opera; Vocal Coach at Brown University; Staff Pianist for The American Institute of Musical Studies in Graz, Austria; Music Director of Opera Providence; Vocal Coach at Walnut Hill School for the Arts; Pianist for the Boston Symphony Orchestra's Tanglewood Festival Chorus; Music Director of Cape Cod Opera; and Vocal Coach for Tanglewood Institute's Young Artist Vocal Program. Currently, Dr. Larson is on faculty at Boston University; Music Director of Seaglass Theater Company of New Bedford MA; and Minister of Music at First Congregational Church of Milton, Massachusetts. In January 2020 he earned a Grammy Award as pianist on Boston Modern Opera Project's recording of Tobias Picker's Fantastic Mr. Fox.

MECLINA GOMES

(Artist) Meclina Gomes is a painter, calligrapher and micrographer. As an artist it is her intent to use her creativity as a healing modality and a vehicle to engage meaningful conversation. Meclina's portraits are large in scale and subject matter. Often towering over six feet tall, they tell personal stories both in images and the words that skillfully create them. Meclina's work is in private collections, highly visible commercial properties, and a favorite of some of entertainment's most highly respected set designers. She has served on countless advisory boards most recently for diversity and inclusion at the Tampa Museum of Art and James Weldon Johnson Foundation. In 2020 Meclina cofounded the Community Art Collaborative which creates opportunities to connect and empower communities through the creation of public and community art programming. www.meclinaart.com

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