Heartbeat Opera has announced that as of July 1, 2021, bass-baritone Derrell Acon will be the company’s first Associate Artistic Director. Acon previously performed with the company in “Fidelio,” “Der Freischutz,” and “Breathing Free” and will serve as a Creative Producer with the company on its 2021 “Quando il Glück monta i Verdi,” a short opera film with live excerpts {…}
*** Written in collaboration with Francisco Salazar.*** The New York Opera Festival has announced its 2021 lineup, which will take place virtually in light of continued concerns over COVID-19. The New York Opera Fest will present a Kick-Off Event and NYOA Service Awards. The virtual event will feature both live and pre-recorded performances from New York City’s opera companies. In {…}
Heartbeat Opera will present the west coast premiere of “Breathing Free” on Feb. 10 and 13. The film cycle will be presented as a 45-minute visual album featuring bass-baritone Derrell Acon, tenor Curtis Bannister, soprano Kelly Griffin, dancers Randy Castillo, Tamrin Goldberg, Brian HallowDreamz Henry, and a number of instrumentalists. The videos will also feature the voices of over 100 incarcerated singers {…}
This calendar year has been a difficult one for the world and for the music industry. It tested artists in ways they never thought they would. And yet it also showed resilience, love, and humility. It was a year where generosity was predominant and where artists united for a better cause. Usually, at this point in time, OperaWire has a {…}
Heartbeat Opera has announced a brand new six-part series entitled “Breathing Free.” The visual album, which will premiere on YouTube between Dec. 4-12, will showcase nine interconnected music videos highlighting works by Beethoven, Harry T. Burleigh, Florence Price, Langston Hughes, Anthony Davis, Thulani Davis, and Negro spirituals. The series features three singers including Derrell Acon, Curtis Bannister, and Kelly Griffin {…}
(Credit: Christopher Ash) Heartbeat Opera has announced the works that will make up the company’s 2020–21 season. In a show of solidarity with artists during this time, 85 percent of the company’s budget will be devoted to employing more than 50 collaborators. The season will open in September with “The Secret Sauce,” described as a soiree-style reflection on Heartbeat Opera’s {…}
The Broad Stage in Los Angeles has announced its 2020-21 season, which will be the company’s first under Artistic and Executive Director Rob Bailis. The season will feature a wide array or unique works and artists, but for the purposes of this article, our focus will be on operatic and vocal performances. The season will launch outdoors in fall 2020 {…}
Heartbeat Opera has announced more dates for its ever-popular “Lady M” Zoom soirées. The showcase, which originally ran between May 11-18, will now be extended between May 27-June 6, 2020. Each 60-minute soirée includes a welcome toast, live performances by two cast members (on a rotating schedule), screenings of a new behind-the-scenes documentary and a music video of Lady M’s Sleepwalking {…}
On Thursday, May 14th, Heartbeat Opera presented its seventh of 22 “Lady M,” Virtual Soirées.” The soirées which have, for the time being, supplanted the company’s staged re-imagining of Verdi’s “Macbeth,” having been such a hit that an additional 14 were added after selling out the originally slated 18. The extra meet-ups are scheduled for late-May through early-June. Be glad more {…}
The good news? Some countries are starting to slowly opening up their doors as they transition out of the lockdown. But that’s not to say that everyone is rushing outside (nor should they). This means that there’s still a lot of time to stay indoors and a lot of opera to fill in those hours. As with the last few {…}
Heartbeat Opera will be presenting “Lady M” this May as part of its work-in-progress series of virtual soirées on Zoom. The work, which is an online fantasia for Verdi’s “Macbeth,” will present the work through the perspective of Lady Macbeth. The work was conceived, adapted, and directed by Ethan Heard with musical arrangements by Daniel Schlosberg. The opera will feature {…}