New york city, New york city (PRWEB) Might 08, 2013
On Website Opera and Harlem Opera Theater welcome you to travel back to the roaring ’20s as they present Gershwin’s Blue Monday at the historical Cotton Club (656 W 125th St.) Performances are Tuesday, June 18 and Wednesday, June 19, 2013 at 7pm with an hour of cocktails and dancing before the curtain at 8pm. The production marks a dynamic collaboration in between On Site Opera and Harlem Opera Theater. The creative directors of both companies (Eric Einhorn, On Website Opera and Gregory Hopkins, Harlem Opera Theater) will certainly be at the helm of “Blue Monday”, bringing their distinct visions to this extraordinary event. Joining Einhorn and Hopkins on the production group are Tony Prize-winning choreographer George Faison, outfit designer Candida K. Nichols, members of The Harlem Chamber Players and The Cotton Club All Stars.
. Thirteen years prior to George Gershwin wrote his landmark opera “Porgy and Bess”, he composed a one-act opera that fused Italian opera with a truly American design. The outcome was “Blue Monday”. This Thirty Minutes jazz opera gem is embeddeded in a 1920’s Harlem jazz club where an enthusiast’s spat turns homicidal to the music of Gershwin that audiences adore.
. With “Blue Monday” at The Cotton Club, On Website Opera continues its objective of presenting site-specific opera outside the walls of a traditional opera house. When audiences step into The Cotton Club, they will certainly be carried back in time to the musical height of the Harlem Renaissance. The Cotton Club All Stars (lead by Alvin Pazant) will play popular jazz and swing standards to commemorate Harlem’s heyday. String gamers from The Harlem Chamber Players will then join the band to carry out Gershwin’s lush score.
. The gifted African-American cast stars soprano Alyson Cambridge as Vi, a things of many guys’s affections. Cambridge recently debuted the role of Julie in “Show Boat” at Chicago Lyric Opera, where critics noted that her “sensuous, smoky readings were revelatory” (Opera News). Young American tenor Chase Taylor, a current Metropolitan Opera National Council regional finalist, plays Joe, Vi’s gambling sweetheart.
. Baritone Lawrence Craig repeats the role of Tom, the club headliner, which he tape-recorded in 1998 with Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops. Flexible bass Alvin Crawford (last seen on Broadway in “The Lion King”) and bass-baritone Clayton Mathews complete the cast as club workers Sam and Mike, respectively.
. About On Site Opera:
. In their inaugural period in 2013, On Website Opera (the brainchild of renowned director Eric Einhorn) presented Shostakovich’s “The Tale of the Silly Baby Mouse” among the animals of the Bronx Zoo, and got rave reviews from the New york city Times, who exclaimed, “Every now and then you witness a debut so delighted therefore rich with prospective that you can not wait to share the news.” On Site Opera is a new opera business built around the idea that exciting efficiencies can take place outside the walls of a conventional theater. Through immersive, site-specific productions, entertainers and audiences will experience great music and drama as never before in a few of New york city’s many interesting spaces.
. In addition to site-specific productions, On Website Opera’s mission is to create neighborhood collaborations in order to bring opera to new and underserved audiences, in addition to to foster the development of arising talent through efficiency and production opportunities. . http://www.osopera.org|http://www.facebook.com/OnSiteOpera|https://twitter.com/onsiteopera!.?.! About Harlem Opera Theater: . Under Artistic Director Gregory Hopkins, globally well-known tenor, conductor, organist and pianist, the Harlem Opera Theater’s efficiencies consist of all types of musical offerings: opera, oratory shows, recitals, Negro Spirituals and varied types of American music. Harlem Opera Theater’s mission is
to offer efficiency opportunities for talented expert and developing singers, as well as other musicians of extraordinary potential for an operatic profession in the local, national and global online forums; offer operatic performance, education and establish audiences for the art form in underserved neighborhoods; provide a competitive location for the support and promo of exceptional talent within that very same neighborhood; and to give a specific, though not unique focus on music about the African-American experience. . Founded in 2001, Harlem Opera Theater has presented over 90 artists to an audience of 11,000 clients. The collection includes the”Opera for Beginners”literacy task for young historians in New york city City public schools and after school programs, collaborations with other organizations and a worldwide tour of the Harlem Opera Theater Vocal Competitors winners to several countries in South America. . http://www.harlemoperatheater.org!.?.! About The Harlem Chamber Players: . The Harlem Chamber Players is a multi-ethnic cumulative of expert musicians committed to bringing cost effective and available live symphonic music to individuals in the Harlem neighborhood and beyond. The Harlem Chamber Players not just bring live chamber music to underserved communities in the Harlem community, but also develop opportunities for classically trained minority
artists. . The
Harlem Chamber Players was founded in
2008 by clarinetist Liz Player and violist Charles Dalton, who fulfilled while carrying out at a Black History Month gala concert at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall and was motivated by Janet Wolfe, creator of the New york city City Housing Symphony Orchestra and long-time patron of minority classical musicians. The Harlem Chamber Players have since been bringing live chamber music to Harlem and beyond through its acclaimed”Music
at St. Mary’s “series at the historic St. Mary’s Church of Manhattanville and numerous free outdoor and other neighborhood outreach shows. . http://www.harlemchamberplayers.org|http://www.facebook.com/TheHarlemChamberPlayers!.?.! Artist Biographies . Alyson Cambridge, soprano . American soprano Alyson Cambridge has actually been hailed by critics as”radiant, vocally guaranteed, significantly and convincing, and artistically creative “(Washington Post)and noted for her “powerful, clear voice.”(New York Times)Her rich, warm soprano, integrated with her noticeably beautiful phase presence and her affecting musical and dramatic analysis, have actually brought her over a years of success on the leading opera phases through out the United States with The Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago and Washington National Opera amongst them, as well as recent debuts in Paris, Berlin, Vienna, and Beijing. Her repertoire includes the roles of Mimi,
Violetta, Liu, Thaïs, Marguerite, Donna Elvira, Contessa ,
and Carmen, to name a few, in addition to recent successful ventures into the crossover Broadway and jazz collection. . Upcoming and recent engagements include a return to Washington National Opera, as Julie in”Show Boat”, a launching as the featured artist with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and debuts at Royal Albert Hall in London and Florentine Opera, as Mimi in”La bohème”. She also performs shows and recitals in New York, Chicago, Washington, D.C., headings a multi-city performance tour of China, and carries out on several charity galas. She will likewise begin work on her 2nd CD, a compilation of jazz and crossover favorites from The Fantastic American Songbook. Alyson Cambridge is a graduate of the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program. Ms. Cambridge was likewise awarded Very first Reward in the 2003 Licia Albanese-Puccini
Foundation International Voice Competition, was a 2004 George London Foundation Award recipient, and got the Régine Crespin Award at the 2008 Elardo International Opera Competitors. . http://www.alysoncambridge.com|https://twitter.com/alysoncambridge|http://www.facebook.com/alysoncambridgesoprano|http://www.youtube.com/user/musiclover100869!.?.! Lawrence Craig, baritone . Internationally acclaimed baritone Lawrence Craig is known for his “virtuosic talent”in opera, show and recital. Most especially, he has looked like Escamillo in”Carmen”, Guglielmo in”Cosi fan tutte”, Ford in”Falstaff”and Papageno in”Pass away Zauberflöte”. Current appearances consist of Henry Davis in “Street Scene “with L’Opéra de Toulon, Sportin’ Life in” Porgy and Bess” with the Virginia Opera and the Buck Hill-Skytop Music Celebration, the American premiere of Kurt Weill’s “Pass away Bürgschaft”with the Spoleto Festival U.S.A (tape-recorded for EMI Classics ), Handel’s”Messiah”with the Rochester Philharmonic, Mozart’s”Missa solemnis”
at Lincoln Center, Ray’s”Scripture Mass”at Carnegie Hall, opera and jazz shows for the Mozambique International Music Festival, Music Sharing from New York in Japan and he marked his Broadway launching in Baz Luhrmann’s”La Bohème On Broadway”. Carrying out in the NYC performance to honor President Barack Obama’s receipt of the Nobel Peace Reward was a season emphasize. A veteran of jazz, classic, Broadway and modern music efficiencies, his most uncommon function was as both stage director and the character Sportin’Life in the Albanian National Opera’s recent triumphant production of”
Porgy and Bess”.
. http://www.lawrencecraig.com!.?.! Alvin Crawford, bass baritone . Bass Alvin Crawford has actually performed Sarastro in “The Magic Flute “(Volksoper Wien), Der Lautschprecher in “Der Kaiser Von Atlantis “(La Philharmonic, Spoleto Festival Italy and New World Symphony ), Pistola in”Falstaff “and Sourin in”The Queen of Spades “(Canadian Opera Company), Il Grande Inquisitor in” Don Carlos “, and Alvise in “La Gioconda “(Staatstheater Kassel), The Ghost in”Hamlet “and Dr. Grenvile in “La Traviata”(Opera Theatre of St. Louis.)Recent Broadway engagements consist of Mufasa in “The Lion King”, Lion in”Candide “, John in”Miss Saigon “and Sam Cooke in “The Friend Holly Story “. Mr. Crawford’s television and film credits include”It Runs in the Household “(MGM ),”Clarence” (CBC ), PBS Great Performances of”South Pacific”at Carnegie Hall, and “Hope for me Paul Henderson “(CBC). Mr. Crawford is a Graduate of The Juilliard School. . Eric Einhorn, phase director . Acclaimed stage director Eric Einhorn has actually been commended by The Austin Chronicle as “an increasing star in the opera world”and by Opera News for his”eager eye for detail and character insight. “Mr. Einhorn has directed productions for Chicago Lyric Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, Pittsburgh Opera, Ft. Worth Opera, Wolf Trap Opera, Florentine Opera, Austin Lyric Opera, Utah Opera, and Gotham Chamber Opera. He has belonged to the stage directing personnel at the Metropolitan Opera considering that 2005. He is the creator On Site Opera, and in 2011 conceived and
directed Shostakovich’s” The Tale of the Silly Baby Mouse” at the Bronx Zoo. . The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette called Mr. Einhorn’s production of”Dialogues des Carmélites”for Pittsburgh Opera one of the top ten timeless music efficiencies of 2011. He originally produced the production for Austin Lyric Opera in 2009 and was granted “Finest Opera” at the Austin Critics ‘Table Awards in addition to garnering him an election for”Ideally Director. “Upcoming productions include a brand-new multi-media staging of “Tosca”with the Pacific Symphony and a new production with the Florentine Opera in Milwaukee. http://www.ericeinhorn.com!.?.! George Faison, choreographer . As producer, writer, essayist, author, director, choreographer, dancer and star, George Faison’s multifaceted profession is packed with awards and honor. He was a previous principal dancer with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. He went on to form his own dance business,
The Universal Dance Experience, where he choreographed” Slaves”,” Tilt “and”Suite Otis “. In 1972, Faison made his choreographic debut on Broadway with the musical”Don’t Trouble Me, I Can not Cope”. In 1975, he ended up being the very first African American to victory a Tony Award for choreography for”The Wiz”, the successful all-black musical retelling of”The Wizard of Oz”. George Faison has choreographed and directed more than thirty plays and musicals, consisting of the Broadway musicals “Via Galactica”,”1600 Pennsylvania Opportunity “and a Tony Award-nominated Radio City Music Hall production of” Porgy and Bess “. He has actually choreographed and staged shows for leading artists such as Earth, Wind and Fire; Roberta Flack; Aretha Franklin; Gladys Knight and the Pips; Stevie Marvel; Dionne Warwick and Ashford and Simpson. In 2000, George and co-founder Little bit Schnugg opened the Faison Firehouse Theater in Harlem hailed by the media as”Hollywood in Harlem, bringing culture and art to the community.”Since its opening, Dr. Faison has actually launched the Firehouse Respect Project, a mentoring program which remains to reach the underserved youth in the tri state location and particularly those in Harlem while also providing professional carrying out arts jobs at his state of the art theater. http://faisonfirehouse.org!.?.! Gregory
Hopkins, conductor .
Gregory Hopkins, commemorated tenor and Artistic Director of Harlem Opera Theater, is a native of Philadelphia and holds degrees from Temple University and the Curtis Institute of Music. He is the winner of leading prizes in the Busseto Verdi competition and the Mantova International Vocal Competitors, both in Italy. As a singer, pianist, organist, Choral conductor, teacher and clinician, Dr. Hopkins has actually taken a trip throughout the Americas, Europe, Asia and The Middle East with recent performances including The Cervantes Celebration(Mexico), Orvieto Celebration(Italy)and Umbria Celebration( Italy). As a teacher, he has actually served on the professors of Community College of Philadelphia, Morgan State University, Westminster Choir College and NY Academy of the East. Currently, he is Assistant Professor of Voice at Howard University. For nearly a quarter of a century Dr. Hopkins has been Minister of Music for Harlem’s Convent Opportunity Baptist Church. He is likewise Music Director for the Harlem Jubilee Singers and Cocolo Japanese Gospel Choir. Dr. Hopkins ‘recording credits include Gershwin’s “Blue Monday”, Kurt Weill’s” Lost in destiny”and a recording of spirituals entitled”Amazing Grace, “which he also conducted. . Clayton Mathews, bass-baritone . “Bass Baritone, Clayton Mathews as Don Alfonso was terrific. His low, rich tone left absolutely nothing to be desired and I was very delighted each time he sang.”( Phase Publication )”Bass-baritone Mathews ‘diction and bright, forward tone made sure that pitch and text were never lost in the structure, providing with a captivating smile.”(South Florida Classical Evaluation ) . Bass-Baritone Clayton Mathews, a local of St.
Louis, has actually been commended for his rich vibrant tone and animated interpretations. He has actually performed skillfully in opera companies such as Miami Lyric Opera, Riuniti Opera, Sunday Opera and the Opera Job of Lambertville, NJ. Mr. Mathews ‘most distinguished functions include Amonasro from”Aida”, Don Alfonso from”Cosi fan tutte”, and Giorgio from”I Puritani”. He has likewise carried out the musical theatre roles of Javert from “Les Miserables “and Agwe from “When on this Island”. He holds a B.M. in Voice Efficiency from Barry University. . Candida K. Nichols, costume designer . Candida K. Nichols is an outfit designer and photographer based in New York City. Costume design credits include work for the Lincoln Center Theater/Institute, The New Jersey Shakespeare Festival, the Nationwide Eastern American Theatre Company, Gotham Chamber Opera, the Perseverance Theater, the Nerve Tank, Williams College and Dance Cores among others. Her design work has likewise been seen in lots of independent short movies. In 2002 she was the associate designer for “Light of the World”, a cultural occasion held during the Salt Lake City Winter season Olympics. Candida is a resident artist with Theater Mitu, which produces work in the Unites States and the United Arab Emirates. Theater Mitu’s work concentrates on research and training of world efficiency customs.
Candida is the recipient of the Richard L. Hay Design Fellowship at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and the Roy Crane Award for Outstanding Creative Achievement in the Carrying out Arts. . http://www.candidaknichols.com. . Chase Taylor, tenor . American tenor Chase Taylor is understood for his phase presence, artistic level of sensitivity, and stentorian high notes. He received his Bachelor of Arts from the University of North Carolina School for the Arts, with postgraduate research studies at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, and Mannes College. Recent appearances include the Messenger( cover )in”Aida”, the Leader(cover) in Weill’s “Lost in the Stars”, and different concerts with the Glimmerglass Festival in the summer of 2012; Oliver Hix in “The Music Guy”at the Royal Opera Residence Muscat with the Glimmerglass Celebration; carrying out at the 27th Annual International Prayer Breakfast for the Christian Embassy at the UN;”Program Boat” with the Lyric Opera of Chicago; Bacchus in” Ariadne auf Naxos ”
at the Jaffa Music Center/IVAI under Maestro Paul Nadler in Tel Aviv, Israel; and Master classes with Marcello Giordani, Dolora Zajick, Warren Jones, and Virginia Zeani. Upcoming looks include Joe in” Blue Monday”with On Website Opera/Harlem Opera Theater, and Gladiator in”Eliogabalo” with Gotham Chamber Opera. He was a Regional Finalist in the 2012 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions New England District. . Tuesday, June 18 & Wednesday, June 19, 2013 . 7pm: Cocktails & Dancing|8pm: Blue Monday . The Cotton Club|656 W 125th St|New york city, NY . Tickets:$ 20 (mixed drinks not consisted of )at http://onsitebluemonday.eventbrite.com . to find out more: http://www.osopera.org or 917.243.8340 . Performed by Gregory Hopkins . Directed by Eric Einhorn . Choreographed by George Faison . Including Alyson Cambridge, Chase Taylor, Lawrence Craig, Clayton Mathews and Alvin Crawford with The Harlem Chamber Players and The Cotton Club All Stars . . . . . Find More Musical Theater Auditions Rochester Ny News release
