Opera Lafayette Announces ‘Fête de la Musique’ Schedule
By Chris RuelWashington D.C.-based Opera Lafayette has announced the lineup for its “Fête de la Musique,” a free virtual 12-hour classical music feast featuring the music of Bach, Britten, Forqueray, Couperin, Rameau, and Roussel, among others.
“Fête de la Musique” kicks off on June 20 and runs from 8:00 A.M. to 8:00 P.M. EDT. The event coincides with the first day of summer, and what originally began as a singular event in Paris in 1982 has since grown to include millions of musicians in 120 countries on five continents with communities across the globe celebrating music with free outdoor concerts.
Artists scheduled to appear are mezzo-soprano Caitlin Hulcup, tenor Jean-Paul Fouchécourt, and harpsichordist Justin Taylor.
Here’s a look at the lineup.
8:00 A.M. — A Morning Meditation with Bach
Audiences will travel virtually to Tregaron Conservancy, a hidden idyll in Northwest Washington, DC, for the music of Bach’s Cello Suite performed for Opera Lafayette by Thomas Dunford on the lute.
9:00 A.M. — Opera Starts with O! Opera
Opera Lafayette’s critically acclaimed, interactive educational program designed for young opera fans and their families.
10:00 A.M. — Recital: Mezzo-Soprano Caitlin Hulcup and Pianist Ammiel Bushakevitz
Featuring works by Henry Purcell and Benjamin Britten was filmed in the historic Edvard Grieg house in Leipzig.
11:00 A.M. — Premiere of “The Making of: The Blacksmith” Documentary
The documentary provides a behind-the-scenes look at how the production was brought to a live audience on a Colorado ranch during the COVID-19 global pandemic.
12:00 P.M. — Performance of Philidor’s “The Blacksmith”
A modern premiere adapted and translated from an 18th-century French opéra comique composed by François-André Danican Philidor in 1761 to the late 19th-century American West.
1:00 P.M. — From the Opera Lafayette Archives
Featuring a compilation of works from Opera Lafayette recordings, featuring Kirsten Blaise, Tony Boutté, Thomas Dolie, Jean-Paul Fouchécourt, David Newman, Karim Sulayman, Nathalie Paulin, Jeffrey Thompson, Emiliano Gonzales Toro, and Talise Trevigne.
2:00 P.M. — Solo Recital by Harpsichordist Justin Taylor
Recorded live for Opera Lafayette at the Fondation Singer-Polignac, featuring the music by Couperin, Rameau, Forqueray.
4:00 P.M. — From the Opera Lafayette Archives
Featuring music and dance by The Opera Lafayette Orchestra, Pascale Beaudin and Keven Geddes, Marianne Fiset, Nathalie Paulin, and Kalanidhi Dance.
5:00 P.M. — Excerpts from “In Search of Lost Time: A Performance of French Airs, Chansons and Chamber Music from Rameau to Roussel”
Featuring Ammiel Bushakevitz, Latitia Grimaldi-Spitzer, Stephanie Houtzeel, and Charles Brink
7:00 P.M. — Excerpts from “Lamentation to Liberation: A Journey from Sorrow to Joy in 17th Century Italy”
Featuring Aaron Sheehan, Yulia Van Doren, Michele Kennedy, Reginald Mobley, Patricia A. Neely, Dongsok Shin, Jonathan Woody, and Adam Pearl
Additional information is available on Opera Lafayette’s website.