(Photo: Margot Schulman) Ruth Bader Ginsburg was an ardent friend of the arts. She co-curated dozens of concerts with Washington Performing Arts (WPA) President Emeritus Doug Wheeler at the Supreme Court, and was a regular at the Washington National Opera, which honored her with a program and included her in the production of “La Fille du Régiment” which was received {…}
Following the departure of the Washington National Opera’s decision to leave the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, more than 60 artists have signed an open letter pledging support to the company. The letter, which is an ongoing effort organized by Pulitzer and Grammy-award winning librettist Mark Campbell, states “We, the undersigned, support the recent decision between Washington {…}
This weekend, the Pittsburgh Opera is set to present the world premiere of “Woman with Eyes Closed” by Jennifer Higdon. The work is experimental in nature as it needs to be seen at least twice, as each night of the production has the possibility of a completely new ending. Over the years, Higdon has become one of the most acclaimed {…}
Opera on the Avalon has announced its Young Artist / New Commission Series. The new program aims to provide emerging artists with the tools and opportunities to develop and expand in their specific crafts. The company revealed that the participating artists in this inaugural series will include soprano Lucie Martin, mezzo-Soprano Camila Montefusco, tenor Michael Eusebio, baritone Luka Kawabata, and {…}
(Photo credit: Christophe-Abramowitz) Throughout time, women have routinely been at the bad end of the deal when it came to composing, performing, or really anything that has to do with music. However, as we now know that didn’t mean women composers, performers, critics, and everything in between didn’t exist. Actually, the opposite! Composers like Hildegard von Bingen, Barbara Strozzi, Clara {…}
The Crossing, led by conductor Donald Nally, is set to make its Cincinnati debut with the world premiere of a new work by Jennifer Higdon at the national conference of the American Choral Directors Association. The concerts, which will be held on Feb. 24 and 25, 2023 at the Aronoff Center for the Arts, will see the chorus perform “The {…}
Lyric Fest is set to present “The Song Catcher: The Folk Song Re-imagined” on April 9 and 10, 2022. The showcase will feature new works by such composers as Gregory Brown, John Conahan, Michael Djupstrom, Melissa Dunphy, Jennifer Higdon, Allen Krantz, Gilda Lyons, Robert Maggio, Jeffrey Scott, and Benjamin P. Wenzelberg with performances by Charlotte Blake Alston, Steven Brennfleck, Cree {…}
Composer Jennifer Higdon will be celebrated in Santa Barbara with works premiering at the Music Academy of the West by Santa Barbara Symphony. The composer will see her song cycle “Wise Moon,” commissioned by the Music Academy, receive its world premiere on Nov. 18, 2021. The cycle will be performed by Marilyn Horne Song Competition Winners mezzo-soprano Sun-Ly Pierce and {…}
The New York Choral Society is set to bring its 2021 season to an end with a special gala and the premiere of a new work in two back-to-back virtual events on May 11, 2021. First up will be “Celebrating Our Voices,” which will feature soprano Gabriella Reyes (who will be live from the stage of the Metropolitan Opera), counter-tenor {…}
The New York Choral Society has announced that Gabriella Reyes will join Anthony Roth Costanzo and Brandon Cedel for a concert on May 11, 2021. The virtual concert will showcase the premiere of “Invitation to Love” by Jennifer Higdon. The choral work is based on the poem by Paul Laurence Dunbar in collaboration with sculptor and performance maker Gordon Hall. {…}
On May 15, 2021, Brooklyn Art Song Society will present the second installment of their “New Voices Festival: Past/Present/ Future.” Each work in the program will adapt a text from the past for a more recent perspective, featuring works by Anna Akhmatova, Charles Baudelaire, Aleksander Blok, Osip Mandelstam George Eliot, Christina Rosetti, and Walt Whitman. The program will include recent {…}