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		<title>Composer Jennifer Higdon Lives in the Air of Ideas</title>
		<link>https://culturalattache.co/2023/10/24/composer-jennifer-higdon-lives-in-the-air-of-ideas/</link>
					<comments>https://culturalattache.co/2023/10/24/composer-jennifer-higdon-lives-in-the-air-of-ideas/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Craig Byrd]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 24 Oct 2023 15:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Classical: Metronome]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[What's Hot]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Antonio Vivaldi]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Blue Cathedral]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cold Mountain]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Edgar Meyer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gustav Holst]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jake Heggie]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jennifer Higdon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jessie Montgomery]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Joshua Bell]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kevin Puts]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[The Elements]]></category>
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					<description><![CDATA[<p>"I was thinking about the breathing thing. This is a much calmer sort of experience. It's also a challenge for me because normally I write a lot of fast notes. "</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2023/10/24/composer-jennifer-higdon-lives-in-the-air-of-ideas/">Composer Jennifer Higdon Lives in the Air of Ideas</a> appeared first on <a href="https://culturalattache.co">Cultural Attaché</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<p>Vivaldi has <em>The Four Seasons</em>. Gustav Holst has <em>The Planets</em>. Not to be outdone, violinist <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2019/10/29/the-continuing-journey-of-violinist-joshua-bell/">Joshua Bell</a> commissioned <em>The Elements</em> which brought together five composers to write movements inspired by <em>Earth</em>, <em>Water, Fire</em>, <em>Air</em> and <em>Space</em> for violin and orchestra. Those composers were <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2022/11/22/composer-kevin-puts-discusses-his-new-opera-the-hours/">Kevin Puts</a>, Edgar Meyer, <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2015/03/04/jake-heggies-opera-dead-man-walking-comes-to-santa-monica/">Jake Heggie</a>, Jennifer Higdon and <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2021/04/21/composer-jessie-montgomery-classical-musics-sonic-and-seismic-shift/">Jessie Montgomery</a> (in order to match the movement they composed).</p>



<p><em>The Elements </em>had its world premiere on September 1st with the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra with Alan Gilbert conducting. The US premiere took place in late September and early October with the New York Philharmonic. More performances are being scheduled and on October 25th Bell will perform three movements with the <a href="https://www.aso.org/events/detail/joshua-bell-masters-the-elements">Atlanta Symphony Orchestra</a>.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe title="Joshua Bell &amp; Alan Gilbert: &quot;The Elements&quot; | Opening Night 2023 | NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester" width="696" height="392" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-jR511QrB6w?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div></figure>



<p>Higdon is one of the most acclaimed composers of her generation. She received the Pulitzer Prize for Music in 2010 for her violin concerto. She is the recipient of three Grammy Awards and her opera, <em>Cold Mountain</em>, had its world premiere in 2016 at Santa Fe Opera.</p>



<p>Higdon didn&#8217;t get to choose her movement. She took <em>Air</em> as her movement and thought quickly and decisively about the role her movement would play in Bell&#8217;s commission.</p>



<p>In this conversation she talks about her approach to <em>Air</em>, thinking about Joshua Bell as the soloist and the role of air in her daily life. What follows are excerpts from our conversation that have been edited for length and clarity. To see the full interview, please go to our <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQfUdH08rahzGKm2Hcawq-g">YouTube channel</a>.</p>



<p>Q:  Joshua Bell had the idea of the elements and then adding space as a fifth component. But was it a lottery? How did you each composer get the element that you ended up writing?<em>&nbsp;</em></p>



<p><strong>When Joshua called me he said, &#8220;Well, the elements have all been picked, so the only thing left is air.&#8221; And I said, okay, I&#8217;ll do air. At that point there were only four composers &#8211; we didn&#8217;t have space as part of it. At some point he decided he wanted space to be a part of the equation and they asked Jessie Montgomery. So I think the guys all picked the elements they wanted. Then they called me.</strong></p>



<p>If it had all been open and you could have chosen any one of the five, which one do you think you would have chosen?&nbsp;</p>



<p><strong>Well, I think I could have come up with stuff for all of them. There was something interesting about air, though, because I&#8217;m a former flute player, so there was something striking about it and I might have picked that.&nbsp;</strong></p>



<p><strong>I would say that if I were writing one of the other movements, it would be very different than what I wrote. Because to me the different elements feel like musically they would need to have different character just in the materials, the way it&#8217;s handled, the speed and the tempo. There are a lot of ways to go, but I think every composer approaches this according to their inner gyroscope.<em>&nbsp;</em></strong></p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="alignleft size-medium"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="300" height="169" src="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Jaap-van-Zweden-Jessie-Montgomery-Joshua-Bell-Jake-Heggie-Jennifer-Higdon-Kevin-Puts-and-Edgar-Meyer-Courtesy-Unison-Media-NY-Philharmonic-300x169.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-19376" srcset="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Jaap-van-Zweden-Jessie-Montgomery-Joshua-Bell-Jake-Heggie-Jennifer-Higdon-Kevin-Puts-and-Edgar-Meyer-Courtesy-Unison-Media-NY-Philharmonic-300x169.jpg 300w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Jaap-van-Zweden-Jessie-Montgomery-Joshua-Bell-Jake-Heggie-Jennifer-Higdon-Kevin-Puts-and-Edgar-Meyer-Courtesy-Unison-Media-NY-Philharmonic-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Jaap-van-Zweden-Jessie-Montgomery-Joshua-Bell-Jake-Heggie-Jennifer-Higdon-Kevin-Puts-and-Edgar-Meyer-Courtesy-Unison-Media-NY-Philharmonic-768x432.jpg 768w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Jaap-van-Zweden-Jessie-Montgomery-Joshua-Bell-Jake-Heggie-Jennifer-Higdon-Kevin-Puts-and-Edgar-Meyer-Courtesy-Unison-Media-NY-Philharmonic-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Jaap-van-Zweden-Jessie-Montgomery-Joshua-Bell-Jake-Heggie-Jennifer-Higdon-Kevin-Puts-and-Edgar-Meyer-Courtesy-Unison-Media-NY-Philharmonic-696x392.jpg 696w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Jaap-van-Zweden-Jessie-Montgomery-Joshua-Bell-Jake-Heggie-Jennifer-Higdon-Kevin-Puts-and-Edgar-Meyer-Courtesy-Unison-Media-NY-Philharmonic-1068x601.jpg 1068w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Jaap-van-Zweden-Jessie-Montgomery-Joshua-Bell-Jake-Heggie-Jennifer-Higdon-Kevin-Puts-and-Edgar-Meyer-Courtesy-Unison-Media-NY-Philharmonic-747x420.jpg 747w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Jaap-van-Zweden-Jessie-Montgomery-Joshua-Bell-Jake-Heggie-Jennifer-Higdon-Kevin-Puts-and-Edgar-Meyer-Courtesy-Unison-Media-NY-Philharmonic.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Jaap van Zweden, Jessie Montgomery, Joshua Bell, Jake Heggie, Jennifer Higdon, Kevin Puts and Edgar Meyer (Photo by Chris Lee/Courtesy New York Philharmonic)</figcaption></figure></div>


<p>You weren&#8217;t dealing with air as wind. You were dealing with it as what we take in, what we breathe, what we need, what the planet needs.<em>&nbsp;</em>How did you go from conceiving the work as being about that component of air to what you actually put on paper?</p>



<p><strong>I thought strategically,<em>&nbsp;</em>because I&#8217;ve written a lot for violin. My colleagues, I figured, would be excited to write some really virtuosic stuff for Joshua, which he plays fantastic. I thought to myself, what would the audience need to hold them through a long concerto? I love Joshua&#8217;s playing. His tone is beautiful in the lyrical lines he plays in all of the concertos and the solo stuff he does. </strong></p>



<p><strong>Maybe I should go and emphasize that and just make a quiet spot so the audience can breathe. I was thinking about the breathing thing. This is a much calmer sort of experience. It&#8217;s also a challenge for me because normally I write a lot of fast notes.<em>&nbsp;</em></strong></p>



<p>For somebody who writes a lot of notes, how much does stillness, how much does silence, play a role in your concept of air?&nbsp;</p>



<p><strong>Actually quite a bit &#8211; especially in this. I used many more wind and brass voicings and less strings, partly to set off Joshua&#8217;s violin voice, but also just because they use air. I do put pauses in there. I make everything move slowly. </strong></p>



<p><strong>I was thinking a lot about the seasons.<em>&nbsp;</em>One of the things that strikes me is when seasonal changes come, the first thing we usually notice is the air when we step outside. The spring smells very different than the fall and winter. The bite of winter feels very different than the summer humidity that we often get on the East Coast. Part of it was just thinking about the distinctiveness of the air.</strong></p>



<p><strong>But I also thought about the fact that the word air is often used as a musical term meaning song, <em>aria</em>. The word aria came out of air,<em>&nbsp;</em>so that made for me a different kind of challenge than most people have. They have trouble filling things up. My goal is backing off and calming down. So I thought this would be a good way to do this.&nbsp;</strong></p>



<p>How does a work like <em>The Elements</em> come together given that five different composers are writing individual movements for it?</p>



<p><strong>That&#8217;s the one thing about this concerto that&#8217;s fascinating. Every sound world is different because it&#8217;s a different composer. So you&#8217;re getting real variety in what you&#8217;re hearing. It makes the musical experience different than if you were listening to just a 40-minute concerto from one composer. The language is changing, the pacing, the rhythm, the interchange between the orchestra and the soloist. Actually it&#8217;s very, very effective.&nbsp;</strong></p>



<p>Is cohesion an outdated idea for contemporary works?</p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="alignleft size-medium"><img decoding="async" width="300" height="169" src="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Jennifer-HIgdon-at-the-Grammys-Courtesy-Jennifer-Higdon-300x169.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-19377" srcset="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Jennifer-HIgdon-at-the-Grammys-Courtesy-Jennifer-Higdon-300x169.jpg 300w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Jennifer-HIgdon-at-the-Grammys-Courtesy-Jennifer-Higdon-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Jennifer-HIgdon-at-the-Grammys-Courtesy-Jennifer-Higdon-768x432.jpg 768w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Jennifer-HIgdon-at-the-Grammys-Courtesy-Jennifer-Higdon-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Jennifer-HIgdon-at-the-Grammys-Courtesy-Jennifer-Higdon-696x392.jpg 696w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Jennifer-HIgdon-at-the-Grammys-Courtesy-Jennifer-Higdon-1068x601.jpg 1068w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Jennifer-HIgdon-at-the-Grammys-Courtesy-Jennifer-Higdon-747x420.jpg 747w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Jennifer-HIgdon-at-the-Grammys-Courtesy-Jennifer-Higdon.jpg 1920w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Jennifer Higdon at the Grammy Awards (Courtesy JenniferHigdon.com)</figcaption></figure></div>


<p><strong>I think artists can&#8217;t really say anything is outdated. I think everything&#8217;s on the board. I like the idea of variety. We can have both. We could have cohesion within our own little movements. </strong></p>



<p><strong>One thing that gives Joshua a chance to do, if he does another piece with another orchestra and he wants to do one of these movements, he can do that. He can just pull it because the things work as self-contained units. They could also combine like maybe two or three of them if he needs a medium size work.</strong> </p>



<p>[<em>As is the case with Bell&#8217;s October 25th concert with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra where he will perform the Bruch Violin Concerto and three movements from &#8220;The Elements.&#8221;]</em></p>



<p>In an interview that you gave to <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB113096332918386569">Annelena Lobb</a> for the <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Wall Street Journal</span> in 2005, she asked what you did to relax. After answering that you walked and went to the movies a lot, she said, &#8220;So it&#8217;s not music all the time?&#8221; And your response was, &#8220;I think that would be hard. The brain needs to breathe.&#8221; It seems as though, even 18 years ago, you were considering breath and air as part of your need to be healthy.<em>&nbsp;</em></p>



<p><strong>My answer is still I take breaks. I compose about 6 hours a day, I have to take breaks.<em>&nbsp;</em>Our brain really does need to break because sometimes it has to solve the musical problems you&#8217;re wrestling with. If I go too long without walking, I get cranky in the same way that I get cranky if I go too long without composing. I&#8217;m really bad about taking the breaks, but I&#8217;ve learned through the years to make sure I do it because it actually helps the music.</strong></p>



<p>What is the conversation that you would like to see amongst contemporary composers that maybe is a different conversation than the one that happens when contemporary works are sandwiched with the works by composers from anywhere from 100 or more years ago?<em>&nbsp;</em></p>



<p><strong>I&#8217;m not sure how to answer that because I&#8217;m always on with older works.<em>&nbsp;</em>One of the things I have noticed when I attend concerts </strong>[is] <strong>the concerts that seem to be drawing more people are the ones that have some contemporary music on it. I&#8217;m not sure what shifted during the pandemic, but something did, and I can tell from quite a few of the concerts I have been to have been sold out. A lot of times I see orchestras just doing the same pieces over and over again, the audiences are shrinking.</strong></p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="alignleft size-medium"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="169" src="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Jennifer-Higdon-Photo-by-Andrew-Bogard-Courtesy-JenniferHigdon.com_-300x169.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-19378" srcset="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Jennifer-Higdon-Photo-by-Andrew-Bogard-Courtesy-JenniferHigdon.com_-300x169.jpg 300w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Jennifer-Higdon-Photo-by-Andrew-Bogard-Courtesy-JenniferHigdon.com_-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Jennifer-Higdon-Photo-by-Andrew-Bogard-Courtesy-JenniferHigdon.com_-768x432.jpg 768w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Jennifer-Higdon-Photo-by-Andrew-Bogard-Courtesy-JenniferHigdon.com_-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Jennifer-Higdon-Photo-by-Andrew-Bogard-Courtesy-JenniferHigdon.com_-696x392.jpg 696w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Jennifer-Higdon-Photo-by-Andrew-Bogard-Courtesy-JenniferHigdon.com_-1068x601.jpg 1068w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Jennifer-Higdon-Photo-by-Andrew-Bogard-Courtesy-JenniferHigdon.com_-747x420.jpg 747w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Jennifer-Higdon-Photo-by-Andrew-Bogard-Courtesy-JenniferHigdon.com_.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Jennifer Higdon (Photo by Andrew Bogard/Courtesy JenniferHigdon.com)</figcaption></figure></div>


<p><strong>One of the things I encounter a lot is the number of people who come up to me and say, &#8220;Oh my God, I&#8217;m so glad to see a woman on the program.&#8221; I didn&#8217;t realize how much it meant to other people. I just am writing the music.<em>&nbsp;</em>But other people take it as my voice is heard from the orchestral stage. I think that&#8217;s more important than a lot of people may realize because it makes it more relevant in the community.&nbsp;</strong></p>



<p><strong>I always think of using music now to pull people in to hear an event or something that&#8217;s unusual and then program something else on that you really like. I fear that the audience is going to drop off too much. I think LA</strong> [Philharmonic] <strong>is doing an amazing job balancing that. It may be the orchestra that&#8217;s doing it probably better than anyone else.</strong></p>



<p>You works get performed a lot around the world. You&#8217;re right up there with Phillip Glass and John Adams. Let&#8217;s say you&#8217;re in rarified air.</p>



<p><strong>I&#8217;m lucky. I have like 250 performances a year, so I get pieces that are just repeated much more than Mozart or Beethoven ever heard in their lifetime. That&#8217;s actually an incredible, miraculous thing when I think about it.</strong></p>



<p><strong>I think that more people will get more performances if artistic administrators were looking around, were aware of more composers coming up. It&#8217;s ironic. I&#8217;m talking to you in L.A. The L.A. Phil is literally the last major orchestra in the United States who has not done my music. I think I&#8217;ve worked probably with 700 or 800 orchestras around the world. But the L.A. Phil is literally the only one that I&#8217;ve not had a performance with and I get asked about that now all the time. It&#8217;s unusual because</strong> [1999&#8217;s] <strong><em>Blue Cathedral</em>, we&#8217;ve had 800 orchestras do that piece and even that hasn&#8217;t been in L.A. I&#8217;m sure it&#8217;ll get corrected in the next couple of years.<em>&nbsp;</em></strong></p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Jennifer Higdon - blue cathedral - Stéphane Denève | Made in America" width="696" height="392" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Gr2Tps5cgc4?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div></figure>



<p>Edith Wharton is quoted as having said, &#8220;The air of ideas is the only air worth breathing.&#8221; How does the air of ideas inspire you as you move forward throughout your career?</p>



<p><strong>It seems to me like anyone who is creative just lives in the era of ideas. Although I do know a lot of composers who struggle. If you&#8217;re able to actually write every day that tends to make the air produce more ideas. But I think you have to always be thinking. A lot of times people only get to work some small amount of time on a job. I think it&#8217;s hard to kind of air out the laundry and and get fresh ideas in what you&#8217;re doing. So it&#8217;s interesting. I know that&#8217;s a really good question. Isn&#8217;t that applicable to anyone doing anything creative, though?</strong></p>



<p>Without that air and without those ideas, we&#8217;re stuck.</p>



<p><strong>We&#8217;d be dead. It would not be an interesting world. Even the kids would come up with some cool idea of how to skateboard in a different way or something that&#8217;s also living in the air of ideas. That&#8217;s literally having your ideas fly through the air. But let&#8217;s look at the Wright brothers. Those are radical ideas. Same for astronauts and NASA. But I also realize that someone is cleaning a floor somewhere and they&#8217;re going, you know, there&#8217;s probably a better way to do this. The idea of raising kids, it takes constant creativity, always thinking. So I guess that quote is factual and is applicable to every human being that crosses this planet.</strong></p>



<p><em>To see the full interview with Jennifer Higdon, please go <a href="https://youtu.be/u64EtOgg44o">here</a>.</em></p>



<p>To learn more about <em>The Elements</em>, please go <a href="https://www.theelementsjoshuabell.com">here</a>.</p>



<p>Main Photo: Jennifer Higdon (Courtesy JenniferHigdon.com)</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2023/10/24/composer-jennifer-higdon-lives-in-the-air-of-ideas/">Composer Jennifer Higdon Lives in the Air of Ideas</a> appeared first on <a href="https://culturalattache.co">Cultural Attaché</a>.</p>
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		<title>Conductor Jeri Lynne Johnson: A War of Attrition</title>
		<link>https://culturalattache.co/2022/11/09/conductor-jeri-lynne-johnson-a-war-of-attrition/</link>
					<comments>https://culturalattache.co/2022/11/09/conductor-jeri-lynne-johnson-a-war-of-attrition/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Craig Byrd]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 10 Nov 2022 01:27:38 +0000</pubDate>
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					<description><![CDATA[<p>"The inherent understanding of genius, stifled genius, unrecognized genius, not given the support and the nourishment that it deserves and having to find its own way. I understand that completely."</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2022/11/09/conductor-jeri-lynne-johnson-a-war-of-attrition/">Conductor Jeri Lynne Johnson: A War of Attrition</a> appeared first on <a href="https://culturalattache.co">Cultural Attaché</a>.</p>
]]></description>
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<figure class="alignleft size-medium"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="169" src="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Jeri-Lynne-Johnson-Courtesy-JeriLynneJohnson.com_-300x169.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-17352" srcset="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Jeri-Lynne-Johnson-Courtesy-JeriLynneJohnson.com_-300x169.jpg 300w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Jeri-Lynne-Johnson-Courtesy-JeriLynneJohnson.com_-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Jeri-Lynne-Johnson-Courtesy-JeriLynneJohnson.com_-768x432.jpg 768w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Jeri-Lynne-Johnson-Courtesy-JeriLynneJohnson.com_-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Jeri-Lynne-Johnson-Courtesy-JeriLynneJohnson.com_-696x392.jpg 696w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Jeri-Lynne-Johnson-Courtesy-JeriLynneJohnson.com_-1068x601.jpg 1068w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Jeri-Lynne-Johnson-Courtesy-JeriLynneJohnson.com_-747x420.jpg 747w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Jeri-Lynne-Johnson-Courtesy-JeriLynneJohnson.com_.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Conductor Jeri Lynne Johnson (Courtesy JeriLynneJohnson.com)</figcaption></figure></div>


<p>Los Angeles Philharmonic&#8217;s <em>Rock My Soul Festival,</em> curated by Julia Bullock, has more exciting programming for its second full weekend. <a href="https://www.laphil.com/events/performances/1796/2022-11-11/bryan-coleman-price" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">On Friday</a> the orchestra will play works by contemporary composers Valerie Coleman and Courtney Bryan along with the <em>Symphony No. 3</em> by Florence Price.  <a href="https://www.laphil.com/events/performances/1798/2022-11-12/rhiannon-giddens" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">On Saturday</a> Rhiannon Giddens, whose opera <em><a href="https://www.laopera.org/performances/202223-season/omar/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Omar</a></em> has its final performance at LA Opera on Sunday, will perform with the LA Phil and the Resistance Revival Chorus. Leading both shows from the podium will be Jeri Lynne Johnson.</p>



<p>Johnson most recently conducted the world premiere performances of <em>This Little Light of Mine</em> at Santa Fe Opera. She is also the founder and Artistic Director of <a href="https://www.blackpearlco.org" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Black Pearl Chamber Orchestra</a>. In 2015 she founded <a href="https://www.deiartsconsulting.com" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">DEI Arts Consulting</a> &#8220;for cultural institutions seeking to create a culture of belonging.&#8221;</p>



<p>When you click on the <em>about</em> tab on her website, the page says &#8220;Black female conductor,&#8221; a title which is as unique as you think it is. </p>



<p>We spoke a few weeks ago while she was in New Mexico for <em>This Little Light of Mine</em>. We spoke about working with other women, the <em>Rock My Soul Festival</em>, opportunities she&#8217;d like to have and more. What follows are excerpts from our conversation that have been edited for length and clarity.</p>



<p>You&#8217;ve stated that it was a concert when you were seven years old that instilled in you this passion to be involved with music. Do you remember what was on that program and was there anything specific about that day?</p>



<p><strong>I don&#8217;t remember the exact program. I just remember it was Beethoven. It was probably one of the odd numbered symphonies. It was the Minnesota Orchestra when Neville Marriner was the music director. As a young musician I was in love with music and as a pianist I realized I don&#8217;t see a piano on stage. I just figured out that what I have to do is what that man with the stick is doing. If I want to make that music I have to be a conductor.</strong></p>



<p>They could have played a Beethoven piano concerto. Then what would you have done?&nbsp;</p>



<p><strong>You know that is a very interesting question. That has never occurred to me.<em> </em>I always loved piano, but I always wanted to be a conductor. I knew that I made the right choice because I never get nervous as the conductor. As a pianist you get so nervous in your hands and everything. I just never get nervous as a conductor. I always feel like I can trust the musicians, God forbid, if anything goes wrong.</strong></p>



<p>What was your first reaction when you heard about the <em>Rock My Soul Festival</em> and what makes this festival unique?&nbsp;</p>



<p><strong>I think what makes this festival unique is the wide range of talents that people are going to see on the stage. Nowadays as artists it&#8217;s not unusual for us to have a variety of genres and styles that we&#8217;re fluent in. That used to be very frowned upon. In an earlier era you only did classical music. If you were to do anything else you didn&#8217;t tell anybody about it for fear that you wouldn&#8217;t be taken seriously as a classical musician. I think nowadays there is a willingness to recognize excellence across a variety of genres and styles.</strong></p>



<p><strong>We&#8217;re also doing, of course, compositions by women whose voices are typically underrepresented in music; folk living and who have passed on. I think the thing that connects these composers across time is their willingness to engage in the cultural issues of their day as composers. </strong></p>



<p><strong>For Courtney Bryant, her piece was about Black Lives Matter, especially after the murder of George Floyd. Florence Price and Margaret Bonds&#8217;s work was written in the era of the Harlem Renaissance. So there was a lot of connection around what it meant to be African-American, what it meant to be Black, what it meant to be Negro in America, as they called it. I wanted to engage with who they were as people and use their music to do so.</strong></p>



<p><a href="https://culturalattache.co/2022/11/02/soprano-julia-bullock-wants-to-rock-your-soul/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Julia Bullock</a> told me she was really inspired by that relationship between Florence Price and Margaret Bonds and how she feels the world doesn&#8217;t allow for that much anymore because people seem to feel the need to be more competitive with one another. Has it really gotten to that point?<em>&nbsp;</em></p>



<p><strong>If that is the case I have not experienced it. This is my first time working with Julia who is a lovely person. I work with a number of African-American women. For me, the experience has always been one of mutual respect and gratitude and recognition.</strong> </p>



<p><strong>If we are all here at this place together, it is because we all have sacrificed a great deal to be there. We have all earned our place here. For me it has been nothing but mutual respect and collegiality and a willingness to also hold the door open for other people of talent that maybe we haven&#8217;t heard of. That we can connect through and find out about it without putting it a negative spin on it. The more that Black women in classical music are able to work with each other and collaborate, like on this festival, you begin to build that professional trust and that network so that you see more of us out there performing more regularly.</strong> </p>



<p>In a video that you did for Careers for Girls you mentioned that it was your job to express emotion from the podium so that you can get the emotion out of the orchestra. What emotional connection do you feel to the work of Florence Price and Margaret Bonds that you then plan to translate to the orchestra?</p>



<p><strong>The connection for me, if I can be raw here for a moment and vulnerable and transparent, which I know is like a no-no for conductors, but it is the inherent understanding of genius, stifled genius, unrecognized genius, not given the support and the nourishment that it deserves and having to find its own way. I understand that completely. </strong></p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="alignleft size-medium"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="169" src="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Conductor-Jeri-Lynne-Johnson-Courtesy-JeriLynneJohnson.com_-1-300x169.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-17354" srcset="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Conductor-Jeri-Lynne-Johnson-Courtesy-JeriLynneJohnson.com_-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Conductor-Jeri-Lynne-Johnson-Courtesy-JeriLynneJohnson.com_-1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Conductor-Jeri-Lynne-Johnson-Courtesy-JeriLynneJohnson.com_-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Conductor-Jeri-Lynne-Johnson-Courtesy-JeriLynneJohnson.com_-1-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Conductor-Jeri-Lynne-Johnson-Courtesy-JeriLynneJohnson.com_-1-696x392.jpg 696w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Conductor-Jeri-Lynne-Johnson-Courtesy-JeriLynneJohnson.com_-1-1068x601.jpg 1068w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Conductor-Jeri-Lynne-Johnson-Courtesy-JeriLynneJohnson.com_-1-747x420.jpg 747w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Conductor-Jeri-Lynne-Johnson-Courtesy-JeriLynneJohnson.com_-1.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Conductor Jeri Lynne Johnson (Courtesy JeriLynneJohnson.com)</figcaption></figure></div>


<p><strong>I can&#8217;t tell you as a young conductor how many times I was denied opportunity or just not even paid attention to because of who I am. So I look at these works and women with enormous talent and such incredible gifts who, had they had the ability to work with someone like a Nadia Boulanger as Aaron Copland did, what more would we have seen from them? What we have is incredible and so interesting, unbelievably rich, complicated, complex and soulful. It brings tears to my eyes to see the level of excellence that their works are now commanding and the attention they&#8217;re getting. </strong></p>



<p>You were talking about genius stifled and denied opportunities. It&#8217;s not an easy path being a woman who conducts classical music. I&#8217;m sure it&#8217;s even tougher being a Black woman who conducts classical music. How much more complicated does that equation become when you are a person of color?</p>



<p><strong>The way that race and gender intersect in my career has been very interesting. Not everything that I&#8217;ve dealt with has been related to that. Conducting is hard, as you know. For young conductors, it&#8217;s just a difficult time.</strong> [Composer] <strong>Jennifer Higdon and I were talking and I was lamenting when I was younger, like, oh, this is never going to work. I should just give up and become a buyer for Neiman Marcus or something. </strong></p>



<p><strong>She told me this is a war of attrition. She said whoever lasts the longest lives. She talked about her experience as a composer, as a woman. So I have that tape loop in my head &#8211; this is a war of attrition. </strong></p>



<p><strong>I think the timing was just right now for me to had been working for this amount of time, to be holding my breath, to be in a position to be able to take advantage of when the L.A. Phil calls and when the Chicago Symphony calls and when Santa Fe Opera calls. The only thing keeping me from these positions before George Floyd was being a Black woman. </strong></p>



<p><strong>Now because I&#8217;m a Black woman people are now beginning to pay attention to me. The work has always been there. The study, the commitment to excellence of artistry, has always been there. The only thing has changed is people&#8217;s perceptions of where excellence resides as an artist and where it can reside and who can embody that on the podium.&nbsp;</strong></p>



<p>Is true systemic change going to happen without the same changes that we see on the stage taking place in the executive offices?&nbsp;</p>



<p><strong>You&#8217;re absolutely right that it has to be. There&#8217;s always a power dynamic in any of these relationships of who hires whom and who makes those decisions. We always tell our clients that that representation is not enough. It has to be true empowerment. Until there&#8217;s a very diverse setting at the table of who gets to make these decisions it&#8217;s always going to be a struggle. </strong></p>



<p><strong>I think there&#8217;s a lot of fragility around will donors accept this? Will they like it? Change is hard for anyone and you have to be prepared to lose some people along the way. Some people just aren&#8217;t going to want to change and that&#8217;s okay. But in order to do the work authentically, you have to be prepared to lose a little something in order to gain something on the other side.&nbsp;</strong></p>



<p>And how many Beethoven festivals does any one organization need to do every few seasons?</p>



<p><strong>I&#8217;m going to put it out there in the universe. I really want to be the first Black woman to have a set of Beethoven&#8217;s nine symphonies recorded.<em>&nbsp;</em>It was kind of my dream as a young conductor so I&#8217;m holding fast to that.</strong></p>



<p>I think since you&#8217;re making your Santa Fe Opera debut, you should also put on your list conducting the <em>Ring Cycle</em>.<em>&nbsp;</em></p>



<p><strong>That is on my to-do list. I studied it extensively. I think of Wagner, as a person, as a really awful human being. But his music is just stunningly gorgeous.</strong></p>



<p>Florence Price, in a letter to composer/conductor Serge Koussevitzky, then music director of the Boston Symphony, said, &#8220;Unfortunately the work of a woman composer is preconceived by many to be light, froth, lacking in depth, logic and virility. Add to that my race – I have colored blood in my veins – and you will understand some of the difficulties that confront one in such a position.” If you had a chance to update Florence Price about the world she so wanted to be a part of, what would you say?</p>



<p><strong>I would give her the same advice that Jennifer Higdon told me: that it is a war of attrition. We fight these battles on hearts and minds and that art is a mighty warrior. And that people see you. People appreciate you and people understand you. The artists who understand your work, who understand your struggle, will find you. She&#8217;s having her moment and hopefully this moment lasts beyond the political interest of the moment and into real recognition of her as an artist and placing her and Margaret Bonds and others in relationship to their colleagues.</strong><em>&nbsp;</em></p>



<p>Main Photo: Jeri Lynne Johnson (Courtesy LA Philharmonic)</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2022/11/09/conductor-jeri-lynne-johnson-a-war-of-attrition/">Conductor Jeri Lynne Johnson: A War of Attrition</a> appeared first on <a href="https://culturalattache.co">Cultural Attaché</a>.</p>
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		<title>Best Bets Still Available: August 2022</title>
		<link>https://culturalattache.co/2022/07/31/best-bets-still-available-august-2022/</link>
					<comments>https://culturalattache.co/2022/07/31/best-bets-still-available-august-2022/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Craig Byrd]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sun, 31 Jul 2022 18:18:27 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Musicals: 5-6-7-8]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Now Playing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Opera: Bravo]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Play's The Thing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[What's Hot]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[2nd Stage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[A Strange Loop]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[American Prophet]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Arena Stage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[August Wilson Theatre]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Between the Lines]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Charles Randolph-Wright]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christopher Wheeldon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Funny Girl]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hamlet]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Here There Are Blueberries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Into the Woods]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[James Lapine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jared Grimes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jodi Picoult]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Julie Benko]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[La Jolla Playhouse]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lea Michele]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marcus Hummon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Michael Jackson]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Michael R. Jackson]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MJ The Musical]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Moulin Rouge The Musical]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Myles Frost]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[National Theatre Live]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Neil Simon Theatre]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Oresteia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Park Avenue Armory]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Prima Facie]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ramin Karimloo]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Samanta van Leer]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Santa Fe Opera]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[South Orange Performing Arts Center]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[St. James Theatre]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stephen Sondheim]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Last Supper]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tovah Feldshuh]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://culturalattache.co/?p=16694</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>A list of our favorite Best Bets that are still available as of August 1st</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2022/07/31/best-bets-still-available-august-2022/">Best Bets Still Available: August 2022</a> appeared first on <a href="https://culturalattache.co">Cultural Attaché</a>.</p>
]]></description>
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<p>Some of our Best Bets come and go. Others have lengthy runs or are part of tours that are ongoing. Here is a list of our favorite Best Bets that are still available as of August 1st:</p>



<p class="has-text-align-center"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>MUSICALS</strong></span>:</p>



<p></p>



<p><strong><em>AMERICAN PROPHET</em>&nbsp;</strong>– Arena Stage – Washington, D.C. – July 15<sup>th</sup>&nbsp;– August 28<sup>th</sup></p>



<p>The writings and speeches of abolitionist and statesman Frederick Douglass serve as the inspiration for this new musical from composer/lyricist Marcus Hummon and director/creator Charles Randolph-Wright.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe loading="lazy" title="&quot;Let the Storm Come&quot; from world-premiere musical &quot;American Prophet&quot;" width="696" height="392" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VSNYv-sJR4k?start=42&#038;feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen title=""Let the Storm Come" from world-premiere musical "American Prophet""></iframe>
</div></figure>



<p>This show was a recipient of the Edgerton Foundation New Play Awards prior to this world premiere.&nbsp;&nbsp;Cornelius Smith Jr. stars as Frederick Douglass with Kristolyn Lloyd (original Broadway cast of&nbsp;<em>Dear Evan Hansen</em>) as his wife, Anna.</p>



<p>For tickets and more information, please go&nbsp;<a href="https://www.arenastage.org/tickets/2022-23-season/american-prophet/#block-Multimedia" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>.</p>



<p></p>



<p><strong><em>BETWEEN THE LINES</em></strong>&nbsp;– 2ndStage – New York – June 14<sup>th</sup>&nbsp;– October 2<sup>nd</sup></p>



<p>This musical is based on the young adult novel by&nbsp;&nbsp;Jodi Picoult (<em>Wish You Were Here</em>) and her daughter, Samantha van Leer, from 2013. The story surrounds, Delilah, a young girl infatuated with Prince Oliver in a book she loves. Her world and his in the novel come together when he starts speaking to her.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe loading="lazy" title="BETWEEN THE LINES is this Summer&#039;s Must See Musical!" width="696" height="392" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5qlxFYVBca0?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div></figure>



<p>Timothy Allen McDonald collaborated with Picoult and van Leer to write the book. Kate Anderson and Elyssa Samsel wrote the the music and lyrics. Jeff Calhoun (<em>Newsies</em>) directs with choreography by Paul McGill (<em>Hedwig and the Angry Inch</em>).</p>



<p>For tickets and more information, please go&nbsp;<a href="https://betweenthelinesmusical.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>.</p>



<p></p>



<p><strong><em>FUNNY GIRL</em></strong>&nbsp;– August Wilson Theatre, New York – Open-ended run</p>



<p>When this musical opened this spring on Broadway it was the fact that it had been 58 years since the musical&nbsp;<em>Funny Girl</em>&nbsp;opened on Broadway and turned Barbra Streisand into one of the world’s greatest stars. Then came the whirlwind of controversy about whether Beanie Feldstein was miscast in the role.</p>



<p>She is no longer in the musical. Her understudy, Julie Benko, will be taking over the role until Lea Michele (<em>Glee</em>) assumes the role of Fanny Brice on September 6<sup>th</sup>.&nbsp;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Funny Girl Curtain Call - Julie Fanny - Jane Lynch Pre-Tony Speech" width="696" height="392" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/M0FAsyWYDaU?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<p>Enter Beanie Feldstein who is tackling the role of Fanny Brice. Like Streisand, Feldstein has only played a supporting role in one musical before this one (<em>Hello, Dolly!</em>). Joining her are Ramin Karimloo as love-interest Nick Arnstein and <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2022/04/21/jane-lynch-has-sung-funny-girl-since-she-was-young/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jane Lynch</a> as Mrs. Brice (through September 4<sup>th</sup>). Tovah Feldshuh will assume the role on September 6<sup>th</sup>.&nbsp;&nbsp;Jared Grimes, the sol recipient of a Tony nomination for this production, dazzles in the role of Eddie Ryan.Michael Mayer directs the show which has a revised script by Harvey Fierstein.</p>



<p>For tickets and more information, please go&nbsp;<a href="https://funnygirlonbroadway.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>.</p>



<p></p>



<p><strong><em>INTO THE WOODS</em>&nbsp;</strong>– St. James Theatre – New York – Now – October 16th</p>



<p>This often-produced musical by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine was such a hit at New York City Center’s Encores series that it was inevitable the show would transfer to Broadway…and it has and the reviews and ticket sales are proof that was a great idea.</p>



<p>If you don’t know the musical, multiple fairytales are all taking place in the same forest at the same time. We’re big fans of Act II where not everything is as happy as it first seems. (Our favorite act is the second act.)</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe loading="lazy" title="&quot;Into the Woods&quot; revival opens at the St. James Theatre" width="696" height="392" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/x2z-khrGh2I?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen title=""Into the Woods" revival opens at the St. James Theatre"></iframe>
</div></figure>



<p>Lear deBessonet directs an all-star cast including Sara Bareilles as the Baker’s Wife, Gavin Creel as Cinderella’s Price and the Wolf, <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2022/04/28/joshua-henry-talks-all-about-broadway/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Joshua Henry</a> as Rapunzel’s Prince , Brian D’Arcy James as the Baker, Patina Miller as the Witch and Phillipa Soo as Cinderella.</p>



<p>The recent announcement of an extension means there will be some cast changes that have yet to be announced.</p>



<p>For tickets and more information, please go <a href="https://intothewoodsbway.com/#top" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>.</p>



<p></p>



<p><strong><em>MJ THE MUSICAL&nbsp;</em></strong>– Neil Simon Theatre, New York – Open-ended run</p>



<p>It was, of course, inevitable that there would be a jukebox musical showcasing the countless hit songs by Michael Jackson. What may set this musical apart from failed attempts to use songs by The Beach Boys, Cher John Lennon and more is that the book is by two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner Lynn Nottage and the show is directed and choreographed by Christopher&nbsp;Wheeldon.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe loading="lazy" title="&quot;Smooth Criminal&quot; (Extended Cut) | MJ" width="696" height="392" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iU7r-DBTsgo?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen title=""Smooth Criminal" (Extended Cut) | MJ"></iframe>
</div></figure>



<p>Myles Frost makes his Broadway debut as MJ and was the recipient of a Tony Award for his performance. The show also won Tony Awards for Lighting and Sound Design. The other Tony Award recipient was Wheeldon for his choreography. (Kudos to the outstanding company of dancers that perform this show.)&nbsp;</p>



<p>We’ve seen the show and while it does gloss over much of the controversy that surrounded Jackson, it is wildly entertaining. Based on the audience response, this show is likely to run for a very long time.</p>



<p>For tickets and more details, please go&nbsp;<a href="https://mjthemusical.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>.</p>



<p></p>



<p><strong><em>MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL</em>&nbsp;</strong>– Al Hirschfeld Theatre, New York/Touring Company: Currently at The Pantages Theatre, Hollywood –&nbsp;<em>STRONGLY RECOMMENDED</em></p>



<p>Why turn Baz Luhrmann’s ground-breaking film into a musical? Because you can can can. It might seem impossible to out-Baz Baz, but director Alex Timbres has done exactly that. This is bigger, louder, more song-filled than Luhrmann’s film. Surprisingly it loses nothing in translation.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Moulin Rouge! The Musical on Good Morning America" width="696" height="392" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HTbPslvdYa8?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div></figure>



<p>The musical won 10 Tony Awards including Best Musical. The Broadway production currently stars Ashley Loren as Satine and Derek Klena as Christian. The touring company stars Courtney Reed and Conor Ryan (with Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer as an alternate in the role of Satine).</p>



<p>For tickets and more information on Broadway, please go&nbsp;<a href="https://moulinrougemusical.com/new-york/home/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>. For touring dates, tickets and more information, please go&nbsp;<a href="https://moulinrougemusical.com/us-tour/tickets/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>.</p>



<p></p>



<p><strong><em>A STRANGE LOOP</em></strong>&nbsp;&#8211;&nbsp;Lyceum Theatre, New York – Open-ended run&nbsp;<em>STRONGLY RECOMMENDED</em><em></em></p>



<p>The 2022 Tony Award for Best Musical and the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for drama went to Michael R. Jackson’s musical&nbsp;<em>A Strange Loop</em>. It’s an aptly named meta-musical about a gay Black man who’s writing a musical about a gay Black man who is writing a musical about…You get the picture.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe loading="lazy" title="A STRANGE LOOP - &quot;Memory Song&quot;" width="696" height="392" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_x5HUpqiqXo?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen title="A STRANGE LOOP - "Memory Song""></iframe>
</div></figure>



<p>Stephen Brackett directs&nbsp;<em>A Strange Loop</em>. The ensemble features Antwayn Hopper, L Morgan Lee, John-Mihael Lyles, James Jackson, Jr., John-Andrew Morrison, Jaquel Spivey and Jason Veasey.</p>



<p>This is a wholly original musical that challenges everything we imagine a Broadway musical to be. Jackson does it in all the best possible ways.</p>



<p>For tickets and more information, please go&nbsp;<a href="https://strangeloopmusical.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>.</p>



<p></p>



<p class="has-text-align-center"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">OPERA</span>:</strong></p>


<div class="wp-block-image">
<figure class="aligncenter size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" src="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Isabel-Leonard-in-22Carmen22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-1-1024x576.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-16697" srcset="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Isabel-Leonard-in-22Carmen22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Isabel-Leonard-in-22Carmen22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Isabel-Leonard-in-22Carmen22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Isabel-Leonard-in-22Carmen22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-1-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Isabel-Leonard-in-22Carmen22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-1-696x392.jpg 696w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Isabel-Leonard-in-22Carmen22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-1-1068x601.jpg 1068w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Isabel-Leonard-in-22Carmen22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-1-747x420.jpg 747w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/Isabel-Leonard-in-22Carmen22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-1.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption>Isabel Leonard in &#8220;Carmen&#8221; (Photo by Curtis Brown/Courtesy Santa Fe Opera)</figcaption></figure></div>


<p><strong><em>SANTA FE OPERA</em></strong>&nbsp;– Now – August 27<sup>th</sup></p>



<p><a href="https://culturalattache.co/2021/05/20/operas-isabel-leonard-directs-her-future/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Isabel Leonard</a> as&nbsp;<em>Carmen</em>; Mitchell Harper choreographing&nbsp;<em>The Barber of Seville</em>; Quinn Kelsey as&nbsp;<em>Falstaff</em>; the first-ever Santa Fe Opera production of&nbsp;<em>Tristan Und Isolde</em>&nbsp;and the world premiere on Saturday of&nbsp;<em>M. Butterfly</em>&nbsp;by composer Huang Ruo and librettist David Henry Hwang are all good reasons to attend this year’s season at Santa Fe Opera.</p>



<p>If you’ve never been, you owe it to yourself to experience this amazing venue. And be prepared to tailgate!</p>



<p>For tickets and more information, please go&nbsp;<a href="https://www.santafeopera.org/tickets/#2022-season" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>.</p>



<p></p>



<p class="has-text-align-center"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">PLAYS</span>:</strong></p>



<p><strong><em>HERE THERE ARE BLUEBERRIES</em></strong>&nbsp;– La Jolla Playhouse – La Jolla, CA – July 26<sup>th</sup>&nbsp;– August 21<sup>st</sup></p>



<p>Anytime Moisés Kaufmann and Tectonic Theater Project have a world premiere, it’s a reason to go to the theatre. They’re the team behind&nbsp;<em>The Laramie Project Cycle</em>,&nbsp;<em>The Tallest Tree in The Forest, I Am My Own Wife&nbsp;</em>and more.</p>



<p>This new play is an investigation into the Hoecker Album of photographs from Germany during World War II.&nbsp;&nbsp;They are named after Karl-Friedrich Hoecker who was an SS officer for the Nazis. Most of the photographs were taken in the summer and fall of 1944.</p>



<p>As the webpage for this production asks, “What hidden secrets can a photograph reveal?” Kaufmann (who co-directs with Amanda Gronich) and Tectonic Theater Project will make it mesmerizing.</p>



<p>For tickets and more information, please go&nbsp;<a href="https://lajollaplayhouse.org/show/here-there-are-blueberries/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>.</p>



<p></p>



<p><strong><em>ORESTEIA</em></strong>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<strong><em>HAMLET</em></strong>&nbsp;– Park Avenue Armory – New York – Now – August 13<sup>th</sup></p>



<p>Director Robert Icke received an Olivier Award as Best Director for&nbsp;<em>Oresteia</em>, an adaptation of the three Greek tragedies written by Aeschylus. The show was a critical and commercial success in London.</p>



<p>Equally acclaimed was his production of Shakespeare’s&nbsp;<em>Hamlet</em>&nbsp;at The Almeida Theatre in London. Alex Lawther stars as the conflicted prince.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Both shows appear in repertory. For tickets and more information for&nbsp;<em>Orestia</em>, please go&nbsp;<a href="https://www.armoryonpark.org/programs_events/detail/2022_hamlet" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>. For tickets and more information for&nbsp;<em>Hamlet</em>, please go&nbsp;<a href="https://www.armoryonpark.org/programs_events/detail/2022_hamlet" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>.</p>



<p></p>



<p><strong><em>PRIMA FACIE</em>&nbsp;</strong>– National Theatre Live – Beginning July 21<sup>st</sup>&nbsp;(check local listings)</p>



<p>Jodie Comer (<em>Killing Eve</em>) stars in this play by Suzie Miller as a young lawyer whose main clients have been men accused of sexual assault. Her perspective on what she’s doing gets challenged when she gets assaulted herself.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Prima Facie with Jodie Comer: Official Trailer | National Theatre Live - In Cinemas 21 July" width="696" height="392" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tOQ7YsxkVUQ?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div></figure>



<p>It’s a powerful role for Comer and she is considered a front-runner for the Olivier Award next year. She’ll also potentially be up for a Tony nomination as the play is scheduled to open in New York in the 2022-2023 season. So, too, might director Justin Martin.</p>



<p>But you can watch the play in a theater near you as it is part of National Theatre Live’s programming. To locate a theater near you and to get tickets, please go&nbsp;<a href="https://primafacie.ntlive.com/synopsis/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>.</p>



<p><em>For our weekly Best Bets, please check every Monday for that week&#8217;s selections. </em></p>



<p>Main Photo: Conor Ryan and Courtney Reed in <em>Moulin Rouge The Musical </em>Touring Production (Photo by Matthew Murphy/Courtesy Broadway in Hollywood)</p>



<p></p>
<p>The post <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2022/07/31/best-bets-still-available-august-2022/">Best Bets Still Available: August 2022</a> appeared first on <a href="https://culturalattache.co">Cultural Attaché</a>.</p>
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		<title>Top 10 of 2021</title>
		<link>https://culturalattache.co/2022/01/03/top-10-of-2021/</link>
					<comments>https://culturalattache.co/2022/01/03/top-10-of-2021/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Craig Byrd]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 03 Jan 2022 08:01:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Music]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stage]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[What's Hot]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Alaska 5000]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Anthony Roth Costanzo]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Arthur Laurents]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Billy Porter]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Billy Porter: Unprotected]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Boston Lyric Opera]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Camille A. Brown]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Caroline or Change]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Cécile McLorin Salvant]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Charles M. Blow]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Christopher Oscar Peña]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Desert In]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ellen Reid]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Emily Skeggs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fire Shut Up in My Bones]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Freddie]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[George Salazar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ghost Songs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Head Over Heels]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[James Darrah]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[James Robinson]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jeanine Tesori]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Jenny Koons]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Kasi Lemmons]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lea DeLaria]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ledisi]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ledisi Sings Nina Simone]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Leonard Bernstein]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Metropolitan Opera]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nonesuch Records]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pasadena Playhouse]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Roundabout Theatre Company]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sam Pinkleton]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Santa Fe Opera]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Shanice Williams]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sharon D. Clarke]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stephen Sondheim]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Steven Spielberg]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Studio 54]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sullivan Fortner]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Terence Blanchard]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Ford Theatre]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tiffany Mann]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tony Kushner]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Yurel Echezarreta]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://culturalattache.co/?p=15666</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>Happy New Year to everyone. Very soon we&#8217;ll begin new interviews and highlights for 2022. But before we do, here is my list of the Top 10 of 2021: #1: The Return of Live Performances There isn&#8217;t any one show that could top the fact that we were able to finally return to the glorious [&#8230;]</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2022/01/03/top-10-of-2021/">Top 10 of 2021</a> appeared first on <a href="https://culturalattache.co">Cultural Attaché</a>.</p>
]]></description>
										<content:encoded><![CDATA[
<p>Happy New Year to everyone. Very soon we&#8217;ll begin new interviews and highlights for 2022. But before we do, here is my list of the Top 10 of 2021:</p>



<p><strong>#1:  The Return of Live Performances</strong></p>



<p>There isn&#8217;t any one show that could top the fact that we were able to finally return to the glorious experience of live performance in theaters, concert halls, outdoor venues and more. As great as streaming programming, it could never replace the centuries old practice of communal celebration of life through plays, musicals, concerts and dance. </p>



<p>Yes there were new rules to get accustomed to. Some required masks, others didn&#8217;t. Proof of vaccination became required (and that&#8217;s a good thing in my book). The first time I returned to a theatre and found my seats was the best possible therapy for my soul. If you read Cultural Attaché I&#8217;m sure you feel the same way.</p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignleft size-medium"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="169" src="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Walter-Russelll-III-and-Will-LIverman-in-22Fire-Shut-Up-In-My-Bones22-Photo-by-Ken-Howard-Courtesy-Met-Opera-300x169.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-15675" srcset="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Walter-Russelll-III-and-Will-LIverman-in-22Fire-Shut-Up-In-My-Bones22-Photo-by-Ken-Howard-Courtesy-Met-Opera-300x169.jpg 300w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Walter-Russelll-III-and-Will-LIverman-in-22Fire-Shut-Up-In-My-Bones22-Photo-by-Ken-Howard-Courtesy-Met-Opera-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Walter-Russelll-III-and-Will-LIverman-in-22Fire-Shut-Up-In-My-Bones22-Photo-by-Ken-Howard-Courtesy-Met-Opera-768x432.jpg 768w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Walter-Russelll-III-and-Will-LIverman-in-22Fire-Shut-Up-In-My-Bones22-Photo-by-Ken-Howard-Courtesy-Met-Opera-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Walter-Russelll-III-and-Will-LIverman-in-22Fire-Shut-Up-In-My-Bones22-Photo-by-Ken-Howard-Courtesy-Met-Opera-696x392.jpg 696w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Walter-Russelll-III-and-Will-LIverman-in-22Fire-Shut-Up-In-My-Bones22-Photo-by-Ken-Howard-Courtesy-Met-Opera-1068x601.jpg 1068w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Walter-Russelll-III-and-Will-LIverman-in-22Fire-Shut-Up-In-My-Bones22-Photo-by-Ken-Howard-Courtesy-Met-Opera-747x420.jpg 747w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Walter-Russelll-III-and-Will-LIverman-in-22Fire-Shut-Up-In-My-Bones22-Photo-by-Ken-Howard-Courtesy-Met-Opera.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><figcaption>Walter Russell III and Will Liverman in &#8220;Fire Shut Up In My Bones&#8221; (Photo by Ken Howard/Courtesy Met Opera)</figcaption></figure></div>



<p><strong>#2:  <em>Fire Shut Up In My Bones</em> &#8211; Metropolitan Opera</strong></p>



<p>While I wasn&#8217;t able to see <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2021/09/26/fire-shut-up-in-my-bones-terence-blanchards-second-opera/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Terence Blanchard</a>&#8216;s powerful and moving opera in person, I did take advantage of the Metropolitan Opera&#8217;s <em>Live in HD</em> series to see a live transmission from New York.  Blanchard and librettist Kasi Lemmons have taken the memoir by Charles M. Blow and created an opera that is going to be performed around the world. </p>



<p>So rich is the storytelling, so brilliantly was the production directed by James Robinson and Camille A. Brown (who also choreographed), so spectacular was the singing, <em>Fire Shut Up In My Bones</em> was easily the single most impressive performance of the year. </p>



<p>Hopefully the Met will add additional showings of <em>Fire Shut Up In My Bones</em> via their <em>Live in HD </em>series or make it available for streaming online. </p>



<p>The opera will be performed at Lyric Opera of Chicago beginning on March 24th of this year. For more details and to get tickets, please go <a href="https://www.lyricopera.org/fire" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>.</p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignleft size-medium"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="169" src="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Sharon-D.-Clarke-and-Arica-Jackson-in-22Caroline-Or-Change22-Photo-by-Joan-Marcus-Courtesy-Roundabout-Theatre-Company-300x169.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-15674" srcset="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Sharon-D.-Clarke-and-Arica-Jackson-in-22Caroline-Or-Change22-Photo-by-Joan-Marcus-Courtesy-Roundabout-Theatre-Company-300x169.jpg 300w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Sharon-D.-Clarke-and-Arica-Jackson-in-22Caroline-Or-Change22-Photo-by-Joan-Marcus-Courtesy-Roundabout-Theatre-Company-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Sharon-D.-Clarke-and-Arica-Jackson-in-22Caroline-Or-Change22-Photo-by-Joan-Marcus-Courtesy-Roundabout-Theatre-Company-768x432.jpg 768w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Sharon-D.-Clarke-and-Arica-Jackson-in-22Caroline-Or-Change22-Photo-by-Joan-Marcus-Courtesy-Roundabout-Theatre-Company-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Sharon-D.-Clarke-and-Arica-Jackson-in-22Caroline-Or-Change22-Photo-by-Joan-Marcus-Courtesy-Roundabout-Theatre-Company-696x392.jpg 696w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Sharon-D.-Clarke-and-Arica-Jackson-in-22Caroline-Or-Change22-Photo-by-Joan-Marcus-Courtesy-Roundabout-Theatre-Company-1068x601.jpg 1068w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Sharon-D.-Clarke-and-Arica-Jackson-in-22Caroline-Or-Change22-Photo-by-Joan-Marcus-Courtesy-Roundabout-Theatre-Company-747x420.jpg 747w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Sharon-D.-Clarke-and-Arica-Jackson-in-22Caroline-Or-Change22-Photo-by-Joan-Marcus-Courtesy-Roundabout-Theatre-Company.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><figcaption>Sharon D. Clarke and Arica Jackson in &#8220;Caroline, or Change&#8221; (Photo by Joan Marcus/Courtesy Roundabout Theatre Company)</figcaption></figure></div>



<p><strong>#3: </strong><em><strong>Caroline, or Change</strong></em><strong> &#8211; Roundabout Theatre Company at Studio 54</strong></p>



<p>I&#8217;ve been a fan of this Jeanine Tesori/Tony Kushner musical since I saw the first production (twice) in New York at the Eugene O&#8217;Neill Theatre in 2004. I loved the show so much I saw it a third time when it came to the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles later the same year.</p>



<p>Color me pre-disposed to like this revival. What surprised me most was that even though this Michael Longhurst production was more lavishly produced than the original, it never lost one bit of its heart. Hugely contributing to the emotional wallop of this show was Sharon D. Clarke&#8217;s towering performance as <em>Caroline</em>. She&#8217;s definitely going to receive a Tony Award nomination and deserves to win for her remarkable work.</p>



<p>Caissie Levy, Kevin S. McAllister, Harper Miles and N&#8217;Kenge all made incredible impressions. Plus it&#8217;s always great to see Chip Zien on stage &#8211; I&#8217;ve been a fan of his since <em>Into the Woods</em>.</p>



<p>If you are in New York or going this week, you still have time to catch this amazing production before it&#8217;s last performance on January 9th. For tickets go <a href="https://www.roundabouttheatre.org/get-tickets/2021-2022-season/caroline-or-change/performances" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>.</p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignleft size-medium"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="169" src="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Santa-Fe-Opera-Photo-by-Craig-L.-Byrd-300x169.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-15685" srcset="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Santa-Fe-Opera-Photo-by-Craig-L.-Byrd-300x169.jpg 300w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Santa-Fe-Opera-Photo-by-Craig-L.-Byrd-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Santa-Fe-Opera-Photo-by-Craig-L.-Byrd-768x432.jpg 768w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Santa-Fe-Opera-Photo-by-Craig-L.-Byrd-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Santa-Fe-Opera-Photo-by-Craig-L.-Byrd-696x392.jpg 696w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Santa-Fe-Opera-Photo-by-Craig-L.-Byrd-1068x601.jpg 1068w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Santa-Fe-Opera-Photo-by-Craig-L.-Byrd-747x420.jpg 747w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Santa-Fe-Opera-Photo-by-Craig-L.-Byrd.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><figcaption>Santa Fe Opera (Photo by Craig L. Byrd)</figcaption></figure></div>



<p><strong>#4: <em>Santa Fe Opera 2021 Season</em> &#8211; Santa Fe Opera</strong></p>



<p>I had never attended a production at Santa Fe Opera prior to this summer. I don&#8217;t intend to miss any seasons going forward. This is a truly magical place to see opera. This summer found a smaller line-up than in non-COVID years, but the four consecutive nights in early August were a great introduction to this wonderful tradition.</p>



<p>On tap this year were <em>The Marriage of Figaro</em>, <em>A Midsummer Night&#8217;s Dream</em> (Benjamin Britten), the world premiere of <em>The Lord of Cries</em> (John Corigliano and Mark Adamo) and <em>Eugene Onegin</em>. My personal favorite was Britten&#8217;s adaptation of Shakespeare&#8217;s play. </p>



<p>Each night, however, had plenty of joys to be found: whether it was my second time seeing <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2021/08/05/anthony-roth-costanzo-defines-his-place-in-opera/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Anthony Roth Costanzo</a> in a opera (the first being <em>Ahknahten</em>), revisiting the joys to be found in Tchaikovsky&#8217;s brooding opera, enjoying the staging of Mozart&#8217;s classic opera or experiencing the tailgating experience that is de rigueur before each performance. </p>



<p>I&#8217;m excited about this summer&#8217;s season  as my favorite opera, Wagner&#8217;s <em>Tristan und Isolde</em>, is being performed at Santa Fe Opera for the first time.</p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignleft size-medium"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="169" src="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/22West-Side-Story22-Publicity-Photo-300x169.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-15677" srcset="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/22West-Side-Story22-Publicity-Photo-300x169.jpg 300w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/22West-Side-Story22-Publicity-Photo-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/22West-Side-Story22-Publicity-Photo-768x432.jpg 768w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/22West-Side-Story22-Publicity-Photo-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/22West-Side-Story22-Publicity-Photo-696x392.jpg 696w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/22West-Side-Story22-Publicity-Photo-1068x601.jpg 1068w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/22West-Side-Story22-Publicity-Photo-747x420.jpg 747w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/22West-Side-Story22-Publicity-Photo.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><figcaption>&#8220;West Side Story&#8221; Publicity Photo by Ramona Rosales</figcaption></figure></div>



<p><strong>#5: <em>West Side Story</em> </strong></p>



<p>I was completely skeptical about what Steven Spielberg would do with one of my favorite musicals. That he had Tony Kushner working with him gave me some optimism. Try as I could to wrangle details from colleagues who were working on the film, I was completely unable to glean any information about what kind of updating and changes were being made.</p>



<p>When I saw the movie on opening weekend I was thrilled to discover that my concerns had all been for naught. Simply put, I think this is a vastly superior film than its Oscar-winning predecessor. I&#8217;ve always found this Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim and Arthur Laurents musical emotional (let&#8217;s face it, it&#8217;s <em>Romeo and Juliet</em>), but seeing it so close on the heels of Sondheim&#8217;s passing probably intensified my emotional response.</p>



<p>Sondheim said how excited he was for audiences to see what had been done to <em>West Side Story</em>. I know he wasn&#8217;t a fan of the original film &#8211; feeling it was too close in presentation to the stage version &#8211; so I had my fingers crossed he was right. And he was. If you haven&#8217;t seen the film yet, do so. It&#8217;s the kind of film that must be seen on a big screen with terrific sound. </p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignleft size-medium"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="169" src="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Lea-DeLaria-and-Alaska-5000-in-22Head-Over-Heels22-Courtesy-Pasadena-Playhouse-300x169.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-15678" srcset="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Lea-DeLaria-and-Alaska-5000-in-22Head-Over-Heels22-Courtesy-Pasadena-Playhouse-300x169.jpg 300w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Lea-DeLaria-and-Alaska-5000-in-22Head-Over-Heels22-Courtesy-Pasadena-Playhouse-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Lea-DeLaria-and-Alaska-5000-in-22Head-Over-Heels22-Courtesy-Pasadena-Playhouse-768x432.jpg 768w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Lea-DeLaria-and-Alaska-5000-in-22Head-Over-Heels22-Courtesy-Pasadena-Playhouse-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Lea-DeLaria-and-Alaska-5000-in-22Head-Over-Heels22-Courtesy-Pasadena-Playhouse-696x392.jpg 696w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Lea-DeLaria-and-Alaska-5000-in-22Head-Over-Heels22-Courtesy-Pasadena-Playhouse-1068x601.jpg 1068w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Lea-DeLaria-and-Alaska-5000-in-22Head-Over-Heels22-Courtesy-Pasadena-Playhouse-747x420.jpg 747w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Lea-DeLaria-and-Alaska-5000-in-22Head-Over-Heels22-Courtesy-Pasadena-Playhouse.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><figcaption>Lea DeLaria and Alaska 5000 in &#8220;Head Over Heels&#8221;</figcaption></figure></div>



<p><strong>#6:</strong> <strong><em>Head Over Heels</em> &#8211; Pasadena Playhouse</strong></p>



<p>If you had asked me what the odds were that a jukebox musical using the songs of The Go-Go&#8217;s would be a show I would see at all, let alone twice, I would have given you huge odds against that happening. And I would have lost my shirt! What <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2021/11/19/koons-pinkleton-turn-head-over-heels-on-its-head/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sam Pinkleton and Jenny Koons</a> did with this production was create the best party of the year. </p>



<p>Alaska 5000, Lea DeLaria, Yurel Echezarreta, Freddie, Tiffany Mann, George Salazar, Emily Skeggs and Shanice Williams put their hearts and souls into this story of family, acceptance and love. The all-female band rocked the house. </p>



<p>Both times I saw the show I opted for the on-stage/standing room seats and I wouldn&#8217;t have had it any other way. At the first performance Lea DeLaria made a comment during the show about my pants. For the second performance I had a better idea where to position myself to have an even better time than I did at the first performance.</p>



<p>This was a party I never wanted to end.</p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignleft size-medium"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="169" src="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/James-Darrah-Photo-by-Michael-Elias-Thomas-300x169.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-15679" srcset="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/James-Darrah-Photo-by-Michael-Elias-Thomas-300x169.jpg 300w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/James-Darrah-Photo-by-Michael-Elias-Thomas-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/James-Darrah-Photo-by-Michael-Elias-Thomas-768x432.jpg 768w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/James-Darrah-Photo-by-Michael-Elias-Thomas-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/James-Darrah-Photo-by-Michael-Elias-Thomas-696x392.jpg 696w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/James-Darrah-Photo-by-Michael-Elias-Thomas-1068x601.jpg 1068w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/James-Darrah-Photo-by-Michael-Elias-Thomas-747x420.jpg 747w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/James-Darrah-Photo-by-Michael-Elias-Thomas.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><figcaption>James Darrah, co-creator and director of &#8220;desert in&#8221; (Photo by Michael Elias Thomas/Courtesy Boston Lyric Opera)</figcaption></figure></div>



<p><strong>#7:</strong> <em><strong>desert in</strong></em><strong> &#8211; Boston Lyric Opera</strong></p>



<p>This streaming opera/mini-series is definitely not your parent&#8217;s opera. It is guided by its own rules as it tells the story of a unique group of strangers (or are they) who congregate at a seedy motel. </p>



<p>The music was composed by Michael Abels,&nbsp;<a href="https://culturalattache.co/2019/10/03/vijay-iyer-eschews-labels/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Vijay Iyer</a>, Nathalie Joachim,&nbsp;<a href="https://culturalattache.co/2018/02/22/composer-nico-muhly-registers-organ-concerto/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nico Muhly</a>, Emma O’Halloran, <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2018/05/09/composer-ellen-reids-new-work-cautionary-tale/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ellen Reid</a>, Wang Lu and Shelley Washington. The libretto was written by christopher oscar peña.  </p>



<p>Appearing in <em>desert in</em> are mezzo-soprano <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2021/05/20/operas-isabel-leonard-directs-her-future/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Isabel Leonard</a> (for whom the project was written), soprano Talise Trevigne, Tony-nominated performer Justin Vivian Bond (<em>Kiki &amp; Herb Alive on Broadway</em>), actors Carlis Shane Clark, Alexander Flores, Anthony Michael Lopez, Jon Orsini, Ricco Ross and Raviv Ullman with vocal performances by tenor Neal Ferreira, Tony Award-winner Jesus Garcia (<em>La Bohème)</em>, baritone Edward Nelson, tenor Alan Pingarrón, soprano Brianna J. Robinson, mezzo-soprano Emma Sorenson and bass-baritone Davóne Tines.</p>



<p>The project was directed by <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2021/01/21/james-darrah-director-designer-disruptor/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">James Darrah</a> who also oversaw the <em>Close Quarters </em>season of films from Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra; directed a production of <em>Les Enfants Terribles</em> for Long Beach Opera (that took place in a parking lot) and, underachiever that he is, also directed <em>The Lord of Cries</em> at Santa Fe Opera.</p>



<p>You can still stream <em>desert in</em>. Go <a href="https://blo.org/desert-in/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a> for details.</p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignleft size-medium"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="169" src="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Cecile-McLorin-Salvant-Courtesy-Kurland-Agency-300x169.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-15680" srcset="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Cecile-McLorin-Salvant-Courtesy-Kurland-Agency-300x169.jpg 300w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Cecile-McLorin-Salvant-Courtesy-Kurland-Agency-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Cecile-McLorin-Salvant-Courtesy-Kurland-Agency-768x432.jpg 768w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Cecile-McLorin-Salvant-Courtesy-Kurland-Agency-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Cecile-McLorin-Salvant-Courtesy-Kurland-Agency-696x392.jpg 696w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Cecile-McLorin-Salvant-Courtesy-Kurland-Agency-1068x601.jpg 1068w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Cecile-McLorin-Salvant-Courtesy-Kurland-Agency-747x420.jpg 747w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Cecile-McLorin-Salvant-Courtesy-Kurland-Agency.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><figcaption>Cécile McLorin Salvant (Courtesy Kurland Agency)</figcaption></figure></div>



<p><strong>#8: <em>Cécile McLorin Salvant </em>&#8211; The Ford</strong></p>



<p>Without a new album to promote jazz vocalist Salvant took to the stage at The Ford in Los Angeles for a concert with Sullivan Fortner that was nothing short of pure joy. She and Fortner have such a musical bond that she can make up the setlist on the spot and he&#8217;s ready to dive right in to dazzle the audience. As they did on this late September evening.</p>



<p>The only problem with seeing Salvant perform is you can never get enough. Truly. Rare is the performer who can so thoroughly enrapture an audience with their skill the way Salvant can.</p>



<p>That should come as no surprise for an artist who has won three consecutive Grammy Awards for her three most recent albums. Her newest album, <em><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luIa4rd_wV0&amp;t=1s" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ghost Songs</a></em>, is being released by Nonesuch Records in March. No doubt the next Grammy Awards season will find Salvant&#8217;s latest album on their list of nominees.</p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignleft size-medium"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="169" height="300" src="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Billy-Porter-Unprotected-Cover-169x300.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-15681" srcset="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Billy-Porter-Unprotected-Cover-169x300.jpg 169w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Billy-Porter-Unprotected-Cover-576x1024.jpg 576w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Billy-Porter-Unprotected-Cover-768x1365.jpg 768w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Billy-Porter-Unprotected-Cover-864x1536.jpg 864w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Billy-Porter-Unprotected-Cover-696x1237.jpg 696w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Billy-Porter-Unprotected-Cover-1068x1899.jpg 1068w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Billy-Porter-Unprotected-Cover-236x420.jpg 236w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Billy-Porter-Unprotected-Cover.jpg 1080w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 169px) 100vw, 169px" /></figure></div>



<p><strong>#9: <em>Billy Porter: Unprotected</em></strong></p>



<p>Porter&#8217;s memoir was released in the fall and it is one of the most inspirational and entertaining memoirs I&#8217;ve ever read. He&#8217;s a Tony Award (<em>Kinky Boots</em>), Emmy Award (<em>Pose</em>) and Grammy Award (also <em>Kinky Boots</em>) winning performer. He&#8217;s also been setting the fashion world on fire with his inventive and creative looks on runways from the Academy Awards to the Met Gala in New York. Let&#8217;s just say he knows how to make an entrance.</p>



<p>In <em>Unprotected</em> Porter details the many obstacles put in his way through challenges at home to being subjected to harsh criticism from his church to casting directors who thought he was too much. Though it all he remains steadfast in his individualism and his talent. It&#8217;s a lesson we can all use. As he says in his memoir, “My art is my calling, my purpose, dare I say my ministry.&#8221; I, for one, found a lot to learn from his ministry.</p>



<p>Gay men and women are not the only audience for Porter&#8217;s ministry. The life lessons he endured and his response to them is precisely the nourishment our souls need today. You can also clearly hear Porter&#8217;s voice in the book. So engaging and entertaining is his book I read it in one sitting. I found it impossible to put down. I think you will, too.</p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignleft size-medium"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="169" src="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Ledisi-300x169.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-15682" srcset="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Ledisi-300x169.jpg 300w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Ledisi-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Ledisi-768x432.jpg 768w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Ledisi-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Ledisi-696x392.jpg 696w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Ledisi-1068x601.jpg 1068w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Ledisi-747x420.jpg 747w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Ledisi.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><figcaption>Ledisi</figcaption></figure></div>



<p><strong>#10: <em>Ledisi Sings Nina Simone</em></strong> <strong>&#8211; Hollywood Bowl</strong></p>



<p>Anyone who is brave enough to tackle material made famous by the incomparable Simone either has a lot of guts or a lot of talent. Ledisi proved she had both in this memorable concert at the Hollywood Bowl in July (which she performed elsewhere as well.)</p>



<p>Ledisi wisely chose not to emulate her idol. Instead she made each song her own while still retaining a sense of what Simone&#8217;s original recordings offered. She released a seven-track record, <em>Ledisi Sings Nina Simone</em>, but added more songs to her concert. It was particularly interesting to her performance of <em>Ne Me Quitte Pas</em> and then hear it performed by Cynthia Erivo less than a week later at the same venue. Who sang it better? Let each who saw both shows answer that question.</p>



<p>Runners up: Vijay Iyer&#8217;s latest album <em>Uneas</em>y; Veronica Swift for her album <em>This Bitter Earth</em>; <em>The Band&#8217;s Visit</em> touring production at The Dolby Theatre in Hollywood; Jason Moran solo piano performance as part of LeRoy Downs&#8217; <em>Just Jazz</em> series; <em>Springsteen on Broadway</em>; MasterVoices&#8217; <em>Myths and Hymns</em> and Cynthia Erivo singing <em>Don&#8217;t Rain on My Parade</em> at the Hollywood Bowl.</p>



<p>Here&#8217;s hoping there&#8217;s even more to see and hear in 2022. What&#8217;s on your list? Leave your choices in the comments section below.</p>



<p>Happy New Year!</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2022/01/03/top-10-of-2021/">Top 10 of 2021</a> appeared first on <a href="https://culturalattache.co">Cultural Attaché</a>.</p>
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		<title>Sara Jakubiak Conjures Her Second Tatyana in &#8220;Eugene Onegin&#8221;</title>
		<link>https://culturalattache.co/2021/08/06/sara-jakubiak-conjures-her-second-tatyana-in-eugene-onegin/</link>
					<comments>https://culturalattache.co/2021/08/06/sara-jakubiak-conjures-her-second-tatyana-in-eugene-onegin/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Craig Byrd]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 06 Aug 2021 19:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Opera: Bravo]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[What's Hot]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Alessandro Talevi]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Étienne Dupuis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Eugene Onegin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Los Angeles Opera]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lucas Meachem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nicole Car]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Oper Frankfurt]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[opera]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Richard Wagner]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Santa Fe Opera]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sara Jakubiak]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tannhaüser]]></category>
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					<description><![CDATA[<p>"I do believe that there is still beauty and there is beauty we don't even know about yet from this pandemic...it's only just creeping out of the ground right now."</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2021/08/06/sara-jakubiak-conjures-her-second-tatyana-in-eugene-onegin/">Sara Jakubiak Conjures Her Second Tatyana in &#8220;Eugene Onegin&#8221;</a> appeared first on <a href="https://culturalattache.co">Cultural Attaché</a>.</p>
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<p>You can call it a homecoming for soprano Sara Jakubiak who is singing the role of Tatyana in Santa Fe Opera&#8217;s <em><a href="https://www.santafeopera.org/whats-on/eugene-onegin/#artists" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Eugene Onegin</a></em>. She was a young artist there in 2007 and the last-minute opportunity to return to be in Tchaikovsky&#8217;s opera was too good to be true and one that she actually put out into the universe that she wanted.</p>



<p>&#8220;I was having dinner with a friend of mine who is on the staff in Vienna the night before I got the call for this,&#8221; Jakubiak told me via Zoom last week. &#8220;He said, &#8216;Sara, what do you really want to sing if you could sing any role?&#8217; And I said I want to sing Tatyana. I literally got the call the next day.&#8221;</p>



<p>Nicole Car was originally announced to sing the part opposite her husband, Etienne Dupuis. Travel restrictions related to the pandemic made that impossible. Jakubiak and baritone <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2021/08/06/lucas-meachem-speaking-honestly-about-eugene-onegin/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Lucas Meachem</a> were tapped to assume the roles. </p>



<p>Jakubiak first sang the role of Tatyana at Oper Frankfurt. Her other roles have included Eva in <em>Der Meistersinger von Nürnberg</em>, Elsa in <em>Lohengrin</em> and Prima Donna in&nbsp;<em>Ariadne auf Naxos</em>. But it is with Tatyana at Frankfurt that we begin our conversation. What follows are excerpts from that interview that have been edited for length and clarity.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" src="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Sara-Jakubiak-in-22Eugene-Onegin22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-1024x576.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-15015" srcset="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Sara-Jakubiak-in-22Eugene-Onegin22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Sara-Jakubiak-in-22Eugene-Onegin22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-300x169.jpg 300w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Sara-Jakubiak-in-22Eugene-Onegin22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-768x432.jpg 768w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Sara-Jakubiak-in-22Eugene-Onegin22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Sara-Jakubiak-in-22Eugene-Onegin22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-696x392.jpg 696w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Sara-Jakubiak-in-22Eugene-Onegin22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-1068x601.jpg 1068w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Sara-Jakubiak-in-22Eugene-Onegin22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-747x420.jpg 747w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Sara-Jakubiak-in-22Eugene-Onegin22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption>Sara Jakubiak in &#8220;Eugene Onegin&#8221; (Photo by Curtis Brown/Courtesy Santa Fe Opera)</figcaption></figure>



<p>How has your relationship to Tatyana evolved since you first sang it with Oper Frankfurt?</p>



<p><strong>I would say vocally I&#8217;ve evolved more in the last five years than anything. So there were new avenues to explore with her as far as expression goes in colors. The music team here and Alessandro </strong>[Taveli, the director] <strong>were really wonderful with me, with expressing this role in a language I don&#8217;t speak. You have to work very hard at your translation. It was very helpful to be in a place like Santa Fe because I think the piece, as Russian as it is, has all of these colors that you see around you here in the landscape and the set design.</strong></p>



<p>For an opera called <em>Eugene Onegin</em>, Tatyana has a very prominent role. Why do you think Tchaikovsky made her such an integral part of this story? If he had been able to be more open about his homosexuality do you think this opera might have been very different? </p>



<p><strong>Well she is out there all the time working! </strong>(She lets out a glorious laugh.) <strong>I know he fiddled with the idea of why did I call this Onegin when maybe I should have called it Tatyana.</strong> <strong>Thank God that Tchaikovsky was a composer and could express himself at least in this way. Thank God he had this outlet to write these characters the way he did to music that he wrote.  Some of the things she says in the letter scene go to a deep part of the soul that you rarely access. I think that was sort of his sexuality. It&#8217;s certainly a window into what he was feeling inside.</strong></p>



<p>You told <a href="https://operawire.com/q-covid-19/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Opera Wire</a> that &#8220;an effective vaccine should get us back to the old normal, but with the new awareness about life.&#8221; What are the most striking aspects of your new awareness about life both on and off the stage?</p>



<p><strong>My grandmother passed away at the age of 100 and she was born in 1919. She was really bookended by pandemics. The last conversation I had with her was on her birthday and I hadn&#8217;t seen her for six years. I made it to her party and saw her the next morning when I was going away. She said, &#8220;Where are you going to next?&#8221; I told her I was going to Norway. She just said, &#8220;You really have a great life.&#8221;</strong></p>



<p><strong>She didn&#8217;t really deal with pandemics, but several wars and she saw the massive changes of the 20th century with technology and everything. I keep playing this in my mind during these last sixteen months. I do believe that there is still beauty and there is beauty we don&#8217;t even know about yet from this pandemic. And it will continue to unfold. We&#8217;re going to see more beauty and it&#8217;s only just creeping out of the ground right now.</strong></p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" src="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Sara-Jakubiak-in-22Eugene-Onegin22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-1-1024x576.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-15016" srcset="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Sara-Jakubiak-in-22Eugene-Onegin22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Sara-Jakubiak-in-22Eugene-Onegin22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Sara-Jakubiak-in-22Eugene-Onegin22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Sara-Jakubiak-in-22Eugene-Onegin22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-1-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Sara-Jakubiak-in-22Eugene-Onegin22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-1-696x392.jpg 696w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Sara-Jakubiak-in-22Eugene-Onegin22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-1-1068x601.jpg 1068w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Sara-Jakubiak-in-22Eugene-Onegin22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-1-747x420.jpg 747w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Sara-Jakubiak-in-22Eugene-Onegin22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-1.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption>Sara Jakubiak in &#8220;Eugene Onegin&#8221; (Photo by Curtis Brown/Courtesy Santa Fe Opera)</figcaption></figure>



<p>Lucas Meachem told me one of his biggest challenges is to stay honest at all times during a performance. </p>



<p><strong>Me, too. This role does have its corners that are a little tricky. It&#8217;s a bit of a lower role and sometimes you have to work hard to support that. Sometimes when you are doing really difficult roles you do have to micromanage things. I have to say sometimes just in the moment is not always the smart way to go. You could blow your voice out sometimes if you are really in the moment.</strong></p>



<p>You and Lucas will also be performing <em>Tannhäuser</em> this fall at <a href="https://www.laopera.org/performances/2122-season-page/tannhauser-3/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Los Angeles Opera</a>. How would you describe your chemistry and are you looking forward to moving on to another production with him?</p>



<p><strong>I was actually a little nervous coming in because we&#8217;ve been in different types of productions and he&#8217;s got a huge career. So I hope I can survive at the table with him. But you really have to push that stuff aside and just be in the moment. That&#8217;s what I like about Lucas. He&#8217;s a very in the moment person and I believe him on stage. It&#8217;s a wonderful feeling.</strong></p>



<p>Tchaikovsky said &#8220;Truly there would be reason to go made were it not for music.&#8221; Can you imagine your life without it?</p>



<p><strong>No I couldn&#8217;t. I grew up with rock music. I saw my first opera when I was like 20. It was rural around me. But I used to go on my swing set every day as a kid and sing. I don&#8217;t know why. You don&#8217;t always have to know the reason why it is inside of you. You figure it out later. Maybe this is why I ended up doing this and it&#8217;s something I need. You don&#8217;t do it because it&#8217;s an easy thing. But it&#8217;s something I have to do.</strong></p>



<p>For tickets to <em>Eugene Onegin</em>, please go <a href="https://www.santafeopera.org/whats-on/eugene-onegin/#artists" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>. There are performances on August 6th, 12th, 20th and 26th.</p>



<p>This is the last in a series of interviews with artists appearing this season at Santa Fe Opera.</p>



<p>Main photo: Lucas Meachem and Sara Jakubiak in <em>Eugene Onegin</em>. (Photo by Curtis Brown/Courtesy Santa Fe Opera) </p>
<p>The post <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2021/08/06/sara-jakubiak-conjures-her-second-tatyana-in-eugene-onegin/">Sara Jakubiak Conjures Her Second Tatyana in &#8220;Eugene Onegin&#8221;</a> appeared first on <a href="https://culturalattache.co">Cultural Attaché</a>.</p>
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		<title>Lucas Meachem Speaking Honestly About Eugene Onegin</title>
		<link>https://culturalattache.co/2021/08/06/lucas-meachem-speaking-honestly-about-eugene-onegin/</link>
					<comments>https://culturalattache.co/2021/08/06/lucas-meachem-speaking-honestly-about-eugene-onegin/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Craig Byrd]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 06 Aug 2021 07:01:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Opera: Bravo]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[What's Hot]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Alessandro Talevi]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Étienne Dupuis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Eugene Onegin]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Los Angeles Opera]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lucas Meachem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nicole Car]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Richard Wagner]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[San Francisco Opera]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Santa Fe Opera]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sara Jakubiak]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Tannhäuser]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Barber of Seville]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://culturalattache.co/?p=15004</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>"I think people can see in art a reflection of themselves and of the moment that we live in. I think people will see in Onegin the difficulties we've been through in the last sixteen months."</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2021/08/06/lucas-meachem-speaking-honestly-about-eugene-onegin/">Lucas Meachem Speaking Honestly About Eugene Onegin</a> appeared first on <a href="https://culturalattache.co">Cultural Attaché</a>.</p>
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<p>It&#8217;s a tale as old as time. The star gets sick and the understudy, with little or no notice, has to go on. That&#8217;s what happened when baritone Lucas Meachem first performed the title role in Tchaikovsky&#8217;s <em>Eugene Onegin</em>. </p>



<p>&#8220;I was a young artist at San Francisco Opera at the time. They gave me the cover assignment six months in advance. I was assigned the role of Onegin. I knew it was one of the signature baritone roles in the repertoire,&#8221; Meachem recalls. &#8220;I was eating spaghetti and meatballs at a little Italian place about a block-and-a-half from the opera. They called me around 6:30 for a 7:30 curtain. They said, &#8216;What do you need?&#8217; I need to fire the gun. I need to dance with Olga and I need John Churchwell, now head of music at San Francisco Opera, in my dressing room all night long.&#8221;</p>



<p>The rest, as they say, is history. Last week week I spoke with Meachem via Zoom to discuss another last-minute opportunity to sing what is now one of his <a href="https://www.santafeopera.org/whats-on/eugene-onegin/#artists" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">signature roles at Santa Fe Opera</a>. The previously announced Etienne Dupuis was unable to perform due to international travel restrictions (as was his wife, Nicole Car, who was set to sing Tatyana, creating an opportunity for soprano Sara Jakubiak.)</p>



<p>What follows are excerpts from our conversation that have been edited for length and clarity.</p>



<p>You&#8217;ve sung <em>Onegin</em> in other productions. When you embark on a new production, as you are here with director Alessandro Talevi, at what point do you know if the production is going to be a successful one?</p>



<p><strong>I&#8217;ve done traditional and non-traditional productions. I&#8217;ve only done one non-traditional production. For ten days to two weeks it was like banging my head against the wall. Ultimately I came to love it. It came to be, up until this one, my favorite production of <em>Onegin. </em>I had to buy in. If a director can have an artist buy into their vision, that&#8217;s the most important thing. I have to believe it. Because if I believe it I can make the audience believe it. I believe this production. I totally buy it.</strong></p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" src="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Lucas-Meachem-in-22Eugene-Onegin22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-1024x576.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-15008" srcset="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Lucas-Meachem-in-22Eugene-Onegin22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Lucas-Meachem-in-22Eugene-Onegin22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-300x169.jpg 300w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Lucas-Meachem-in-22Eugene-Onegin22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-768x432.jpg 768w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Lucas-Meachem-in-22Eugene-Onegin22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Lucas-Meachem-in-22Eugene-Onegin22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-696x392.jpg 696w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Lucas-Meachem-in-22Eugene-Onegin22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-1068x601.jpg 1068w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Lucas-Meachem-in-22Eugene-Onegin22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-747x420.jpg 747w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Lucas-Meachem-in-22Eugene-Onegin22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption>Lucas Meachem in &#8220;Eugene Onegin&#8221; (Photo by Curtis Brown/Courtesy Santa Fe Opera)</figcaption></figure>



<p>Since you first took on this role in the early 2000s, how has your relationship with it evolved?</p>



<p><strong>The biggest thing that has evolved is my voice; my ability to handle the nuances of the role. What I mean is the arc of the character from beginning to end. That is something I didn&#8217;t grasp as a younger Onegin. Now that I&#8217;m older I&#8217;m able to see that this character needs to start feeling like he knows everything there is to know in the world, who has experienced everything and doesn&#8217;t expect that life is going to throw him any curveballs.</strong></p>



<p>On your website you call this your second favorite role to sing. What will need to happen for it to bump <em>The Barber of Seville</em> from the number one spot?</p>



<p><strong>I have so much respect for Figaro in <em>The Barber of Seville</em> because that character and that man have shown me the world as a young singer. I have now gotten to see so many places singing that signature role of mine. For <em>Onegin</em> to take over, I think it would have to show my son the world. Don&#8217;t get me wrong, it teeter-totters close to first very easily. It&#8217;s a beautiful role.</strong></p>



<p>Santa Fe Opera&#8217;s marketing materials say that this production centers on the opera&#8217;s &#8220;nostalgic theme of what was, what was not and what could have been.&#8221; How do you think Tchaikovsky&#8217;s career and perhaps his take on this opera might have been different had he been able to be open about his homosexuality?</p>



<p><strong>I think the relationship between Lensky and Onegin would be a lot more at the forefront of this piece and there might be more of a flirtatious loving vibe between them. There&#8217;s not much of that. I have to create that between him and me. I feel like he takes advantage of Lensky the whole time and the love he has for him only comes across in asides after we&#8217;ve gone too far to come back.</strong></p>



<p>That description I mentioned also sounds like a way of looking at life in the time of COVID.</p>



<p><strong>I think people can see in art a reflection of themselves and of the moment that we live in. Rather than art being just a plain snapshot of the moment, it is also a snapshot of the past and the future and would could have been. I think people will see in <em>Onegin </em>the difficulties we&#8217;ve been through in the last sixteen months.</strong></p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" src="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Lucas-Meachem-in-22Eugene-Onegin22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-1-1024x576.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-15009" srcset="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Lucas-Meachem-in-22Eugene-Onegin22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-1-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Lucas-Meachem-in-22Eugene-Onegin22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Lucas-Meachem-in-22Eugene-Onegin22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Lucas-Meachem-in-22Eugene-Onegin22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-1-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Lucas-Meachem-in-22Eugene-Onegin22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-1-696x392.jpg 696w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Lucas-Meachem-in-22Eugene-Onegin22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-1-1068x601.jpg 1068w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Lucas-Meachem-in-22Eugene-Onegin22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-1-747x420.jpg 747w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Lucas-Meachem-in-22Eugene-Onegin22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-1.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /><figcaption>Lucas Meachem in &#8220;Eugene Onegin&#8221; (Photo by Curtis Brown/Courtesy Santa Fe Opera)</figcaption></figure>



<p>You and Sara Jakubiak are not just appearing in <em>Eugene Onegin</em> at Santa Fe Opera, but will also be in a production of Wagner&#8217;s <em>Tannhäuser</em> at <a href="https://www.laopera.org/performances/2122-season-page/tannhauser-3/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Los Angeles Opera</a> in the fall. How would you describe the chemistry the two of you share when performing?</p>



<p><strong>I think Alessandro said it best on the first day that Sara rehearsed. We were rehearsing a scene where she doesn&#8217;t sing. It was right after her big aria and she&#8217;s just acting and her face &#8211; even with a mask &#8211; she&#8217;s acting and Alessandro said to her, &#8220;You could be a silent film actress.&#8221; Her voice is beautiful and amazing, but she is an amazing actress. Everything is in her eyes. We have a lot of chemistry on stage and I think the audience really felt that on our opening night.</strong></p>



<p>Tchaikovsky said &#8220;Music possesses much richer means of expression and it is  more subtle medium for translating the 1000 shifting moments of the feelings of the soul.&#8221; Do you agree with that description?</p>



<p><strong>I absolutely agree. I think when we talk about music we need to really speak about opera because it&#8217;s not the grandest of all art forms for no reason. You combine singing with the orchestra, with lighting, with sets and wigs and makeup, with all the many ingredients that it takes to make grand opera. It seems like an impossible endeavor just to start out with. All of a sudden you&#8217;re able to do it. That&#8217;s what keeps audience coming back to this centuries old art form. It speaks right to the heart.</strong></p>



<p><strong>The most important thing in art is that you are honest with your audience. This is probably the most difficult thing as an artist to achieve. Even in my career I still have moments where I say &#8220;don&#8217;t forget to be honest.&#8221; Those are the 1000 emotions that he&#8217;s speaking of &#8211; the honesty that speaks right to the heart of someone who is listening. The music that hits you in the heart is the music that is honest to you.</strong> <strong>That&#8217;s where people get their thousands of emotions from. It&#8217;s not just from music, but art itself. That&#8217;s what makes art so vital to a culture.</strong></p>



<p>For tickets to <em>Eugene Onegin</em> please go <a href="https://www.santafeopera.org/whats-on/eugene-onegin/#artists" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>. There are performances on August 6th, 12th, 20th and 26th at Santa Fe Opera.</p>



<p>This is the fifth in a series of interviews with artists performing this season at Santa Fe Opera. The sixth interview will be with <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2021/08/06/sara-jakubiak-conjures-her-second-tatyana-in-eugene-onegin/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sara Jakubiak</a> on her role as Tatyana in <em>Eugene Onegin</em>. </p>



<p>Photo: Lucas Meachem and Sara Jakubiak in <em>Eugene Onegin</em>. (Photo by Curtis Brown/Courtesy Santa Fe Opera)</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2021/08/06/lucas-meachem-speaking-honestly-about-eugene-onegin/">Lucas Meachem Speaking Honestly About Eugene Onegin</a> appeared first on <a href="https://culturalattache.co">Cultural Attaché</a>.</p>
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		<title>Anthony Roth Costanzo Defines His Place in Opera</title>
		<link>https://culturalattache.co/2021/08/05/anthony-roth-costanzo-defines-his-place-in-opera/</link>
					<comments>https://culturalattache.co/2021/08/05/anthony-roth-costanzo-defines-his-place-in-opera/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Craig Byrd]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 05 Aug 2021 07:01:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Opera: Bravo]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[What's Hot]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Akhnaten]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Anthony Roth Costanzo]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Authentic Selves]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bacchae]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bandwagon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bram Stoker]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dracula]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Euripides]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[James Darrah]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[John Corigliano]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mark Adamo]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Metropolitan Opera]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[New York Philharmonic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[opera]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Philip Glass]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Santa Fe Opera]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Lord of Cries]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://culturalattache.co/?p=14996</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>"I think what Dionysus and Dracula both try and show through being the stranger and the outsider is that we are all the same basically. "</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2021/08/05/anthony-roth-costanzo-defines-his-place-in-opera/">Anthony Roth Costanzo Defines His Place in Opera</a> appeared first on <a href="https://culturalattache.co">Cultural Attaché</a>.</p>
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<p>In hindsight it seems inevitable that countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo would be starring in the world premiere of <em>The Lord of Cries</em> at Santa Fe Opera this year. He met composer John Corigliano 23 years ago when he took the place of a boy soprano for whom puberty hit at the worst possible time &#8211; just prior to a performance of the composer&#8217;s work. Along with meeting the Pulitzer Prize winning composer, he also met his partner, Mark Adamo, who wrote the libretto for <em>The Lord of Cries</em>. He met <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2021/01/21/james-darrah-director-designer-disruptor/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">James Darrah</a>, the director of this production, twelve years ago when Darrah was an assistant on a production in which Costanzo appeared.</p>



<p>Corigliano and Adamo, who have been together personally for 26 years, wrote <em>The Lord of Cries</em> specifically for Costanzo. When I spoke to Corigliano recently he said, &#8220;When you see a countertenor in a modern role it&#8217;s very interesting. I think it&#8217;s important for someone like Anthony, who is a star, to be in a big real piece and a modern piece.&#8221;</p>



<p>&#8220;It was really exciting,&#8221; Costanzo told me via a Zoom call last week. &#8220;I&#8217;ve always had the utmost respect for his music. John, and he&#8217;ll say this, likes to work with abstraction. He doesn&#8217;t like to work with 1990s New York. He likes smoke and ghosts and things like that. This sat in a world of abstraction that worked for his music. But it also had concrete dramatic themes that I felt would really speak to an audience.&#8221;</p>



<p>In short, <em>The Lord of Cries</em> uses characters from Bram Stoker&#8217;s <em>Dracula</em> to tell the story Euripides wrote in <em>Bacchae</em>. If that sounds confusing, it initially was for Costanzo as well.</p>



<p>&#8220;At first I thought I don&#8217;t sort understand the combination of these two disparate works. Within five minutes of talking to them about it, immediately it became clear that it was actually kind of a brilliant way of seeing the underpinnings of the story of Dracula that we all know in this Greek tragedy.&#8221; (To see how Corigliano and Adamo describe their opera, please go <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2021/08/02/john-corigliano-and-mark-adamos-12-year-journey-with-the-lord-of-cries/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>.)</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Anthony Roth Costanzo: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert" width="696" height="392" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZLqXimltxsg?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<p>Costanzo, who became one of the best known opera singers in the world through his performance in <i>Akhnaten</i> by Philip Glass, regularly worked with the creators to help them fully realize the role, just as opera singers have done for centuries.</p>



<p>&#8220;I did go in at different points and try things out and sing things through and let John hear it. I think that gave him something for his inner ear as he was composing to hear it be realized. If you think about the history of opera, a lot of these roles were written with a specific singer in mind. Then other singers went and did it. But that specificity you hear in your mind helps the music take on a shape that I think makes it very singable and very accessible in the best sense.&#8221;</p>



<p>The themes Costanzo felt were relevant today tackle both repression and one&#8217;s place in society.</p>



<p>&#8220;This is an opera about repressed desire and what that does. But even more topical in some ways is this idea of place that&#8217;s really in the Euripides as well as the Stoker. One line in the opera they say a lot is &#8216;Deny him not his place.&#8217; And I think what the repressed Victorian London is kind of saying is &#8216;He has no place here. You have no place here. There&#8217;s no place for an outsider.&#8217; </p>



<p>&#8220;There are a lot of different things happening in our world and reckonings about identity, whether that be sexual identity or gender identity or racial identity. There is this problematic sense of whether somebody has a place or doesn&#8217;t have a place. And I think what Dionysus and Dracula both try and show through being the stranger and the outsider is that we are all the same basically. We come from distinct backgrounds, but we share this communal psychology and I think that&#8217;s a powerful message for now.&#8221;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" src="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Anthony-Roth-Costanzo-in-22The-Lord-of-Cries22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-2-1024x576.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-15000" srcset="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Anthony-Roth-Costanzo-in-22The-Lord-of-Cries22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-2-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Anthony-Roth-Costanzo-in-22The-Lord-of-Cries22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-2-300x169.jpg 300w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Anthony-Roth-Costanzo-in-22The-Lord-of-Cries22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-2-768x432.jpg 768w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Anthony-Roth-Costanzo-in-22The-Lord-of-Cries22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-2-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Anthony-Roth-Costanzo-in-22The-Lord-of-Cries22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-2-696x392.jpg 696w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Anthony-Roth-Costanzo-in-22The-Lord-of-Cries22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-2-1068x601.jpg 1068w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Anthony-Roth-Costanzo-in-22The-Lord-of-Cries22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-2-747x420.jpg 747w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Anthony-Roth-Costanzo-in-22The-Lord-of-Cries22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-2.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>As Costanzo was coming of age and becoming aware of his own sexuality, he was very supported by his parents. As he told me, he didn&#8217;t have to struggle as much as others with being gay. He did, however, have his own hurdles to climb within the world of opera.</p>



<p>&#8220;I had a fairly easy time of it all because my parents are both psychologists and they were very accepting. That said, within the field of opera sometimes I felt that I should fit into a mold, a pre-determined mold. It took a while for me to feel like I could fully actualize my own concept of self in something like <em>Akhnaten</em> which has a gender fluidity and queerness, but also a real sort of powerful beauty and mystery in it. It took me a while to understand I could forge my own path. Now I think that&#8217;s a really crucial for art and for our platform as we move forward.&#8221;</p>



<p>His increasing fame came along with greater opportunities and greater responsibilities.</p>



<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m going to be the artist-in-residence with the New York Philharmonic next season and the pillar of the programming I have curated is called <em>Authentic Selves</em>. My work over the pandemic creating and producing <em>Bandwagon</em> was both a joy and an education. It was an initiative which first brought a pickup truck to all different neighborhoods. As an extension of that we created partnerships with different institutions. Rather than say we are the New York Phil and we will tell you what we want to do and if you want to participate great. Instead we would go to the National Black Theatre, El Puente Arts, Casita Maria, Flushing Town Hall and say &#8216;We&#8217;ll pay you, we&#8217;ll pay the artists, we&#8217;ll give you the stage. What do you want to do?&#8217; How can we hand over control in small ways until these seismic changes of representation happen within the field. I think we have to be thinking both micro and macro at all times and working very hard and tirelessly to implement those changes.&#8221;</p>



<p>Of course, the classical music world and opera in particular move at pretty slow paces. With the clock ticking ever more loudly about representation in front offices and on-stage, Costanzo feels there&#8217;s no time to waste.</p>



<p>&#8220;I agree that life is short and opera is long as they say. But I think it is crucial that we be thinking about this all the time. There&#8217;s no time to waste. And I think that in the past year we have seen some progress which is encouraging. But I think we are in danger of losing the momentum as we return from COVID and crave the comfort of things going back to the way they were. It&#8217;s very important; however, as Masha Gessen said in <span style="text-decoration: underline;">The New Yorker</span>, not to rebuild what we have lost. We have a chance here to rebuild and we better increase the momentum as opposed to letting it wane in our search for quote unquote comfort.&#8221;</p>



<p>For tickets to <em>The Lord of Cries</em> please go <a href="https://www.santafeopera.org/whats-on/the-lord-of-cries-2/#artists" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>. There are performances on August 5th, 11th and 17th.</p>



<p>This is the fourth in a series of interviews with artists performing at Santa Fe Opera this season. </p>



<p>All Photos: Anthony Roth Costanzo in <em>The Lord of Cries</em> (Photo by Curtis Brown/Courtesy Santa Fe Opera)</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2021/08/05/anthony-roth-costanzo-defines-his-place-in-opera/">Anthony Roth Costanzo Defines His Place in Opera</a> appeared first on <a href="https://culturalattache.co">Cultural Attaché</a>.</p>
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		<title>Iestyn Davies Learns from the Past to Assure His Future</title>
		<link>https://culturalattache.co/2021/08/04/iestyn-davies-learns-from-the-past-to-assure-his-future/</link>
					<comments>https://culturalattache.co/2021/08/04/iestyn-davies-learns-from-the-past-to-assure-his-future/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Craig Byrd]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 04 Aug 2021 07:01:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Opera: Bravo]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[What's Hot]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[A Midsummer Night's Dream]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Agrippina]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Aldeburgh Festival]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Alfred Deller]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Andreas Scholl]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Benjamin Britten]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Harry Bicket]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Netia Jones]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[William Shakespeare]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://culturalattache.co/?p=14988</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>"The moment you hear this music it's gone. Nobody else will ever hear it again in this version. That's what's really special."</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2021/08/04/iestyn-davies-learns-from-the-past-to-assure-his-future/">Iestyn Davies Learns from the Past to Assure His Future</a> appeared first on <a href="https://culturalattache.co">Cultural Attaché</a>.</p>
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<p>In 2017 Classic FM, a British radio station, published a list of the <a href="https://culturalattache.co/wp-admin/post-new.php" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">10 worst things about being a countertenor</a>. The last item on their list was &#8220;You are not Andreas Scholl or Iestyn Davies. These are the only counter tenors anyone in the real world has (maybe) heard of. You are not them.&#8221;</p>



<p>What do you make of that item when you are Davies? &#8220;It&#8217;s ridiculous. The only reason I found that very nice was because Andreas Scholl was the person I first listened to and kind of idolized when I was 18. And I thought if I can have the kind of career he has, which seems to be a career where he can choose to do concerts; he can do a bit of opera; he&#8217;s got a beautiful sound. That&#8217;s fine for me because that seems to be a good role model.&#8221;</p>



<p>Davies clearly learned plenty from his idol (with whom he ultimately ended up performing). He&#8217;s doing exactly what he admired about Scholl&#8217;s career. On Wednesday he has the official opening night of Santa Fe Opera&#8217;s first-ever production of Benjamin Britten&#8217;s <em><a href="https://www.santafeopera.org/whats-on/a-midsummer-nights-dream/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">A Midsummer Night&#8217;s Dream</a></em> in which he will sing the role of Oberon.</p>



<p>For those who watched the Metropolitan Opera&#8217;s streaming productions during the pandemic you saw Davies perform in <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2018/02/22/composer-nico-muhly-registers-organ-concerto/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nico Muhly</a>&#8216;s <em>Marnie</em> with <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2021/05/20/operas-isabel-leonard-directs-her-future/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Isabel Leonard</a>; the Thomas Adés opera <em>The Exterminating Angel</em> and Handel&#8217;s <em>Agrippina</em>. The latter opera was conducted by <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2021/08/03/conductor-harry-bicket-on-the-perfect-opera/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Harry Bicket</a> who leads the orchestra for <em>A Midsummer Night&#8217;s Dream</em>.</p>



<p>Britten&#8217;s opera, though not performed nearly as often as <em>Billy Budd</em> or <em>Peter Grimes</em>, is credited with rolling back centuries worth of history where the countertenor was confined to churches. It&#8217;s a significant moment in history that is not lost on Davies.</p>



<p>&#8220;I think without this role it&#8217;s very unlikely we&#8217;d be seeing countertenors in operas at the moment because it legitimized the countertenor as a serious stage voice. For someone as important as Benjamin Britten to put their faith and trust in a singer, and in particular Alfred Deller who was part of the whole regeneration and rebirth of 18th century music at the time, it&#8217;s hugely significant.&#8221;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Iestyn Davies: NPR Music Tiny Desk Concert" width="696" height="392" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YuwvUoD3Og8?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div></figure>



<p>Not that the press reaction to Deller&#8217;s performance was universally accepted as Davies learned.</p>



<p>&#8220;When I sang this role at the Aldeburgh Festival [home of the Britten-Pears Foundation] we got taken around to Britten&#8217;s house and the archives. There is a letter that Deller wrote to Briten after the dress rehearsal. In those days, because it was a new piece, the Times newspaper came and reviewed the dress rehearsal to get people interested in opening night. It was particularly unfavorable towards Deller and they couldn&#8217;t get their heads around it. Deller felt embarrassed and apologized and said &#8216;delete me when you see fit.&#8217; Meaning before the opening. Britten could have said &#8216;you got me out of a tight spot&#8217; and hired a woman to sing it. [He didn&#8217;t.] To me that letter is hugely significant because on it hinges the careers of most countertenors today.&#8221;</p>



<p>For such a groundbreaking role, Davies said that Oberon poses unique challenges for countertenors.</p>



<p>&#8220;To sing Oberon you have to really be able to sing it all in your falsetto properly to get that sound that Britten wanted &#8211; proper alto countertenor singing; none of this chest voice and trying to fake the bottom. These days it&#8217;s considered quite hard, even though it&#8217;s a relatively pain free role to sing. There&#8217;s not a coloratura aria, but a lot of countertenors shy away from it because it is just too low. They are going into the vocal studio with the mezzo sopranos and working on their high range because many careers can be flashy and if you can sing high that&#8217;s exciting. For me it&#8217;s so important to be able to sing a healthy voice with a low range near the bottom of your range. That is always a good indicator of your singing.&#8221;</p>



<p>In his mid-twenties Davies was already considering how long his career might be and whether his would be a voice that lasted a long time. He told <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="http://www.operatoday.com/content/2006/04/young_man_in_a.php" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Opera Today</a></span> in 2006 that he&#8217;d &#8220;hope that in twenty years, I&#8217;d still have a happy voice.&#8221; </p>



<p>&#8220;When you are 27 you don&#8217;t realize how easy it is to do stuff and how quickly you can recover from tiredness, alcohol, whatever. At the time it seems difficult. Now I think it&#8217;s not so much the voice is less happy, but you&#8217;re just more self-aware of everything. I think I&#8217;m actually happier now when it goes well because there have been times in the last ten years, as all singers will tell you, where you have moments of doubt about the health of your voice. I think at the moment, depending on what&#8217;s in the diary, I&#8217;m pretty happy about my singing.&#8221;</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="576" src="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Iestyn-Davies-in-22A-Midsummer-NIghts-Dream22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-1024x576.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-14992" srcset="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Iestyn-Davies-in-22A-Midsummer-NIghts-Dream22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Iestyn-Davies-in-22A-Midsummer-NIghts-Dream22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-300x169.jpg 300w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Iestyn-Davies-in-22A-Midsummer-NIghts-Dream22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-768x432.jpg 768w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Iestyn-Davies-in-22A-Midsummer-NIghts-Dream22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Iestyn-Davies-in-22A-Midsummer-NIghts-Dream22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-696x392.jpg 696w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Iestyn-Davies-in-22A-Midsummer-NIghts-Dream22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-1068x601.jpg 1068w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Iestyn-Davies-in-22A-Midsummer-NIghts-Dream22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-747x420.jpg 747w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Iestyn-Davies-in-22A-Midsummer-NIghts-Dream22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



<p>He&#8217;s certainly happy about this production of <em>A Midsummer Night&#8217;s Dream</em> which reunites him with director Netia Jones.</p>



<p>&#8220;I did a production of this opera with Netia and it was a completely different production. It&#8217;s interesting to see a director take on a piece for a second time and she&#8217;s really nailed it. I&#8217;ve been in quite a few productions. They are either quite plain in the sense that they just do the play or they are kind of extreme. I did one at English National Opera with Christopher Alden which was set in a school and it was the power of teachers over the school and the school burned down. It was all very dark and I loved it. But this kind of sits somewhere in between. As it was done in Shakespeare&#8217;s time the same actor plays two different roles. Theseus and Oberon are kind of the same person. I&#8217;m king of the fairies, but I&#8217;m also the shadow, the human person. I hope it&#8217;s going to go down well because I think it&#8217;s pretty good.&#8221;</p>



<p>As is getting back on stage with an orchestra and an audience.</p>



<p>&#8220;We&#8217;ve had a lot of time to reflect on exactly why it is we do this job. And what became really apparent in this last year is when you do stuff without an audience there it feels completely wrong. You shouldn&#8217;t be standing there being paid to sing to nobody. Even if it&#8217;s on the internet. That&#8217;s not a real thing. It isn&#8217;t music unless it&#8217;s heard by somebody. As a performer you completely rely on the people listening to dictate where it&#8217;s going to go next &#8211; especially in opera when you&#8217;re repeating yourself over weeks.</p>



<p>&#8220;What differentiates classical music from pop music is people go to pop concerts because they want to hear the live version of a band&#8217;s song. There&#8217;s something really special about classical music where you want to hear the sort of definitive version that&#8217;s a one-off in that moment. Not I want to hear this opera live because I&#8217;ve listened to a CD. The moment you hear this music it&#8217;s gone. Nobody else will ever hear it again in this version. That&#8217;s what&#8217;s really special.&#8221;</p>



<p>For tickets to <em>A Midsummer Night&#8217;s Dream</em> please go <a href="https://www.santafeopera.org/whats-on/a-midsummer-nights-dream/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>. There are performances on August 4th, 13th, 19th and 25th.</p>



<p>All photos: Iestyn Davies in <em>A Midsummer Night&#8217;s Dream</em> (photo by Curtis Brown/Courtesy Santa Fe Opera)</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2021/08/04/iestyn-davies-learns-from-the-past-to-assure-his-future/">Iestyn Davies Learns from the Past to Assure His Future</a> appeared first on <a href="https://culturalattache.co">Cultural Attaché</a>.</p>
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		<title>Conductor Harry Bicket On the Perfect Opera</title>
		<link>https://culturalattache.co/2021/08/03/conductor-harry-bicket-on-the-perfect-opera/</link>
					<comments>https://culturalattache.co/2021/08/03/conductor-harry-bicket-on-the-perfect-opera/#respond</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Craig Byrd]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 03 Aug 2021 13:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Featured]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Opera: Bravo]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[A Midsummer Night's Dream]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Benjamin Britten]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Giuseppe Verdi]]></category>
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		<category><![CDATA[Iestyn Davies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lorenzo da Ponte]]></category>
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		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://culturalattache.co/?p=14980</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[<p>"Even Verdi when he was writing his Shakespeare operas he didn't dare actually take on Shakespeare's text. Britten is one of the few people in history that actually set Shakespeare's text and all but one sentence is the original Shakespeare."</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2021/08/03/conductor-harry-bicket-on-the-perfect-opera/">Conductor Harry Bicket On the Perfect Opera</a> appeared first on <a href="https://culturalattache.co">Cultural Attaché</a>.</p>
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<p>Perhaps no one was as surprised to find conductor Harry Bicket taking on the role of Chief Conductor at Santa Fe Opera in 2014 than the man himself. He&#8217;s best known as the leader of The English Concert and is renowned for his work leading orchestras and operas across the world.</p>



<p>&#8220;Lots of things draw me back,&#8221; he said last week during our conversation. &#8220;There is something very interesting, I think, about how we work and where we work. If you work at the Metropolitan Opera, which I&#8217;m very lucky enough to do every year, I walk down to Lincoln Center and I go in a back door. Then I go down three floors into the subterranean basement where there is no natural light, where the air is of dubious quality and you rehearse in these boxy rooms all day. Just the difference between that and driving up to the opera in the morning under a crystal blue sky and rehearsing outdoors. We have hummingbirds flying behind us, we occasionally have to sweep snakes off the campus when we come in, the flowers. It sounds like nothing, but, particularly this year after having all the traumas of lockdown, if you can get people before they even arrive for work to have their hearts filled with a positive spirit and a happiness, half your work is done.&#8221;</p>



<p>And he has a lot of work this year. He&#8217;s conducting productions of Mozart&#8217;s <em><a href="https://www.santafeopera.org/whats-on/the-marriage-of-figaro/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Marriage of Figaro</a> </em>and Benjamin Britten&#8217;s <em><a href="https://www.santafeopera.org/whats-on/a-midsummer-nights-dream/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">A Midsummer Night&#8217;s Dream</a></em>. The former is one of the most regularly performed works and the latter a much less well-known opera. </p>



<p>What follows are excerpts from our conversation that have been edited for length and clarity.</p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignleft size-medium"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="169" src="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Ying-Fan-and-Nicholas-Brownlee-in-22The-Marriage-of-Figaro22-PHoto-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-300x169.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-14984" srcset="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Ying-Fan-and-Nicholas-Brownlee-in-22The-Marriage-of-Figaro22-PHoto-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-300x169.jpg 300w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Ying-Fan-and-Nicholas-Brownlee-in-22The-Marriage-of-Figaro22-PHoto-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Ying-Fan-and-Nicholas-Brownlee-in-22The-Marriage-of-Figaro22-PHoto-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-768x432.jpg 768w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Ying-Fan-and-Nicholas-Brownlee-in-22The-Marriage-of-Figaro22-PHoto-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Ying-Fan-and-Nicholas-Brownlee-in-22The-Marriage-of-Figaro22-PHoto-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-696x392.jpg 696w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Ying-Fan-and-Nicholas-Brownlee-in-22The-Marriage-of-Figaro22-PHoto-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-1068x601.jpg 1068w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Ying-Fan-and-Nicholas-Brownlee-in-22The-Marriage-of-Figaro22-PHoto-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-747x420.jpg 747w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Ying-Fan-and-Nicholas-Brownlee-in-22The-Marriage-of-Figaro22-PHoto-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><figcaption>Ying Fang and Nicholas Brownlee in &#8220;The Marriage of Figaro&#8221; (Photo by Curtis Brown/Courtesy Santa Fe Opera)</figcaption></figure></div>



<p>Is there such a thing as a perfect opera and do you think <em>The Marriage of Figaro</em> is that opera?</p>



<p><strong>I think it is pretty close. It think it is the perfect marriage, pardon the pun, of music, libretto and voice and production and orchestra in the performance at least. It is very hard to find that sweet spot where everything is so completely unified. You&#8217;re not aware of the libretto being one thing and the music being something else. It&#8217;s just a complete fusion and I think that&#8217;s what Mozart and </strong>[librettist] <strong>Da Ponte achieved with <em>Figaro</em>.</strong></p>



<p>As popular as it is, you&#8217;ve conducted it countless times. Are new discoveries still there to be found for you in this opera?</p>



<p><strong>I think that as a conductor one thing you should do is also see what your orchestras and cast bring to the table. In that sense every time I do it is different. Working with the director also has to be added to the mix. So one has to be a bit of a chameleon, but then one also has to be very respectful of Mozart and of the music. It&#8217;s sort of a balancing act, but because of that I think every time I conduct the piece it&#8217;s slightly different and you</strong> <strong>want to find different ideas and different colors.</strong></p>



<p>In 1948 a scholar Hans Keller, made the argument that there were many parallels between Mozart and Britten, notably in their &#8220;exaggerated importance attached to historical perspectives.&#8221; What, if any, similarities do you find?</p>



<p><strong>That&#8217;s such a tough question. Because also I think that for Britten a lot of stuff was quite personal as a gay man at a time when it was illegal. It was also historical perspective for him. In all of the operas there&#8217;s a sense of this outsider and a person who is not proselytizing or complaining about the situation, but is clearly referencing it. You see that in <em>Peter</em> <em>Grimes</em>, you certainly see that in <em>Billy Budd</em> and to a certain extent there is an element of that in <em>A Midsummer Night&#8217;s Dream</em>. The whole wedding thing &#8211; in the play they kind of all do get married at the end. And in the opera that whole thing is kind of mysteriously swept under the carpet perhaps because Britten and Peter Pears couldn&#8217;t get married. I don&#8217;t know. I don&#8217;t want to read too much into that.</strong></p>



<p><strong>For Mozart it was a similar thing. He was writing in the 1780s and there was the US revolution, the whole French situation, the situation in Vienna. I think that had to be something that influenced him every day of his life.</strong></p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignleft size-medium"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="169" src="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Iestyn-Davies-and-Reed-Luplau-in-22A-Midsummer-NIghts-Dream22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-300x169.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-14985" srcset="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Iestyn-Davies-and-Reed-Luplau-in-22A-Midsummer-NIghts-Dream22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-300x169.jpg 300w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Iestyn-Davies-and-Reed-Luplau-in-22A-Midsummer-NIghts-Dream22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Iestyn-Davies-and-Reed-Luplau-in-22A-Midsummer-NIghts-Dream22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-768x432.jpg 768w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Iestyn-Davies-and-Reed-Luplau-in-22A-Midsummer-NIghts-Dream22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Iestyn-Davies-and-Reed-Luplau-in-22A-Midsummer-NIghts-Dream22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-696x392.jpg 696w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Iestyn-Davies-and-Reed-Luplau-in-22A-Midsummer-NIghts-Dream22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-1068x601.jpg 1068w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Iestyn-Davies-and-Reed-Luplau-in-22A-Midsummer-NIghts-Dream22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-747x420.jpg 747w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Iestyn-Davies-and-Reed-Luplau-in-22A-Midsummer-NIghts-Dream22-Photo-by-Curtis-Brown-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><figcaption>Iestyn Davies and Reed Luplau in &#8220;A Midsummer Night&#8217;s Dream&#8221; (Photo by Curtis Brown/Courtesy Santa Fe Opera)</figcaption></figure></div>



<p>What surprises you most about the way Britten set Shakespeare&#8217;s play with his music?</p>



<p><strong>It doesn&#8217;t surprise me that it&#8217;s brilliantly set. Most composers would really shy away from setting very very high end poetry because you&#8217;re on a losing wicket. How can you ever dare to aspire musically to the kind of quality of the text. Even Verdi when he was writing his Shakespeare operas he didn&#8217;t dare actually take on Shakespeare&#8217;s text. Britten is one of the few people in history that actually set Shakespeare&#8217;s text and all but one sentence is the original Shakespeare. </strong></p>



<p>Britten told <a href="https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1969/11/16/110094729.html?pageNumber=234" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Joan Peyser</a> of <span style="text-decoration: underline;">New York Times</span> in a 1969 interview that &#8220;it is better to be a bad composer writing for society than to be a good composer writing against it. At least your work can be of some use.&#8221; Wasn&#8217;t Britten actually being both a good composer and writing for society at the same time?</p>



<p><strong>I don&#8217;t think it is necessarily an either or. I think it&#8217;s kind of a both and. But I think Britten did feel very strongly obviously about so many things. He was a conscientious objector during the war. The <em>War Requiem</em> is very clearly expressing a moral outrage about the senselessness of war. Not a political thing, but a human response to that. I think certainly the theme through his pieces is just about how we treat people in society who don&#8217;t necessarily fit in. He was obviously quite bitter about it, but also realized as an artist he was in a unique position to actually talk about it in a way that wasn&#8217;t offensive. He was provocative and allowed people to be challenged. Not in a threatening way, but in a way which hopefully caused conversation and then many years later actually caused something to be done about that.</strong></p>



<p>For tickets to <em>The Marriage of Figaro</em> please go <a href="https://www.santafeopera.org/whats-on/the-marriage-of-figaro/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>. There are performances on August 3rd, 10th, 14th, 18th, 21st, 24th and 27th.</p>



<p>For tickets to <em>A Midsummer Night&#8217;s Dream</em> please go <a href="https://culturalattache.co/wp-admin/post.php?post=14980&amp;action=edit" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>. There are performances on August 4th, 13th, 19th and 25th.</p>



<p>This is the second of our week-long series of interviews with artists participating in this year&#8217;s <em>Santa Fe Opera</em> season. Check back on Wednesday for our interview with counter tenor Iestyn Davies who sings the role of <em>Oberon</em> in <em>A Midsummer Night&#8217;s Dream</em>.</p>



<p>Main Photo: Conductor Harry Bicket (Courtesy Santa Fe Opera)</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2021/08/03/conductor-harry-bicket-on-the-perfect-opera/">Conductor Harry Bicket On the Perfect Opera</a> appeared first on <a href="https://culturalattache.co">Cultural Attaché</a>.</p>
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		<title>Top Ten Best Bets: June 18th &#8211; June 21st</title>
		<link>https://culturalattache.co/2021/06/18/top-ten-best-bets-june-18th-june-21st/</link>
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		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Craig Byrd]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 18 Jun 2021 07:01:00 +0000</pubDate>
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					<description><![CDATA[<p>Leading this week's list are two concerts by jazz sensation Jazzmeia Horn</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2021/06/18/top-ten-best-bets-june-18th-june-21st/">Top Ten Best Bets: June 18th &#8211; June 21st</a> appeared first on <a href="https://culturalattache.co">Cultural Attaché</a>.</p>
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<p>With Juneteenth falling on Saturday and Father&#8217;s Day following on Sunday, there&#8217;s a substantial number of offerings available for fans of the performing arts this weekend. We&#8217;ve distilled them down to our Top Ten Best Bets: June 18th &#8211; June 21st.</p>



<p>Our top pick this week is actually a twofer. Jazz vocalist Jazzmeia Horn, who has taken the world by storm since her 2017 debut album<em> A Social Call</em>, is featured in two concerts you&#8217;ll want to watch this weekend.</p>



<p>With several operas, a very wide range of dance, play readings and more, it will seem at first glance like a pretty intense selection of programs. However, nothing is what it seems this week. Read about each of these programs and you&#8217;ll find they almost all represent a new way of telling both familiar and new stories.</p>



<p>Here are the Top Ten Best Bets: June 18th &#8211; June 21st.</p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignleft size-medium"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="169" src="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Jazzmeia-Horn-Photo-by-Emmanuel-Afolabi-Courtesy-imnworld.com_-300x169.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-14734" srcset="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Jazzmeia-Horn-Photo-by-Emmanuel-Afolabi-Courtesy-imnworld.com_-300x169.jpg 300w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Jazzmeia-Horn-Photo-by-Emmanuel-Afolabi-Courtesy-imnworld.com_-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Jazzmeia-Horn-Photo-by-Emmanuel-Afolabi-Courtesy-imnworld.com_-768x432.jpg 768w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Jazzmeia-Horn-Photo-by-Emmanuel-Afolabi-Courtesy-imnworld.com_-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Jazzmeia-Horn-Photo-by-Emmanuel-Afolabi-Courtesy-imnworld.com_-696x392.jpg 696w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Jazzmeia-Horn-Photo-by-Emmanuel-Afolabi-Courtesy-imnworld.com_-1068x601.jpg 1068w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Jazzmeia-Horn-Photo-by-Emmanuel-Afolabi-Courtesy-imnworld.com_-747x420.jpg 747w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Jazzmeia-Horn-Photo-by-Emmanuel-Afolabi-Courtesy-imnworld.com_.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><figcaption>Jazzmeia Horn (Photo by Emmanuel Afolabi/Courtesy imnworld.com)</figcaption></figure></div>



<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">*TOP PICK*</span> JAZZ: </strong><em>Jazzmeia Horn </em>&#8211; <a href="https://www.sfjazz.org/sfjazz-digital/virtual-san-francisco-jazz-festival-2021/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">SFJAZZ</a> &#8211; June 18th &#8211; 8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM PT <em>and </em><a href="https://calperformances.org/events/2020-21/at-home-spring/jazzmeia-horn/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Cal Performances</a> on demand through July 21st </p>



<p>This week&#8217;s <em>Fridays at Five</em> offering from SFJAZZ is a 2019 performance from the 37th San Francisco Jazz Festival in support of her second album, <em>Love and Liberation</em>.</p>



<p>She rose to prominence after winning the 2015 Thelonious Monk Institute International Jazz Competition.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Jazzmeia Horn &#039;What&#039;s Going On&#039; | Live Studio Session" width="696" height="392" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/FapkkVh0sJI?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div></figure>



<p>In a 2017 review of a performance Horn gave at Dizzy&#8217;s Club Coca-Cola in New York, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/16/arts/music/jazzmeia-horn-dizzys-club-a-social-call-review.html?.?mc=aud_dev&amp;ad-keywords=auddevgate&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQjw5auGBhDEARIsAFyNm9E_89c_hkw3Dq9Zph73LOAvxSD5ZH82WjmnWoiCRSazfTwi15u3RxcaArBrEALw_wcB&amp;gclsrc=aw.ds" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Giovanni Russonello</a> wrote in the <span style="text-decoration: underline;">New York Times</span> after calling her one of the most talked-about jazz singers to emerge since Cécile McLorin Salvant and Gregory Porter:</p>



<p>&#8220;&#8230;she’s possessed of some distinctive tools, all of which were on display: a pinched, sassy tone in the highest register; a fondness for unguarded duets with her bassist (at Dizzy’s, it was Noah Jackson); an array of rough, pealing nonverbal sounds that add drama to codas and interludes, hinting at meanings in the music that go beyond what fits on the page.&#8221;</p>



<p>Should you be unable to catch the streaming of this concert on Friday, there is an encore showing on Saturday at 1:00 PM ET/10:00 AM PT. Tickets are $5 which includes a one-month digital membership to SFJAZZ.</p>



<p>If you want to explore more of what Horn can do (and perhaps see and hear how she evolved her performances and her set list almost two years later), you can check out a concert filmed at New York&#8217;s <em>Le Poisson Rouge </em>in February of this year for Cal Performances.</p>



<p>That concert is available for on-demand streaming with prices ranging from $5 for Cal students and $15 per non-student viewers up to $68 for those who have the ability to pay. </p>



<p>Horn is a force to be reckoned with. These two concerts allow you to chart her growth as, we hope, a new album will soon be on the horizon.</p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignleft size-medium"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="169" src="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/JNai-Bridges-and-the-LA-Opera-perform-22Oedipus-Rex22-Photo-by-Lawrence-K.-Ho-Courtesy-LA-Opera-300x169.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-14733" srcset="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/JNai-Bridges-and-the-LA-Opera-perform-22Oedipus-Rex22-Photo-by-Lawrence-K.-Ho-Courtesy-LA-Opera-300x169.jpg 300w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/JNai-Bridges-and-the-LA-Opera-perform-22Oedipus-Rex22-Photo-by-Lawrence-K.-Ho-Courtesy-LA-Opera-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/JNai-Bridges-and-the-LA-Opera-perform-22Oedipus-Rex22-Photo-by-Lawrence-K.-Ho-Courtesy-LA-Opera-768x432.jpg 768w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/JNai-Bridges-and-the-LA-Opera-perform-22Oedipus-Rex22-Photo-by-Lawrence-K.-Ho-Courtesy-LA-Opera-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/JNai-Bridges-and-the-LA-Opera-perform-22Oedipus-Rex22-Photo-by-Lawrence-K.-Ho-Courtesy-LA-Opera-696x392.jpg 696w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/JNai-Bridges-and-the-LA-Opera-perform-22Oedipus-Rex22-Photo-by-Lawrence-K.-Ho-Courtesy-LA-Opera-1068x601.jpg 1068w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/JNai-Bridges-and-the-LA-Opera-perform-22Oedipus-Rex22-Photo-by-Lawrence-K.-Ho-Courtesy-LA-Opera-747x420.jpg 747w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/JNai-Bridges-and-the-LA-Opera-perform-22Oedipus-Rex22-Photo-by-Lawrence-K.-Ho-Courtesy-LA-Opera.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><figcaption>J&#8217;Nai Bridges and LA Opera performs &#8220;Oedipus Rex&#8221; (Photo by Lawrence K. Ho/Courtesy LA Opera)</figcaption></figure></div>



<p><strong>OPERA</strong>: <a href="https://www.laopera.org/performances/upcoming-digital-performances/oedipus-rex-2/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Stravinsky&#8217;s <em>Oedipus Rex</em></a> &#8211; LA Opera &#8211; Now &#8211; July 18th</p>



<p>Igor Stravinsky<em> </em>composed this opera/oratorio in 1927. Based on the tragedy by Sophocles, it is a work for orchestra, speaker, soloists, and male chorus. If you believe you know well the story of Oedipus, I think you&#8217;ll be surprised at all the ultimately timely material to be found in this story.</p>



<p>For this filmed performance of <em>Oedipus Rex</em>, Los Angeles Opera has assembled a terrific ensemble. </p>



<p>Singing the title role is tenor <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2018/07/12/russell-thomas-carrying-weight-otello-shoulders/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Russell Thomas</a>. The role of his mother, Jocasta, is sung by mezzo-soprano J&#8217;Nai Bridges. Creon and the Messenger are sung by John Relyea. Tiresias is sung by Morris Robinson. The role of the Shepherd is sung by Robert Stahley. Serving as narrator is Stephen Fry (via video).</p>



<p><a href="https://culturalattache.co/2018/10/04/conductor-james-conlons-passion-verdi/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">James Conlon</a> conducts the LA Opera orchestra.</p>



<p>I attended a rehearsal of this production two weeks ago (prior to a live performance in Los Angeles &#8211; LA Opera&#8217;s first live performance back in their home at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion). Collaborating with them is Manual Cinema. They are the Chicago-based company that did a truly memorable production of <em>A Christmas Carol</em> that was streamed last December (and was also a <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2020/12/11/best-bets-at-home-december-11th-december-13th/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Best Bet</a>).</p>



<p>At 50 minutes, this is a terrific way to get some opera into your weekend. And it&#8217;s free; though donations to LA Opera are encouraged.</p>



<p>If you want to see more of what Thomas and Bridges have to offer, let us remind you of LA Opera&#8217;s <em>Signature Recital Series</em> which has recitals by each of them available for streaming through the end of the month. Check out our preview <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2021/04/14/la-operas-signature-recital-series-has-begun/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>.</p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignleft size-medium"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="169" src="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Meryl-Streep-Courtesy-Broadways-Best-Shows-300x169.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-14741" srcset="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Meryl-Streep-Courtesy-Broadways-Best-Shows-300x169.jpg 300w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Meryl-Streep-Courtesy-Broadways-Best-Shows-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Meryl-Streep-Courtesy-Broadways-Best-Shows-768x432.jpg 768w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Meryl-Streep-Courtesy-Broadways-Best-Shows-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Meryl-Streep-Courtesy-Broadways-Best-Shows-696x392.jpg 696w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Meryl-Streep-Courtesy-Broadways-Best-Shows-1068x601.jpg 1068w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Meryl-Streep-Courtesy-Broadways-Best-Shows-747x420.jpg 747w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Meryl-Streep-Courtesy-Broadways-Best-Shows.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><figcaption>Meryl Streep (Courtesy Broadway&#8217;s Best Shows)</figcaption></figure></div>



<p><strong>PLAY READING</strong>: <em><a href="https://www.stellartickets.com/o/spotlight-on-plays/events/dear-elizabeth/occurrences/c97cdbff-9c70-4973-8e5f-d0042830d9fc" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dear Elizabeth</a></em> &#8211; Spotlight on Plays from Broadway&#8217;s Best Shows &#8211; Now &#8211; June 21st</p>



<p>You don&#8217;t need to know who poets Elizabeth Bishop and Robert Lowell were. You don&#8217;t need to know that they became very good friends, mostly through the hundreds of letters they wrote to each other. Nor that they had an affair. You don&#8217;t even need to know that this play, which had its New York premiere in 2015, is written by award-winning playwright <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2020/02/07/playwright-sarah-ruhl-goes-into-the-underworld-of-opera/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sarah Ruhl</a>.</p>



<p>All you really need to know about this reading is that it stars Kevin Kline and Meryl Streep. The two famously appeared together in <em>Sophie&#8217;s Choice</em>. This was the film that earned Streep her second Academy Award. They also appeared as exes in Jonathan Demme&#8217;s <em>Rikki and the Flash</em> in 2015.</p>



<p>Not to be outdone, Kline won an Academy Award for his performance in <em>A Fish Called Wanda</em>.</p>



<p>They appeared on stage in the 2001 production of <em>The Seagull</em> and the 2006 production of <em>Mother Courage and Her Children</em> at the Delacorte Theater as part of The Public Theater&#8217;s <em>Shakespeare in the Park</em> series.</p>



<p>This seems like a pretty easy choice to make for your weekend plans. Why not see these incredibly talented actors together again? This is the final play in the <em>Spotlight on Plays</em> series. They are clearly going out on a high note.</p>



<p>Kate Whoriskey directs.</p>



<p>Tickets are $19 and allow for streaming through Monday, June 21st at 6:00 PM ET/3:00 PM PT. Proceeds benefit The Actors Fund and The Acting Company.</p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignleft size-medium"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="169" src="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/A-scene-from-22desert-in22-Courtesy-Boston-Lyric-Opera-300x169.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-14732" srcset="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/A-scene-from-22desert-in22-Courtesy-Boston-Lyric-Opera-300x169.jpg 300w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/A-scene-from-22desert-in22-Courtesy-Boston-Lyric-Opera-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/A-scene-from-22desert-in22-Courtesy-Boston-Lyric-Opera-768x432.jpg 768w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/A-scene-from-22desert-in22-Courtesy-Boston-Lyric-Opera-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/A-scene-from-22desert-in22-Courtesy-Boston-Lyric-Opera-696x392.jpg 696w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/A-scene-from-22desert-in22-Courtesy-Boston-Lyric-Opera-1068x601.jpg 1068w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/A-scene-from-22desert-in22-Courtesy-Boston-Lyric-Opera-747x420.jpg 747w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/A-scene-from-22desert-in22-Courtesy-Boston-Lyric-Opera.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><figcaption>Raviv Ullman in &#8220;desert in&#8221; (Photo by Michael Elias Thomas/Courtesy Boston Lyric Opera)</figcaption></figure></div>



<p><strong>OPERA/MINI-SERIES</strong>: <em><a href="https://blo.org/desert-in/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">desert in</a></em> &#8211; Boston Lyric Opera &#8211; Now available</p>



<p>As befits a project from the mind of <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2021/01/21/james-darrah-director-designer-disruptor/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">James Darrah</a>, <em>desert in</em> does not fit easily into any one category. It is a mini-series. It is an opera. It contains nudity. There&#8217;s strong sexual content and adult language. It also comes from the minds of playwright christopher oscar peña and Pulitzer-Prize winning composer <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2018/05/09/composer-ellen-reids-new-work-cautionary-tale/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Ellen Reid</a>. </p>



<p>In other words, it&#8217;s like nothing you&#8217;ve seen before.</p>



<p>The stories of multiple characters swirl around a lodge in the desert and its swimming pool. A combination of trysts, betrayals and shamanic ceremonies result in the lodge&#8217;s owners Cass and Sunny and new guests Ion and Rufus caught up in its mysterious ways.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-vimeo wp-block-embed-vimeo wp-embed-aspect-21-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe loading="lazy" title="FIRST LOOK: desert in" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/558163301?dnt=1&amp;app_id=122963" width="696" height="296" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; fullscreen; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div></figure>



<p>Appearing in <em>desert in</em> are mezzo-soprano <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2021/05/20/operas-isabel-leonard-directs-her-future/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Isabel Leonard</a> (for whom the project was written), soprano Talise Trevigne, Tony-nominated performer Justin Vivian Bond (<em>Kiki &amp; Herb Alive on Broadway</em>), actors Carlis Shane Clark, Alexander Flores, Anthony Michael Lopez, Jon Orsini, Ricco Ross and Raviv Ullman with vocal performances by tenor Neal Ferreira, Tony Award-winner Jesus Garcia (<em>La Bohème)</em>, baritone Edward Nelson, tenor Alan Pingarrón, soprano Brianna J. Robinson, mezzo-soprano Emma Sorenson and bass-baritone Davóne Tines.</p>



<p>Joining Reid in composing music for <em>desert in</em> are Michael Abels, <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2019/10/03/vijay-iyer-eschews-labels/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Vijay Iyer</a>, Nathalie Joachim, <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2018/02/22/composer-nico-muhly-registers-organ-concerto/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Nico Muhly</a>, Emma O&#8217;Halloran, Wang Lu and Shelley Washington. Each one a truly fascinating composer.</p>



<p>Six of the eight episodes have been released and are available for viewing on operabox.tv. The final two episodes will be released in the next couple of weeks.</p>



<p>You have several options for viewing with varying price points. You can subscribe to operabox.tv, purchase on-demand streaming of the entire series or for individual episodes. Details can be found <a href="https://www.operabox.tv/desert-in" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>.</p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignleft size-medium"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="169" src="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Common-Photo-by-Sharolyn-B.-Hagen-Photography-Courtesy-Commons-Facebook-Page-300x169.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-14740" srcset="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Common-Photo-by-Sharolyn-B.-Hagen-Photography-Courtesy-Commons-Facebook-Page-300x169.jpg 300w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Common-Photo-by-Sharolyn-B.-Hagen-Photography-Courtesy-Commons-Facebook-Page-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Common-Photo-by-Sharolyn-B.-Hagen-Photography-Courtesy-Commons-Facebook-Page-768x432.jpg 768w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Common-Photo-by-Sharolyn-B.-Hagen-Photography-Courtesy-Commons-Facebook-Page-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Common-Photo-by-Sharolyn-B.-Hagen-Photography-Courtesy-Commons-Facebook-Page-696x392.jpg 696w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Common-Photo-by-Sharolyn-B.-Hagen-Photography-Courtesy-Commons-Facebook-Page-1068x601.jpg 1068w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Common-Photo-by-Sharolyn-B.-Hagen-Photography-Courtesy-Commons-Facebook-Page-747x420.jpg 747w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Common-Photo-by-Sharolyn-B.-Hagen-Photography-Courtesy-Commons-Facebook-Page.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><figcaption>Common (Photo by Sharolyn B. Hagen Photography/Courtesy Common&#8217;s Facebook Page)</figcaption></figure></div>



<p><strong>CLASSICAL MEETS HIP-HOP</strong>: <em><a href="https://www.soundstage.laphil.com/episodes" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Common with the Los Angeles Philharmonic</a></em> &#8211; Debuts June 18th</p>



<p>We&#8217;ve previewed the second season of the LA Philharmonic&#8217;s <em><a href="https://culturalattache.co/2021/03/03/la-philharmonics-sound-stage-season-2/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sound/Stage</a></em> series, but can attest from personal experience that seeing Common on the stage of the Hollywood Bowl with the orchestra is an event like few others. Frankly, it&#8217;s almost one of a kind, except that they created this 17-minute film available for free streaming that didn&#8217;t come from that concert.</p>



<p>Common is one of the most important and exciting performers in hip-hop. Gustavo Dudamel leads one of the most adventurous orchestras in this country. This pairing is going to please those who can&#8217;t imagine hip-hop with classical music institutions and those who can&#8217;t imagine a symphony orchestra with hip-hop.</p>



<p>Other episodes in this series are available for streaming and can be found at the link above.</p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignleft size-medium"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="169" src="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Audni-Marie-Moore-in-22This-Little-Light-of-Mine22-Photo-by-Andrew-Kung-Group-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-300x169.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-14739" srcset="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Audni-Marie-Moore-in-22This-Little-Light-of-Mine22-Photo-by-Andrew-Kung-Group-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-300x169.jpg 300w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Audni-Marie-Moore-in-22This-Little-Light-of-Mine22-Photo-by-Andrew-Kung-Group-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Audni-Marie-Moore-in-22This-Little-Light-of-Mine22-Photo-by-Andrew-Kung-Group-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-768x432.jpg 768w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Audni-Marie-Moore-in-22This-Little-Light-of-Mine22-Photo-by-Andrew-Kung-Group-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Audni-Marie-Moore-in-22This-Little-Light-of-Mine22-Photo-by-Andrew-Kung-Group-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-696x392.jpg 696w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Audni-Marie-Moore-in-22This-Little-Light-of-Mine22-Photo-by-Andrew-Kung-Group-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-1068x601.jpg 1068w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Audni-Marie-Moore-in-22This-Little-Light-of-Mine22-Photo-by-Andrew-Kung-Group-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera-747x420.jpg 747w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Audni-Marie-Moore-in-22This-Little-Light-of-Mine22-Photo-by-Andrew-Kung-Group-Courtesy-Santa-Fe-Opera.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><figcaption>Aundi Marie Moore in &#8220;This Little Light of Mine&#8221; (Photo by Andrew Kung Group/Courtesy Santa Fe Opera)</figcaption></figure></div>



<p><strong>OPERA</strong>: <em><a href="https://www.chandlercarter.com/this-little-light" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">This Little Light of Mine</a></em> &#8211; Kentucky Opera in collaboration with the Santa Fe Opera &#8211; June 19th &#8211; 6:00 PM ET/3:00 PM PT</p>



<p>Here&#8217;s a great opportunity to see a work truly in development. The Santa Fe Opera commissioned<em> </em>this opera inspired by the story of Fannie Lou Hamer. She was a voting rights activist whose relentless efforts lead to the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965.</p>



<p>Chandler Carter is the composer of <em>This Little Light of Mine</em>. The libretto is by Diana Solomon-Glover. </p>



<p>The two had previously collaborated on <em>No Easy Walk to Freedom</em> about Nelson Mandela. Solomon-Glover portrayed Winnie Mandela in that work.</p>



<p>On Saturday they will be streaming a workshop of <em>This Little Light of Mine</em> that was filmed on Monday at Kentucky Opera. This opera had been scheduled for a workshop last fall, but was cancelled due to the pandemic.</p>



<p>Nicole Joy Mitchell sings the role of Fannie Lou Hamer. Aundi Marie Moore sings the role of Dorothy Jean Hamer and Heather Hill sings the roles of June Johnson and an Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee Worker. The workshop is directed by Beth Greenberg.</p>



<p>There is no charge to watch <em>This Little Light of Mine</em>. It will be available on Kentucky Opera&#8217;s <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/KentuckyOpera/featured" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">YouTube channel</a>.</p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignleft size-medium"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="169" src="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Playwright-Jocelyn-Bioh-Courtesy-The-Wallis-300x169.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-14729" srcset="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Playwright-Jocelyn-Bioh-Courtesy-The-Wallis-300x169.jpg 300w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Playwright-Jocelyn-Bioh-Courtesy-The-Wallis-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Playwright-Jocelyn-Bioh-Courtesy-The-Wallis-768x432.jpg 768w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Playwright-Jocelyn-Bioh-Courtesy-The-Wallis-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Playwright-Jocelyn-Bioh-Courtesy-The-Wallis-696x392.jpg 696w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Playwright-Jocelyn-Bioh-Courtesy-The-Wallis-1068x601.jpg 1068w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Playwright-Jocelyn-Bioh-Courtesy-The-Wallis-747x420.jpg 747w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Playwright-Jocelyn-Bioh-Courtesy-The-Wallis.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><figcaption>Playwright Jocelyn Bioh (Courtesy The Wallis)</figcaption></figure></div>



<p><strong>ONE-ACT PLAYS</strong>: <em><a href="https://thewallis.org/Unmasked" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Unmasked: A Theatrical Celebration of Black Women&#8217;s Liberation</a></em> &#8211; The Wallis &#8211; Debuts June 19th</p>



<p>The Wallis collaborated with Black Rebirth Collective on <em>Unmasked</em>, one-act plays by four Black female playwrights that was filmed in the Lovelace Studio Theatre at The Wallis.</p>



<p>Those writers are: Ngozi Anyanwu, Jocelyn Bioh, Dominique Morisseau and Stacy Osei-Kuffour.</p>



<p>Anyanwu is best known for <em>Good Grief</em>, an award-winning play that was first performed at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in 2016. Her play is called <em>G.O.A.T.</em> which finds three close friends who try to determine who is the <em>greatest of all time</em> (hence the title) through a sacred ritual.</p>



<p>Bioh, best known for <em>School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play</em>, has written <em>White-N-Luscious</em>. While appearing on a talk show a Nigerian pop star and an Afro-British scholar face issues of self-representation and beauty standards.</p>



<p>Morisseau, who was Tony nominated for writing the book for <em>Ain&#8217;t Too Proud</em> and also wrote <em>The Detroit Project</em> trilogy of plays, contributes <em>Jezelle the Gazelle</em>. As the title perhaps alludes to, the title character is a young female runner who is easily the fastest on her block. But does she have the skill set to navigate what life has in store for her and still remain on top?</p>



<p>Osei-Kuffour&#8217;s work is called <em>Madness</em>. While handling an issue at work on a phone call, the protagonist is offered a new way to address the situation by a new colleague whom she doesn&#8217;t know. Osei-Kuffour&#8217;s <em>ANIMALS</em> was recorded by the Williamstown Theater Festival and can be heard on Audible. </p>



<p>The ensemble cast &#8211; Kelly M. Jenrett, Masha Mthembu, Candace Thomas and Jonah Wharton &#8211; are accompanied by violinist Katherine Washington. <em>Unmasked</em> was co-drected by Kimberly Hébert of Black Rebirth Collective and The Wallis&#8217; Camille Jenkins.</p>



<p>Tickets are $19 for all four plays. If you only want to watch one of the plays, you can purchase a single ticket for $5. Please go <a href="https://www.stellartickets.com/o/the-wallis-and-black-rebirth-collective/events/the-wallis-and-black-rebirth-collectives-co-production-of-unmasked/occurrences/19fccf8e-70c2-4bd8-bee6-c6510ba62a75" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a> for details on ticket sales. <em>Unmasked</em> will be available for streaming on demand through July 2nd. </p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignleft size-medium"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="169" src="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Jenn-Colella-Courtesy-Seth-Concert-Series-300x169.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-14738" srcset="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Jenn-Colella-Courtesy-Seth-Concert-Series-300x169.jpg 300w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Jenn-Colella-Courtesy-Seth-Concert-Series-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Jenn-Colella-Courtesy-Seth-Concert-Series-768x432.jpg 768w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Jenn-Colella-Courtesy-Seth-Concert-Series-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Jenn-Colella-Courtesy-Seth-Concert-Series-696x392.jpg 696w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Jenn-Colella-Courtesy-Seth-Concert-Series-1068x601.jpg 1068w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Jenn-Colella-Courtesy-Seth-Concert-Series-747x420.jpg 747w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Jenn-Colella-Courtesy-Seth-Concert-Series.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><figcaption>Jenn Colella (Courtesy Seth Concert Series)</figcaption></figure></div>



<p><strong>BROADWAY VOCALS</strong>: <em><a href="https://events.broadwayworld.com/event/jenn-colella-seth-rudetsky-6-20/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jenn Colella</a></em> &#8211; SETH Concert Series &#8211; June 20th &#8211; 3:00 PM ET/12:00 PM PT</p>



<p>I&#8217;ve never been lucky enough to see Broadway star and Tony-nominated actor Jenn Colella in any of the shows in which she&#8217;s appeared (<em>Come From Away</em>, <em>If/Then</em>, <em>Chaplin</em>, <em>High Fidelity</em> and <em>Urban Cowboy</em>). But that last show did lead to a chance to see her early in her career and I realized how special she was immediately.</p>



<p>Colella was a guest at a concert by composer Jason Robert Brown in North Hollywood. (He music directed <em>Urban Cowboy</em>). When she sang a couple songs with him it was like the best possible hurricane just blew into and through the theater.</p>



<p>I can only imagine what Colella will do this weekend as Seth Rudetsky&#8217;s guest in his concert series.</p>



<p>If you&#8217;re unable to see the live stream on Sunday as scheduled, there will be a re-stream of the show at 8:00 PM ET/5:00 PM the same day. Tickets for either showing are $25.</p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignleft size-medium"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="169" src="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Broadway-Bares-22Sweats-Off22-Choreography-by-Frank-Boccia-Courtesy-BC-EFA-300x169.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-14754" srcset="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Broadway-Bares-22Sweats-Off22-Choreography-by-Frank-Boccia-Courtesy-BC-EFA-300x169.jpg 300w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Broadway-Bares-22Sweats-Off22-Choreography-by-Frank-Boccia-Courtesy-BC-EFA-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Broadway-Bares-22Sweats-Off22-Choreography-by-Frank-Boccia-Courtesy-BC-EFA-768x432.jpg 768w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Broadway-Bares-22Sweats-Off22-Choreography-by-Frank-Boccia-Courtesy-BC-EFA-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Broadway-Bares-22Sweats-Off22-Choreography-by-Frank-Boccia-Courtesy-BC-EFA-696x392.jpg 696w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Broadway-Bares-22Sweats-Off22-Choreography-by-Frank-Boccia-Courtesy-BC-EFA-1068x601.jpg 1068w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Broadway-Bares-22Sweats-Off22-Choreography-by-Frank-Boccia-Courtesy-BC-EFA-747x420.jpg 747w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Broadway-Bares-22Sweats-Off22-Choreography-by-Frank-Boccia-Courtesy-BC-EFA.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><figcaption>Broadway Bares &#8220;Sweats Off&#8221; (Choreography by Frank Boccia/Courtesy BC/EFA)</figcaption></figure></div>



<p><strong>DANCE</strong>: <em><a href="https://broadwaycares.org/pre-event/broadway-bares-2021/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Broadway Bares: Twerk from Home</a></em> &#8211; Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS &#8211; June 20th &#8211; 9:00 PM ET/6:00 PM PT</p>



<p>Just as Broadway is on the cusp of coming back comes an annual tradition that is one of the toughest tickets in town. And because Broadway isn&#8217;t back yet&#8230;we all get a front row seat.</p>



<p><em>Broadway Bares</em> is an annual dance/performance fundraiser, usually performed on a Broadway stage.</p>



<p>For the uninitiated, it is one where clothes become less necessary as each performance goes on. This year&#8217;s show is called <em>Twerk from Home</em> and it will debut on Sunday night.</p>



<p>Two-time Tony Award winning choreograph Jerry Mitchell (<em>Kinky Boots</em>, the 2005 revival of <em>La Cage Aux Folles</em>), is the creator of <em>Broadway Bares</em> and once again he directs this year&#8217;s show. Joining this year as co-directors are Laya Barak and Nick Kenkel.</p>



<p>Over 170 dancers are participating in <em>Twerk from Home</em>. Joining them will be Harvey Fierstein, J. Harrison Ghee, Jay Armstrong Johnson, Robyn Hurder, Peppermint and Jelani Remy who make special appearances. This year&#8217;s <em>Broadway Bares</em> culminates in a finale extravaganza that was filmed outdoors in Times Square.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Broadway Bares Films Finale in Times Square" width="696" height="392" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/k3jwu4Xqbic?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div></figure>



<p>There is no charge to watch <em>Twerk from Home</em>, but donations are encouraged.  This is one of their biggest fundraisers of the year. Last year&#8217;s virtual edition raised $596,504 for Broadway Cares. You can watch the show on BC/EFA&#8217;s YouTube Channel.</p>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="alignleft size-medium"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="300" height="169" src="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Future-Dance-Festival-Courtesy-92nd-Street-Y-300x169.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-14737" srcset="https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Future-Dance-Festival-Courtesy-92nd-Street-Y-300x169.jpg 300w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Future-Dance-Festival-Courtesy-92nd-Street-Y-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Future-Dance-Festival-Courtesy-92nd-Street-Y-768x432.jpg 768w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Future-Dance-Festival-Courtesy-92nd-Street-Y-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Future-Dance-Festival-Courtesy-92nd-Street-Y-696x392.jpg 696w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Future-Dance-Festival-Courtesy-92nd-Street-Y-1068x601.jpg 1068w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Future-Dance-Festival-Courtesy-92nd-Street-Y-747x420.jpg 747w, https://culturalattache.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Future-Dance-Festival-Courtesy-92nd-Street-Y.jpg 1920w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /><figcaption>Future Dance Festival (Photo ©&nbsp;Todd Rosenberg Photography 2020/Courtesy 92nd Street Y)</figcaption></figure></div>



<p><strong>MODERN DANCE</strong>: <em><a href="https://www.92y.org/event/future-dance-festival?utm_source=SFMC&amp;utm_medium=Email_PRESS_FUTUREDANCEFESTIVAL_FREESTREAM_PR_061721&amp;utm_campaign=PRESSFUTUREDANCEFESTIVALFREESTREAMPR061721&amp;mcSID">Future Dance Festival</a></em> &#8211; 92Y &#8211; June 21st &#8211; July 4th</p>



<p>From a pool of 185 applicants, seven panelists selected 21 choreographer finalists to be part of the 92nd Street Y&#8217;s first <em>Future Dance Festival</em>. The goal of the festival is to pair emerging choreographers and creators with working directors.</p>



<p>Beginning on Monday, those 21 finalists will have their work showcased in three different programs that will all be available for free streaming. </p>



<p>Program 1 features work by Annie Rigney, Max Levy, Madison Elliott, Leonardo Sandoval, Burr Johnson, Nicole von Are and Brian Josiah Martinez.</p>



<p>Program 2 features works by Barkha Patel, Adrienne Lipson, Jessie Lee Thorne, William Ervin, Vera Kvarcakova &amp; Jeremy Galdeano, Brian Golden and Caroline Payne.</p>



<p>Program 3 features works by Taylor Graham, Baye &amp; Asa, Patrick Coker, Charly and Eriel Santagado, Jamal Callender, Beatrice Panero and Nicholas Ranauro.</p>



<p>The panelists, who come from Ballet Hispánico, <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Dance Magazine</span>, Martha Graham Dance Company<em> </em>and other organizations, will introduce each work.</p>



<p>Registration is required.</p>



<p>Here ends the Top Ten Best Bets: June 18th &#8211; June 21st. But just a couple reminders:</p>



<p>The Metropolitan Opera celebrates <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2021/06/14/happy-fathers-day-week-66-at-the-met/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Father&#8217;s Day</a> with Verdi&#8217;s <em>Rigoletto</em> from the 1981-1982 season Friday; his <em>Don Carlo</em> from the 2010-2011 season on Saturday and his <em>Luisa Miller</em> from the 1978-1979 season Sunday. If you&#8217;re not a father, consider this the end of Verdi Week.</p>



<p>Next week the Met will be celebrating Pride Week. Monday that program gets launched with the 2017-2018 season production of Thomas Adés&#8217; <em>The Exterminating Angel</em>. We&#8217;ll have the full line-up for you on Monday. We strongly recommend this opera.</p>



<p>Your last chance to watch <em><a href="https://culturalattache.co/2021/05/20/top-pick-best-bets-may-21st-may-24th/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">A Tribute to John Williams</a></em> from the Boston Pops Orchestra is Saturday. Film music fans, what are you waiting for?</p>



<p>On Monday South Coast Rep starts streaming the final production of their <em>Pacific Playwrights Festival</em>. It&#8217;s a concert performance of <em>Harold &amp; Lillian</em>. You can find details <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2021/04/27/south-coast-reps-pacific-playwrights-festival/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">here</a>.</p>



<p>You&#8217;re now fully loaded with options to enjoy the performing arts this weekend. That&#8217;s all for this week&#8217;s Top Ten Best Bets: June 18th &#8211; June 21st.</p>



<p>Enjoy your weekend!</p>



<p>Photo:  Jazzmeia Horn (Photo by Emmanuel Afolabi/Courtesy imnworld.com)</p>
<p>The post <a href="https://culturalattache.co/2021/06/18/top-ten-best-bets-june-18th-june-21st/">Top Ten Best Bets: June 18th &#8211; June 21st</a> appeared first on <a href="https://culturalattache.co">Cultural Attaché</a>.</p>
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