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2017 SHOWCASE
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November 2, 2017
The Cell Theatre
OVERVIEW
New music, particularly vocal pieces, represents the legacy of the cultural heritage of the magnificent and long-enduring genre of opera. Our “Showcase of New Songs and Arias” is an evening presentation of 3-4 new vocal works—either stand-alone songs, or arias from a larger works—keeping the operatic genre alive and fresh. The pieces are selected from a Call for Scores, yielding typically over 150 submissions, by a panel of Board members and advisors. The criteria for selecting pieces includes: overall quality—is the piece finished, does the orchestration make sense, is it sing-able; innovation—what does the piece to uniquely, how has the composer’s idiom pushed through the lyrics; programmability—how well does it fit into the overall program of the “Showcase”, ; ensuring that our “Showcase” is of the highest caliber. Musicians are selected from our Core Company Residents, who are vocalists and instrumentalists that are enthusiastic about new music and meet our high standards of excellence and professionalism in performance.
Featuring Paola Prestini's Body Maps
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COMPOSERS
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Marcus Maroney Greg A. Steinke
Monica Pearce Ingrid Stölzel
Paola Prestini
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PERFORMERS
Walter Aparicio, piano Maureen Kelly, cello
Lee Braun, oboe Sammy Lesnick, clarinet/bass clarinet
Shane Brown, baritone Victoria Lewis, violin
Denise Crawfort, soprano Lish Lindsey, flute
Christine Duncan, mezzo soprano Barbara Porto, soprano
Maggie Finnegan, soprano Sugar Vendil, piano
Jane Hoffman, soprano Jennifer Kuh, oboe
Sean Patrick Jernigan, baritone
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MEDIA
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PROGRAM
Leda Songs (2016, U.S. Premiere)
Monica Pearce
I. Rainer Maria Rilke (Christine Duncan)
II. H.D. (Denise Crawfort)
III. D.H. Lawrence (Barbara Porto)
Leda Songs is based on the tale of Leda and the Swan, a tale from Greek mythology whereby Zeus, in the form of a swan, seduces (or, depending on the interpretation, rapes) and impregnates Leda. The interpretation of this myth in art is multifaceted, with some works quite aggressive, many sensual and erotic, and some romantic. These three poems ornament the idea of metamorphosis, and the intertwining of two lovers.
Denise Crawfort, soprano Sammy Lesnick, clarinet/bass clarinet
Christine Duncan, mezzo soprano Victoria Lewis, violin
Barbara Porto, soprano
Victoria Benson, coach
Epitaphs (World Premiere)
Marcus Maroney
Shane Brown, baritone
Sugar Vendil, piano
The Gorgeous Nothings (2017)
Ingrid Stölzel
I. Clogged Only With Music
II. In This Short Life
III. Paradise Is No Journey
IV. The Little Sentences
V. It Is Very Still
The Gorgeous Nothings takes its title and inspiration from the facsimile publication of Emily Dickinson’s complete envelope writings edited by Marta L. Werner and Jen Bervin. These beautiful fragments range from completed, self-contained short poems to mere thoughts hastily expressed on scraps of paper.
Jane Hoffman, soprano
Lee Braun, oboe
Lish Lindsey, flute
Sugar Vendil, piano
Random Blackouts I (2016)
Dr. Greg A. Steinke
Frontispiece: Trees
Prologue (Origins are Easy)
I. Dirty Word IV. Leaves on Fire
II. Extinction is Bliss V. The Buzz of Insects
III. Fireflies VI. Gasoline
Sean Patrick Jernigan, baritone
Walter Aparicio, piano
Sugar Vendil, piano
Body Maps (2007)
Paola Prestini
This personal portrait explores the plurality of certain human experiences, highlighting our strengths and vulnerabilities, particularly those of our own bodies. The piece explores the range of both the cello and the human voice (itself a body part), structurally balanced by both a choir of voices and a choir of cellos. Though essentially a duo, the layering and counterpoint represent the complexity and scope of the theme.
Maggie Finnegan, soprano
Maureen Kelly, cello
