Photo: Brian E Long Immersive productions have become a thing within opera, with performances being held in places such as the Catacombs in Green-Wood Cemetery in New York and a comedy club turned speakeasy on the city’s Lower East Side. And the latter is where a jazz opera, “Fizz and Ginger,” composed by Whitney George to a libretto by Bea {…}
The Curiosity Cabinet has partnered with Fresh Squeezed Opera for the premiere of a groundbreaking jazz opera, “Fizz & Ginger.” The production reunites the critically acclaimed duo of composer/conductor Whitney George and librettist/stage director Bea Goodwin, known for their previous work on their acclaimed opera “Princess Maleine” and radio drama tryptic “In the Throes of Death.” An immersive speakeasy scene {…}
Earlier this month, OPERA America’s McKay Studio was home to a compelling performance featuring the latest art songs by composer and pianist Felix Jarrar. Entitled “Liederabend with Felix Jarrar & Friends,” the event showcased the vocal talents of mezzo-soprano Jessica Trainor Tasucu, baritone Benjamin Howard, contralto Allison Gish, and tenor Ryan Morgan. Jarrar’s diverse repertoire of art songs ranged from {…}
NYC-based composer and pianist Felix Jarrar will team up with soprano Maria Brea and other guest artists, including violinist Adam von Housen, for a benefit concert on March 15th at 7:00 pm in Stuytown. The concert is free, but donations collected will go to Amnesty International through their website. The money will support the organization’s campaign to investigate violence in Iran. {…}
It’s that spooky time of the year with Halloween around the corner, and never one to pass up presenting holiday specials, composer/pianist Felix Jarrar put on an extravaganza of creepiness with his Halloween One-act Opera Festival, which took place at Emerging Artists Theatre on Oct. 21, 2022. Jarrar showcased three of his most macabre operas, with two inspired by the {…}
Pianist/composer Felix Jarrar and soprano Michelle Trovato partnered to stage a themed recital centered on Mary Queen of Scots, titled “We’ve Come to Claim the Throne,” on July 29, 2022, at St. John’s in the Village, New York City. The theme came to Jarrar via soprano Michelle Trovato, who had been thinking for some time about a program focusing on {…}
Composer and pianist Felix Jarrar will present “We Come to Claim the Throne: A Recital of Music Inspired by Mary Stuart” on July 29, 2002, at St. John’s in the Village, New York City. The recital features music about or related to Mary Queen of Scots and the world premiere of Jarrar’s song, “Queen Mary’s Lament,” along with his song {…}
Chicago’s International Museum of Surgical Science will host the Sound of Fools presentation of “The Priestess of Morphine,” a monodrama for two voices, at the museum on June 17-18, 2022. Acclaimed contemporary opera director Bea Goodwin’s staging is site specific, with the performances taking place throughout the museum halls. The work, composed by American Prize for Opera-winner Rosśa Crean, with {…}
Director and librettist Bea Goodwin has launched “Teatime Opera,” a concert aimed at honoring Wroxton College of Fairleigh Dickinson University. The showcase features performances by Helena Brown, Danielle Buonaiuto, and Eric Lindsey as they take on songs from the English canon as well as pieces written by Goodwin. “Education is both a necessity and a luxury. Choosing a school to {…}
Emerging Artists Theatre is set to present Felix Jarrar’s “Mother Goose” at the TADA! Theater in New York on Oct. 5 and 6. The opera, which had its world premiere in late 2019, tells the story of Leonora Goosling, the keeper of the Mother Goose Inn and Suites, and her unique guests from numerous famed fairy tales. The opera will {…}
The Curiosity Cabinet has announced it will be premiering a new radio drama, “Axeman,” on Friday, June 25, 2021, at 7:00 pm EDT. The drama is a companion piece to the Cabinet’s “Home” (2020), written by Bea Goodwin and scored by the Curiosity Cabinet’s founder and Artistic Director, composer Whitney George. “Axeman,” like its predecessor, was penned during COVID lockdown. {…}