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Paterson/Campbell The Whole Truth premieres at UrbanArias

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The Whole Truth is a short comic opera with music by Robert Paterson and a libretto by Mark Campbell (Bastianello & Lucrezia), based on a short story by author Stephen McCauley. A married women attempts to delude herself into thinking she can carry on two affairs at the same time.  The first with a fellow dentist and the new affair with a young carpenter who has come to work on her and her husband’s home.

“The Whole Truth is like Opera Espresso: short, concentrated, and energizing.”–DC Metro Theater Arts

Performances are at Atlas Performing Arts Center (in the heart of DC’s vibrant and eclectic H Street neighborhood) and produced by UrbanArias.

Starring Amedee Royer, Kate Jackman, Andrew McLaughlin and Jeffrey Gates

Accompanied by R. Timothy McReynolds (piano)

Directed by Courtney Kalbacker

Toronto Symphony Premiere’s Fung Violin Concerto No. 2

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The world premiere of Violin Concerto No. 2, commissioned by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra for concertmaster Jonathan Crow, will be featured at TSO’s New Creations Festival.

“A Mind of Winter” Program:

Dai Fujikura: Tocar y Luchar (Canadian Premiere)
George Benjamin: A Mind of Winter (Canadian Premiere)
Vivian Fung: Violin Concerto 2 (World Premiere/TSO Commission)
Dutilleux: Métaboles

Performers:

Peter Oundjian, conductor and host
George Benjamin, conductor
Barbara Hannigan, soprano
Jonathan Crow, violin

Fung’s first Violin Concerto will be played by the Milwaukee Symphony on May 14-17 with soloist Kristin Lee.

125 Commissions for Carnegie Hall’s 125th Anniversary

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Carnegie Hall celebrates its 125th anniversary by honoring the present and looking to the future with the launch of an unprecedented commissioning project. Between the 2015 and 2020 seasons, at least 125 new works will be commissioned from leading composers—both established and emerging—and premiered at Carnegie Hall. New solo, chamber, and orchestral music, including BHM composer Kevin Puts, who will write a new work for the Baltimore Symphony.

Kennedy Center names Mason Bates as their First Composer in Residence

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One of today’s most innovative and in-demand composers, Mason Bates will join the Kennedy Center in the 2015-2016 Season as its first Composer-In-Residence. During his three-year residency, Bates will compose music across artistic genres and curate a new music series. He will also advance initiatives that use technology to educate audiences and will encourage the inclusion of local artists and DJs in performances at the Kennedy Center. The new music concerts will present the works of living composers using Bates’s signature re-imagining of the classical music experience. His innovative ideas have been extremely effective at bringing large and enthusiastic audiences to new music concerts throughout the United States and abroad.

Mason’s compositions use an expanded electro-acoustic palette to bring to life unusual and imaginative narrative forms, a uniquely 21st century approach to musical storytelling. He was recently named the second-most performed living composer, and the widespread embrace of his music has done much to change the sound of the orchestra. When he received the Heinz medal in the Humanities in 2012, Teresa Heinz said of Mason’s work:

“Mason Bates illustrates what can happen when a truly talented artist dares to stretch and even reinvent the boundaries of an art form. By merging symphonic orchestration with electronic sound and tackling broad creative themes, he is breathing new life into orchestral music and translating it for a new generation.”

Under the new vision of President Deborah F. Rutter, the Kennedy Center is re-imagining ways of presenting the arts in the 21st century through immersive audience engagement and inter-disciplinary programming. The artist’s creative vision will be at the center of the dialogue between the Kennedy Center and its patrons, allowing audiences to experience the vibrancy of the creative process more directly. By presenting new art to new audiences in new ways, Mason Bates will initiate a new era of creative programming at the Kennedy Center that will advance the Center’s ambition of discovering and nurturing the next generation of artistic expression.

Planned Kennedy Center commissions over the course of Bates’s residency include works for the National Symphony Orchestra, Washington National Opera, the Fortas Chamber Music Concerts, and performances of his contemporary dance programming. He will also be featured as a performer at many Kennedy Center performances across genres.

Read the Washington Post announcement here.

Colina REQUINAUTS CD

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Michael Colina’s Requinauts, recently released on Naxos with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and Chorus, has received wide attention and praise for its excellence.

Read the Opera News review here.

Purchase the CD here.

Joshua Roman premieres Mason Bates’ Cello Concerto

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Mason Bates, Mirga Grazinyte-Tyla (conductor) and Joshua Roman (cello)

Mason Bates, Mirga Grazinyte-Tyla (conductor) and Joshua Roman (cello)

Joshua Roman, the former 22-year-old principal of the Seattle Symphony, returned as soloist in December to give the premiere of Mason Bates’ new Cello Concerto. The Seattle Times writes “Bates’ history in techno music is evident in the strong rhythmic pulse of the concerto, which culminate in a fast-moving ‘Leger’ finale that starts off as a high-spirited jig and moves on to passages of phenomenal dexterity.”

The Seattle Times Review

Gil Shaham premieres David Bruce’s Violin Concerto

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Gil Shaham gave the premiere of David Bruce’s new Violin Concerto “Fragile Light” with the San Diego Symphony in three performances over 12-14 December, with a further performance already scheduled for Palm Springs in January.

Jahha Ling (conductor), Gil Shaham (violin), and David Bruce

Jahha Ling (conductor), Gil Shaham (violin), and David Bruce

The performance had a profound effect on Garrett Harris from SanDiegoReader.com who said about the piece “It took me deep… I’m not sure where I was headed but it was a place I’ve never been to before with music… How can you like something that changes your perception of what music is capable of?… It’s beyond ‘like,’ it’s beyond ‘love.’ ” and Ken Herman at San Diego Story said “this Violin Concerto has a future,” calling it a “serious, probing accomplishment.”

 

Kahane THE AMBASSADOR at BAM

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Gabriel Kahane’s astonishing tour of THE AMBASSADOR comes to Brooklyn’s BAM this week for 3 performances at the BAM Harvey Theater. You can view the Ambassador Atlas here.

#TheAmbassadorLA opened last night at BAM and Josh Goleman is real good at taking pictures. Tickets are still available tonight through Saturday. 

Purchase the album here.

View the BAM Trailer:

You can read more and listen to excerpts here.

AS ONE

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With music and concept by Laura Kaminsky, libretto by Mark Campbell and Kimberly Reed, the opera As One was given its premiere by American Opera Projects at the BAM Fisher Theater in September of 2014. The production featured a film by Kimberly Reed, and was universally praised for its honesty and originality.

A rich addition to the repertoire … formidable on all fronts … As One is everything that we hope for in contemporary opera: topical, poignant, daring, and beautifully written.”
– New York Classical Review

“Artistically distinguished, socially important … says so much with relatively modest means.”
– WQXR

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As One, … satisfies in an entertaining and delicately moving way.”
– New York Observer

A piece that haunts and challenges its audience with questions about identity, authenticity, compassion and the human desire for self-love and peace.”
– Opera News

As One forces you to think, simultaneously challenging preconceptions and inspiring empathy…[with] winning humor and a satisfying emotional arc.”
– The New York Times

“Perfect Boy” from As One [excerpt] from American Opera Projects on Vimeo.

Instrumentation

Mezzo-Soprano, Baritone, String Quartet (requires a conductor, who plays a small role in the piece).

Materials

Purchase scores

Order the CD

For additional information, visit the AS ONE website here.

Licensing

To obtain a quote on licensing As One for performance, please fill out a request here.

Opera News Interview with Laura Kaminsky on Premiere of Musical Opera As One

Mezzo soprano Sasha Cooke and Baritone Kelly Markgraf share the role of “Hannah,” the transgender protagonist in “As One”

Kaminsky One of Eight Recipients of Opera America’s Grant for Female Composers

“A Christmas Story” [excerpt] from As One from American Opera Projects on Vimeo.

“Out of Nowhere” [excerpt] from As one from American Opera Projects on Vimeo.

Performances

  1. World Premiere: American Opera Projects; Brooklyn Academy of Music, Sept. 2014
  2. Caine College of the Arts, Utah State University, April 2015
  3. West Edge Opera, Oakland Metro Opera House, July-August 2015
  4. UrbanArias, Atlas Center for the Performing Arts, October 2015
  5. International Opera Projects, Ballsaal Studio, Berlin Germany, July 2016
  6. Seattle Opera, November 2016
  7. Pittsburgh Opera, February 2017
  8. Opera Colorado, March 2017
  9. Long Beach Opera, May 2017
  10. New Orleans Opera, June 2017
  11. San Diego Opera, Nov. 2017
  12. Chicago Fringe Opera, Nov. 2017
  13. Des Moines Metro Opera, Nov. 2017
  14. Lyric Opera of Kansas City, January 2018
  15. Boston Opera Collaborative, January 2018
  16. Hawaii Opera Theatre, January 2018
  17. Anchorage Opera, February 2018
  18. Skylark Opera Theater, March 2018
  19. AEPEX Contemporary Performance, April 2018
  20. Opera on the Avalon, May-June 2018
  21. Cincinnati Opera, July 2018
  22. Chautauqua Opera, August 2018
  23. Peabody Opera, Nov. 2018
  24. Alamo City Opera, Jan. 2019
  25. Portland Opera, March 2019
  26. Opera Idaho, May 2019
  27. Eugene Opera, May 2019
  28. Merkin Concert Hall/American Opera Projects/New York City Opera, May/June 2019
  29. Opera Memphis, August 2019
  30. Bay Chamber Concerts, August 2019
  31. Boston University, October 2019
  32. Alchemical Studios (NYC), November 2019
  33. Opera Columbus, November 2019
  34. Pensacola Opera, November 2019
  35. EarSpace, Feb. 2020
  36. Gertrude Opera (Australia), Feb. 2020
  37. Shenandoah Conservatory, April 2020
  38. University of South Carolina, April 2020
  39. Teatro Espanol, Madrid, Sept.-Oct. 2020
  40. Utomjordiska, October 2020
  41. Orchestre Classique de Montreal, November 2020
  42. Servicios Especializados en Distribucion Artistica, Madrid, March 2021
  43. University of Kansas, April 2021
  44. Opera Orlando, May 2021
  45. Painted Sky Opera, May 2021
  46. Opera Maine, July 2021
  47. Lontano Trust, London Premiere, Sept. 2021
  48. Sacramento State School of Music, Nov. 2021
  49. Lowell Chamber Orchestra, Nov. 2021
  50. Opera Santa Barbara, March 2022
  51. Universidad de los Andes, March-April 2022
  52. Atlanta Opera, June 2022
  53. Hawaii Performing Arts Festival, July 2022
  54. Satakunnan musiikkijuhlat (Finland), August 2022
  55. Opera Steamboat (CO), September, 2022
  56. Lyric Opera of the North (MN), October 2022
  57. Boston Conservatory at Berklee, February 2023
  58. Florida State Opera, May 2023
  59. Holy City Arts & Lyric Opera, June 2023
  60. Washburn University, October 2023
  61. Theater Regensburg, December 2023-March 2024
  62. Kentucky Opera, April 2024
  63. NUOVA Vocal Arts, June 2024
  64. HOPERA, November 2024
  65. Piteaa Kammaropera, October 2025
  66. Union Avenue Opera, October 2025

Press

Denver Post, 2/25/2017

“As One” is the hottest title in opera right now, at least among the titles written in the last 100 years. The musical tale of a transgender woman’s personal evolution is somehow right on time–an accomplished bit of art-making, with considerable entertainment value, that thrusts itself smack into the current political and social discourse.

It’s in Denver this week week. Pittsburgh last. Seattle produced it in November and folks in New Orleans and Los Angeles get to hear it this spring. The chamber piece, which premiered at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in late 2014, has a rare vitality in a business where new works–including the good ones–have to fight for even a second show.

Opera companies love it. One reason is that it’s relatively inexpensive to present: no chorus, orchestra or big sets. Composer Laura Kaminsky’s creation has just two singers, a string quartet and a couple of temporary screens that show films in the background.

But that’s why audiences seem to like it, too. It’s intimate. All the complaints so frequently lodged against the art form–that it can be distant, formal and out-of-touch, aren’t a factor for “As One.” Nor is length; it clocks in at just 75 minutes.

December 19, 2014 – Excellence in Opera (“Freddie”) Award
Operavore

December 18, 2014 – Slate
The Uses of “Trans” in Art

October 2, 2014 – GAY CITY NEWS
Opera review: “New Starts”

September 11, 2014 – OUT MAGAZINE
Opera review: “A Transgender Woman’s Operatic Path to Self-Acceptance”

September 10, 2014 – NY OBSERVER
Opera review: “An Emotional Before-and-After Opera of Gender Transformation Premieres at BAM”

September 9, 2014 – Q ON STAGE
Opera review: “Magnificent ‘As One'”

September 9, 2014 – THE FILM EXPERIENCE
Opera review: “Stage Door: ‘As One’ by Kimberly Reed”

September 2014 – OPERA NEWS
Opera review: “As One BROOKLYN American Opera Projects”

September 5, 2014 – THE NEW YORK TIMES
Opera review: “The Arc of a Transgender Life”

September 5, 2014 – NEW YORK CLASSICAL REVIEW
Opera review: “Kaminsky’s transgender opera “As One” makes a poignant and remarkable premiere”

September 5, 2014 – WQXR: OPERAVORE
Opera review: “Opera As One Explores Gender Change, Identity Struggles”

September 5, 2014 – PARTERRE.COM
Opera review: “outskirts”

September 4, 2014 – WWFM: CADENZA
Opera profile: “As One”

September 4, 2014 – HUFFINGTON POST
Opera profile: “‘As One’ Opera Brings Husband And Wife Stars Together For Heartfelt Transgender Role”

September 3, 2014 – GAY CITY NEWS
Opera profile: “The Voyage to Oneness”

September 2, 2014 – BK LIVE
Opera profile: Video Interview: “As One”

September 2, 2014 – BROOKLYN DAILY
Opera profile: “Husband and wife share role of transgender woman in new opera”

September 2014 – OPERA NEWS
Composer/Opera profile: “Hearing Both Sides”

Fall 2014 – OPERA AMERICA MAGAZINE
Composer/Opera profile: “Are Women Different?”

July 17, 2014 – THE ADVOCATE
Opera profile: “Husband and Wife to Share Role in Trans Opera”

July 10, 2014 – WQXR: OPERAVORE
Opera profile: “What to Hear in NYC Opera and Vocal Music”

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