Karen Slack & Miró Quartet to World Premiere Tamar-kali’s ‘Pleasure Garden’

https://operawire.com/karen-slack-miro-quartet-to-world-premiere-tamar-kalis-pleasure-garden/

The GRAMMY-nominated Miró Quartet will join GRAMMY-winning soprano Karen Slack for the world premiere performances of “Pleasure Garden” by composer Tamar-kali. The work is co-commissioned by Arizona Friends of Chamber Music and the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, with premieres scheduled for Jan. 28, 2026, in Tucson and Feb. 22, 2026, in Philadelphia. The Jan. 28 performance will take place at {…}

IndieOpera

Harlem Stage to Present Tamar-kali’s ‘The Swann’

https://operawire.com/harlem-stage-to-present-tamar-kalis-the-swann/

Harlem Stage is set to present excerpts from Tamar-kali and Carl Hancock Rux’s “The Swann” on May 3 and 4, 2024. The opera tells the story of William Dorsey Swann, the first known person to identify as “queen of drag.” The opera stars Brian McQueen in the title role. He is joined by Daniel Moody, Tesia Kwarteng, Portia Johnson, Kenneth {…}

Behind the Scenes, Interviews

Q & A: Tamar-kali & James Blaszko on the Inspiration & Co-Creation of ‘SWANN’

https://operawire.com/q-a-tamar-kali-james-blaszko-on-the-inspiration-co-creation-of-swann/

Earlier this month, Catapult Opera released “SWANN,” a short film by Tamar-kali and James Blaszko, that spotlights William Dorsey Swann, “the first person known to dub himself a ‘queen of drag’ and the first American on record to pursue legal and political action to defend the LGBTQ+ community’s right to gather.” Tamar-kali is a Brooklyn native who is a multi-hyphenate artist {…}

News, Streaming

Los Angeles Opera to Stream Tamar-kali & dream hampton ‘We Hold These Truths’

https://operawire.com/los-angeles-opera-to-stream-tamar-kali-dream-hampton-we-hold-these-truths/

(Credit: LA Opera) Los Angeles Opera is set to preset “We Hold These Truths” starting on March 4, 2022. The short, which is part of the company’s Digital Shorts Series, features music by composer Tamar-kali and features musical settings to poetic works by such Black poets as Langston Hughes, Claude McKay, and Laurence Dunbar. The short film stars tenor Ashley {…}

IndieOpera, News, Streaming

PROTOTYPE Adds Digital Offerings to 2024 Season

https://operawire.com/prototype-add-digital-offerings-to-2024-season/

PROTOTYPE: Opera | Theatre | Now has announced the addition of three new digital offerings to the 2024 festival lineup. The festival will showcase three new digital streaming options including composer Shodekeh Talifero’s “Vodalities: Paradigms of Consciousness for the Human Voice,” a three movement piece, created to show the different modalities of the vocal arts. Catapult Opera’s commissioned digital work, “Swann,” by {…}

News, Reviews

Perelman Performing Arts Center NYC Unveiled at Opening Press Event & Ribbon Ceremony

https://operawire.com/perelman-performing-arts-center-nyc-unveiled-at-opening-press-event-ribbon-ceremony/

(Photo credit: Natalie Miller) The official opening of the new Perelman Performing Arts Center NYC (PAC NYC) is on September 19th with performances including “Watch Night,” an opera opening on Nov 3-18, 2023, co-conceived, directed, and choreographed by Bill T. Jones, libretto by Marc Bamuthi Joseph and composed by Brooklyn born and bred artist Tamar-kali. Prior to this opening, OperaWire {…}

News

Perelman Performing Arts Center Announces Inaugural 2023-24 Season

https://operawire.com/perelman-performing-arts-center-announces-inaugural-2023-24-season/

The Perelman Performing Arts Center in New York City has announced its inaugural season. Here is a breakdown of all the classical vocal performances on offer. Opera First up is “Watch Night” by Tamar-kali and Marc Bamuthi Joseph. The multidisciplinary work is co-conceived by Bill T. Jones, who will direct and choreograph the production. The opera is described as such: {…}

IndieOpera

Beth Morrison Projects & Harlem Stage to Showcase ‘Song Cycles’

https://operawire.com/beth-morrison-projects-harlem-stage-to-showcase-song-cycles/

Beth Morrison Projects and Harlem Stage will team up to present “Song Cycles” on Oct. 28 and 29, 2022. The two showcases will feature new music by non-binary and women composers at Harlem Stage Gatehouse. First up on the program is Tamar-kali’s “Melanc’Holy Ghosts and Other Mothers,” a work featuring poems published between 1920 and 1926 by such writers as {…}