Off the Beaten Track is an album review series that takes readers on a cross-disciplinary journey through recently released recordings, spotlighting the cool, the unusual, and the beautiful work created by artists who push boundaries and take the road less traveled. What was Zachary James thinking? Amid a raging pandemic, the star of stage and screen embarked on a wild, {…}
Star opera and Broadway performer, Zachary James, announced the December release of his debut visual album, “CALL OUT.” The album showcases the new compositions of 11 female composers with text ranging from Twitter to Edgar Allan Poe. The visual album takes its cue from innovative predecessors such as The Beatles’ “Yellow Submarine” and “Hard Days Night,” Pink Floyd’s “The Wall,” {…}
What happens when you take four librettists under quarantine and have them write in a virtual, TV-inspired writers’ room? Answer: Brooklyn, New York-based Experiments in Opera’s five-part podcast opera, “Aqua Net & Funyuns.” All episodes will be available for streaming or downloading on December 7, with each running about 25 minutes. The four librettists, Jason Cady; Cara Ehlenfeldt, Daniel Shepard, {…}
(Credits: Seattle Symphony official website / College of Fine Arts, University of Kentucky official website) American-Canadian tenor Zach Finkelstein has announced the release of his third album. The recording will be produced in a collaboration with the famed guitarist Dieter Hennings Yeoman and is slated for release in fall of 2021. Composers Felix Jarrar, Kamala Sankaram, Rene Orth, Daniel Pesca, {…}
OPERA America has announced the nine companies that will be awarded $100,000 in grants for commissioning operas by female composers. The recipients include Beth Morrison Projects for Du Yun’s “In Our Daughter’s Eyes,” which is written by Michael Joseph McQuilken; Boston Lyric Opera for Ellen Reid and librettist Christopher Oscar Peña’s “The Desert Inn;” Guerilla Opera for “HER: alive / {…}
The Lynchburg, Virginia-based Opera on the James has partnered with The Listening Inc., an arts advocacy and mentoring nonprofit serving underrepresented and disadvantaged youth, to create a song cycle entitled #LifeTheseDays. Using poems written by young people about life in a world turned upside down by pandemic and social unrest, the project encourages youth to express their feelings and experiences {…}
The Tri-Cities Opera has launched its first national vocal competition. TCO NEXT: A Virtual Vocal Competition will encourage emerging professional singers by promoting new voices and new music. Singers will compete for cash prizes with a grand prize of $3,000 and a contract for a future role with the Tri-Cities Opera. The audition process will feature an audio-only first round {…}
With the world in the grip of a pandemic that has shuttered opera houses around the globe, composers, librettists, directors, and singers are exploring new ways to connect with audiences and explore technology. With disruption comes innovation, and the spirit of invention took hold of composer Kamala Sankaram, librettist Rob Handel, and HERE Arts Center artistic director Kristin Marting, inspiring {…}
(Credit: Matt Madison-Clark) Renowned composer Kamala Sankaram has joined forces with librettist Rob Handel to create “all decisions will be made by consensus,” the first Zoom opera. The work is set to premiere via the streaming platform on April 24, 020 at 1 p.m. with subsequent showcases set for April 25 and 26 at 7 p.m. and 3 p.m. respectively. {…}
The New York Festival of Song has announced its next two concerts set for March and April. On March 25, 2020, the company will showcase a celebration of the centennial of women’s suffrage in the U.S. This concert, entitled “And Still We Dream” will be curated by composers Nora Kroll-Rosenbaum and Laura Karpman. Both will showcase new pieces for the {…}
The New York City based Experiments in Opera has unveiled its 2019-20 season. “The 2019-2020 Season is our ninth year of programming adventurous, funny and intimate new opera,” stated the company’s composers-leaders Aaron Siegel, Jason Cady, and Kamala Sankaram in a press release. “We are delighted to partner with several of New York City’s preeminent live performance organizations to expand the {…}
