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You are here: Home / Archives for Laura Kaminsky

Laura Kaminsky

Lucidity debuts at On Site Opera

February 6, 2025 by Bill

Lucidity, a new opera by composer Laura Kaminsky and librettist David Cote premiered at the Abrons Arts Center in November 2024, in a stunning production by On Site Opera. The work deals with the challenging issues of aging and memory loss, in a profound way, by focusing on music’s effect on the brain.

In her twilight years, a retired singer grapples with dementia while her son forsakes his music career to care for her. Their lives converge with a young clarinetist and a music therapy researcher, igniting an exploration of music and memory. Amidst their individual struggles, moments of joy and profound sacrifice illuminate their intertwining paths.

The work featured a distinguished cast that included Lucy Shelton, Blythe Gaissert, Cristina Maria Castro and Eric McKeever. Directed by Sarah Meyers, with musical direction by Geoffrey McDonald.

 

Filed Under: HomePage, Laura Kaminsky Tagged With: Kaminsky, opera

As One Celebrates 10 Years!

September 4, 2024 by Bill

The history-making chamber opera about a transgender person’s experiences is one of the most produced contemporary operas in the world.

American Opera Projects (AOP) is proud to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the premiere of As One, the chamber opera that the esteemed company commissioned and premiered at the Brooklyn Academy of Music on September 4, 2014. Created by Kimberly Reed, Laura Kaminsky, and Mark Campbell, this highly innovative work–which traces the experiences of its transgender protagonist in her formative years–has since been produced in 60+ venues in the U.S., Europe, Canada, South America, and Australia. The original production starred Sasha Cooke and Kelly Markgraf, with Steven Osgood conducting the Fry Street Quartet and Ken Cazan directing.

AOP’s Interim General Director Charles Jarden says, “For more than three decades, AOP has been a major force in developing new opera. While I am gratified with the monumental success of As One, I am equally thrilled that the opera has increased the visibility of trans people in our world and our industry.” Adds Amy Cassello, Artistic Director of the Brooklyn Academy of Music, “BAM is very proud to have played even a small part in the launch of this groundbreaking opera.”

When asked why As One is so appealing, co-librettist and filmmaker Kimberly Reed explains: “More than anything else, I think Laura, Mark, and I sought to create a joyful story centered on a character who gives audiences a chance to empathize. And laugh. And maybe cry.”

Lucia Lucas and Blythe Gaissert in Atlanta Opera’s As One (photo by: Raftermen)

Adds Alexandra Enyart, who has frequently conducted the opera: “As One has changed the trajectories for transgender performers around the country. For many companies, As One marks the first time they’ve ever featured a transgender person on stage. Even better, many companies have used As One as a springboard to include transgender people in roles and stories of all kinds.”

Lucia Lucas, who performed in the Atlanta Opera production (and stars in the Tobias Picker/Aryeh Lev Stollman opera, Lili Elbe), says: “I am so thankful to Kim for sharing her story and bringing it into the medium of opera with Mark and Laura. Some of the scenes perfectly encapsulate moments I have experienced in my life; it was very powerful to play those moments on stage.”

“As One has been an important part of my own personal and professional story.” continues Lucas Bouk, who has also performed in the opera. “It has helped me explore what it means to be trans, how to tell my own story, and how to create community.

Lucas Bouk and Georgia Jacobson in Lyric Opera of the North’s As One (photo by: Michelle Skirda)

But the story of As One doesn’t end there. In 2022, the creative team decided to leverage the success of their work and conceived the True Voice Award to support the training of transgender and nonbinary opera singers. Washington National Opera (WNO) agreed to administer the bi-annual award. Francesca Zambello, Artistic Director, WNO, says, “We are proud to be the home of the True Voice Award and grateful for these amazing artists who allow us to be an integral part of their artistic journey.” Adds Christopher Cano, Director, Cafritz Young Artists and the American Opera Initiative, WNO: “Nonbinary and trans artists deserve to have a place in our world, to have their stories told, and to have their voices heard with honesty and pride.”

On this landmark day, AOP extends its gratitude to the many companies that have produced As One in the decade since its premiere and to Kimberly, Laura, and Mark for creating the work.

Marc A. Scorca, President and CEO of OPERA America, perhaps best summarizes the impact of the work: “The beauty and emotional impact of As One fueled the expansion of American opera into alternative venues and repertoire that resonates with the world around us. It earned its place as the most performed new work of the last decade and changed the opera landscape.”

Selections from As One

Click here to inquire about the 10th Anniversary tour.

Filed Under: HomePage, Laura Kaminsky, Mark Campbell Tagged With: opera

Ursula Oppens on Laura Kaminsky

July 14, 2021 by Bill

Pianist Ursula Oppens discusses the music of Laura Kaminsky and her new CD of Kaminsky’s works:

Read the article here.

Filed Under: HomePage, Laura Kaminsky

AS ONE most-produced opera in North America by a living composer

February 6, 2018 by Bill

Opera America has posted a list of the top 25 operas performed in North America. Number 14 on the list is As One, (Kaminsky, Campbell, Reed) making it the top opera performed in 2016/17 by living writers. Dead Man Walking (Heggie, McNally) comes in as number 23.

Congratulations to Laura Kaminsky, Mark Campbell, Kimberly Reed, Jake Heggie and Terrence McNally! You can see the full list here.

 

Filed Under: HomePage, Laura Kaminsky, Mark Campbell Tagged With: opera

Kaminsky named one of the top 35 female composers

August 4, 2017 by Bill

The Washington Post has released a list of the top 35 female composers working in classical music. Laura Kaminsky made the list, citing her distinguished career and, most notably, her opera As One.

The list goes back to 19th-century-born composers like Florence Price and Cecile Chamanade, and is a striking reminder of the wide range of talent and stylistic variety among these brilliant composers.

Filed Under: HomePage, Laura Kaminsky

Santa Fe Opera Commissions Reed & Kaminsky

May 16, 2017 by Bill

Opera for All Voices
Stories of our Time
a new initiative bringing stories with purpose to all audiences

Commissioned by a consortium of companies led by
Santa Fe Opera in association with San Francisco Opera:

• lyric opera of kansas city • minnesota opera • opera theatre of saint louis •san francisco opera • santa fe opera • sarasota opera • seattle opera

Santa Fe, NM – Santa Fe Opera announces the launch of Opera for All Voices: Stories of our Time, a new initiative committed to telling wide-ranging stories that resonate with all audiences, regardless of age or previous exposure to opera. The seven companies currently in the consortium will work together to commission new works that are flexible in scope and scale, with the potential to be performed in smaller venues and off the main stage while striving for rich storytelling and artistic integrity. The first new work will receive its premiere in 2019 at Santa Fe Opera, composed by Augusta Read Thomas with a libretto by Jason Kim. The second commission will be composed by Laura Kaminsky with a libretto by Kimberly Reed and is slated to premiere at San Francisco Opera in 2020.

Opera for All Voices was born out of the need for works with outstanding artistic quality that can still reach broad-ranging audiences by both accessibility of subject material and budgets. The project also addresses the serious need to bring new audiences to opera by commissioning important works that speak to all voices, designed with modern attention spans in mind, and the need to break down pre-conceived notions that opera is antiquated or elitist.

The teams behind the first two commissions were selected through a rigorous process with feedback from the participating companies. Both teams embody the spirit of the initiative in their previous works, telling stories with purpose through music.

Filed Under: HomePage, Laura Kaminsky Tagged With: opera

Some Light Emerges premieres at Houston Grand Opera

January 20, 2017 by Bill

The team that created the stunning new opera As One has reunited to create Some Light Emerges for Houston Grand Opera’s HGOCo. Premiering in March 2017, the opera celebrates the unique and enduring impact of Houston’s Rothko Chapel, which was created by painter Mark Rothko. A stunning octagonal structure that serves as a non-denominational chapel, the structure is filled with 14 paintings by Rothko, and was completed in 1971.

Houston Grand Opera shines “Light” on Rothko Chapel

A review from the Houston Chronicle, following the premiere of the new Kaminsky-Campbell-Reed opera, writes:

“Some Light Emerges, the new opera commissioned by Houston Grand Opera through its community collaborative initiative, dives right into Rothko and de Menil’s shared spiritual vision with plaintive, purposefully meandering music by Laura Kaminsky and an audacious libretto by Mark Campbell and Kimberly Reed. The 75-minute chamber piece–written for seven singers and seven instruments–just might be the best articulation of the Rothko Chapel’s purpose in modern times … it’s nothing short of a pronunciation of American ideals. The piece remained sublime, a testament to both the performers and the writing.”

View excerpts from the premiere production.

http://www.billholabmusic.com/Kaminsky/Some-Light-Emerges.mp4

Filed Under: HomePage, Laura Kaminsky, Mark Campbell Tagged With: opera

Kaminsky/Campbell/Reed to write Georgia O’Keefe Opera

January 4, 2016 by Bill

3dadea7San Francisco’s Opera Parallele (OP) has announced its first main stage opera commission, the creation of a new opera by American composer Laura Kaminsky inspired by the life of Georgia O’Keeffe at the time she left New York to embark on her iconic and influential experiences in New Mexico. The company has been awarded a prestigious Repertoire Development Grant from Opera America in the amount of $35,000 to support the work’s initial stages of creation and workshopping, and is set for an April 2019 premiere. The opera will feature a libretto by Mark Campbell and Kimberly Reed, with a film by Reed as part of the production. The production team will be led by Opera Parallele Creative Director Brian Staufenbiel, will be conducted by OP Artistic Director and founder Nicole Paiement and will feature a cast of ten, details will be announced. The production is being undertaken by Opera Parallele in consortium with American Opera Projects and Cornish College of the Arts, and all three co-commissioners will present performances and other activities to be announced.

About The Opera

Today It Rains is set in May 1929, when Georgia O’Keeffe takes a train from New York to Santa Fe with her friend Rebecca Strand, propelling herself away from her tumultuous relationship with Alfred Stieglitz and his circle in search of a more fulfilled life as an artist. The libretto will segue seamlessly between O’Keeffe and Strand, charging forward through the American landscape, and O’Keeffe looking back on her love for Stieglitz. The opera will culminate in a moving finale as O’Keeffe arrives in Santa Fe to begin her new life. The opera’s title comes from one of O’Keeffe’s letters.

About The Composer

Laura Kaminsky is an award-winning, internationally recognized composer of opera, orchestra, chamber, vocal and choral music who is known to Bay Area audiences most recently for the Festival Opera production of As One, an opera about gender identity . As One (co-librettists Mark Campbell and Kimberly Reed), premiered in 2014 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) to unanimously positive reviews, and was mounted in 2015 by Festival Opera in Oakland. Subsequently, the As One team has since been commissioned by Houston Grand Opera for a new work, Some Light Emerges, that will premiere in 2017, and by San Francisco’s Opera Parallèle for Today It Rains. Other upcoming commissions include a Piano Quintet for Ursula Oppens and the Cassatt String Quartet and a new work for Flute and Piano for the University of Minnesota/Duluth.

Kaminsky has received grants, awards and fellowships from, among others, the National Endowment for the Arts, Koussevitzky Music Foundation, Opera America, Chamber Music America, BAM/The Kennedy Center De Vos Institute, Aaron Copland Fund, Virgil Thomson Foundation, Roger Shapiro Fund for New Music, American Music Center, USArtists International, CEC ArtsLink International Partnerships, Likhachev-Russkiy Mir Foundation Cultural Fellowship, Kenan Institute for the Arts, Artist Trust, New York State Council on the Arts, Bronx Arts Council, Arts Westchester, North Carolina Arts Council, Seattle Arts Commission, and Meet the Composer. She has received six ASCAP-Chamber Music America Awards for Adventuresome Programming, a citation from the Office of the President of the Borough of Manhattan, the 2015 Polish Gold Cross of Merit, a decoration awarded by the President of Poland for exemplary public service or humanitarian work, as well as the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage 2010 Chopin Award. She has been a fellow at the Hermitage Artist Retreat Center, Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Centrum Foundation, Dorland Mountain Arts Colony, and Millay Colony for the Arts, and, in 2016, the Camargo Foundation in Cassis, France.

Currently composer-in-residence at American Opera Projects, Kaminsky is a member of the faculty in the School of the Arts/Conservatory of Music at Purchase College/SUNY, where she served as dean from 2004-2008; she was also Artistic Director of Symphony Space in New York City until 2014. Previously she was chair of the music department at Cornish College of the Arts in Seattle, Artistic Director of the European Mozart Academy in Poland, and visiting faculty at the National Academy of Music in Ghana. In New York she held the positions of Director of Music and Theatre Programs at The New School, Artistic Director of Town Hall, and Associate Director of Humanities at the 92nd Street Y.

Filed Under: HomePage, Laura Kaminsky, Mark Campbell Tagged With: opera

Washington Post’s Lovable New Operas

August 16, 2015 by Bill

The Washington Post lists contemporary operas that audiences responded to favorably (“Readers’ Guide to Lovable New Operas“), and several BHM operas were included:

Dead Man Walking

Moby-Dick

Silent Night

The Manchurian Candidate

As One

There are also 10 operas on this list that we’ve engraved in our production department.

Congrats to Jake Heggie, Kevin Puts, Terrence McNally, Laura Kaminsky, Kimberly Reed, and the indefatigable Mark Campbell who wrote 3 of these librettos.

Filed Under: HomePage, Jake Heggie, Kevin Puts, Laura Kaminsky, Mark Campbell Tagged With: opera

West Edge Opera brings AS ONE to the West Coast

July 20, 2015 by Bill

WEAs One illuminates the brave and painful growth of a transgender person, whose identity is still deemed “abnormal” and, more shamefully for our world, is barely recognized. The deeply normal need to unite body and soul within the boundaries of accepted human interactions has much to reveal to all of us.

As One premiered at The Brooklyn Academy of Music just this past September. It is based on the life experience of noted filmmaker Kimberly Reed.

Two singers, a baritone and a mezzo-soprano, together portray the character Hannah. The two singers embody a young boy who knows he is different but can’t understand how or why. The 70-minute opera traces the life of young Hannah through her eventual gender reassignment. It examines the life of a transgender person through poetry, movement, beautiful music and film in a new and especially touching way.

New York Classical Review called its premiere this past September 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.”

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

Filed Under: HomePage, Laura Kaminsky, Mark Campbell Tagged With: opera

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