Opera Philadelphia to Celebrate Eight Composers With Special Concert

Opera Philadelphia is set to celebrate a decade of new opera with a special concert on March 18, 2023. The showcase will bring together eight resident composers and spotlight their music. Among the composers who will be celebrated are  Lembit Beecher, Courtney Bryan, David Hertzberg, David T. Little, Missy Mazzoli, Andrew Norman, Rene Orth, and Tyshawn Sorey. The performance will feature such artists as Lawrence Brownlee, who will {…}

Oct 3, 2022

Q & A: Composer Lembit Beecher Talks About His New Song Cycle ‘A Year to the Day’

Photo: Jamie Jung American composer Lembit Beecher has collaborated with librettist/lyricist Mark Campbell to write “A Year to the Day,” a new song cycle rooted in, but not about, the pandemic. The concept was Campbell’s, and it was he who approached the composer. Together, they wrote six songs, along with five instrumental interludes for tenor Nicholas Phan, violinist Augustin Hadelich, {…}

Sep 20, 2022

Nicholas Phan Headlines World Premiere of Beecher & Campbell’s ‘A Year to the Day’

The Violin Channel is set to present “A Year to the Day” on Oct. 7, 2022 at 7 p.m. The dramatic song cycle by composer Lembit Beecher with lyrics by librettist Mark Campbell, which explores the life of an artist during the pandemic, will feature performances by tenor Nicholas Phan, violinist Augustin Hadelich, pianist Orion Weiss, and cellist Karen Ouzounian. {…}

Feb 3, 2022

Maggie Finnegan, Kindra Scharich, Bradley Kynard to Headline Opera Parallèle’s Production of ‘Sophia’s Forest’

Opera Parallèle is set to present the west coast premiere of “Sophia’s Forest” this February. The one-act opera by Lembit Beecher and Hannah Moscovitch, will star Maggie Finnegan, Kindra Scharich, Bradley Kynard, Victoria Ko, Samantha Fung-Lee, and actor Charlotte Fanvu. Nicole Paiement will conduct a production directed by Brian Staufenbiel. “Sophia’s Forest” focuses on the trauma experienced by immigrant families {…}

Aug 10, 2020

Brooklyn Art Song Society Announces New Music Advisory Board

(Photo Credit: Arielle Doneson/Victory Hall Opera official website) The Brooklyn Art Song Society has announced its new Music Advisory Board. The organization revealed that soprano Laura Strickling, baritone Jorell Williams, and composers Katherine Balch and Lembit Beecher have become the new BASS Music advisors. The four artists will be engaged in devising the long-term plans for BASS’ New Voices Festival, {…}

Sep 2, 2017

Q&A: Lembit Beecher On The Philadephia Premiere Of His Opera ‘I Have No Stories To Tell You’

On Sept. 14, 2017, Opera Philadelphia will open “War Stories,” a double bill featuring Monetverdi’s “Il combattimento di Tancredi e Clorinda” and Lembit Beecher’s “I Have No Stories to Tell You.” The pairing features two stories about war and their effects on their heroes. It is also a chance to see a classic baroque work juxtaposed with a modern work. Beecher {…}