Music of Remembrance Unveils 2026-27 Season ‘Illuminations: Music of Our Shared Humanity’

Music of Remembrance has announced its 2026-27 season, “Illuminations: Music for Our Shared Humanity,” comprising four programs in Seattle, with one performance also given in San Francisco. “Journeys” marks the season opener, presented in honor of Steve Reich’s 90th birthday with a performance of his “Different Trains.” The program includes the Music of Remembrance commission “Stormy Seas” by Iranian American {…}

May 11, 2026

Music of Remembrance to Present 50th World Premiere

(Photo credit: Terry Lorant) Music of Remembrance (MOR) is set to present its 50th world premiere with “The Dialogue of Memories” by Tom Cipullo and Howard Reich. The new opera is based on Reich’s “The Art of Inventing Hope: Intimate Conversations with Elie Wiesel.” “The Dialogue of Memories” joins that lineage, inspired by Reich’s front-page reporting on his mother Sonia’s {…}

Mar 11, 2026

Rosamund Dyer Performs in Music of Remembrance’s ‘Echoes of Conscience’

(Photo credit: Tiffany Brooks) Music of Remembrance is set to present “Echoes of Conscience” on March 15. The concert will feature mezzo-soprano Rosamund Dyer with the Music of Remembrance Ensemble. As part of the concert, “Echoes of Conscience: Voices of the French resistance” Dyer will perform songs by Paul Arma, Georges Auric, and Francis Poulenc. The concert highlights classical and {…}

Jan 23, 2026

Music of Remembrance’s ‘Art From Ashes’ Honors International Holocaust Remembrance Day 2026

In recognition of International Holocaust Remembrance Day 2026 Music of Remembrance (MOR) presents its “Art From Ashes” concert. “Art From Ashes” centers on the creative works of a group of adolescent boys imprisoned in Terezín. The group created the weekly magazine, “Vedem,” (“In the Lead”) filling it with original poems, stories, and drawings that documented their lives. They produced “Vedem” {…}

Oct 11, 2025

Music of Remembrance Partners with Immigrant Rights Advocates in Season Opener

(Photo credit: Ben Van Houten) Music of Remembrance will launch its 2025-26 season in partnership with Immigrant Rights Advocates on Oct. 26. The season opener, “Witness to Courage,” highlights stories of those displacement and their resistance. The event begins with a public conversation featuring leaders from Music of Remembrance, Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP), and Jewish Family Service (JFS) on {…}

Aug 4, 2025

Music of Remembrance’s 2025-26 Season Features Premieres by Heggie & Cipullo

Music of Remembrance (MOR) announces its 2025-26 season. This article only features classical voice events. The west coast premiere of Jake Heggie’s “Crossing Borders” opens the season. Soloist are mezzo-soprano Catherine Cook, actor Curt Branom, and violinist Rachel Jung. They are joined by the Music of Remembrance Ensemble. Fifty percent of ticket sales will be donated to the Northwest Immigrant {…}

Jan 15, 2025

Music of Remembrance Receives Major NEA Grant for ‘After Life’

(Image Courtesy of Verismo Communications) Music of Remembrance has received a $25,000 grant from the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA). The funding will support the company’s expanded version of Tom Cipullo’s “After Life,” which was originally commissioned and premiered by the company in 2025. The new version is set for performances in Seattle and San Francisco in May 2015. {…}

Aug 30, 2024

Music of Remembrance’s 2024-25 Season to Feature Works by Carlos Simon, Jessie Montgomery, & Rhiannon Giddens

(Photo credits: Bessent, Cheng, & Yildiz) Music of Remembrance has announced its 2024-25 season. This season aims to champion those who use their art to stand up against injustice and inspire action. Concerts will feature works by prominent Black American composers that confront the residual trauma of slavery, a 10th-anniversary production of an opera that addresses the responsibility of artists to {…}

Mar 31, 2024

Ryan McKinny Stars in the World Premiere of Jake Heggie’s ‘Before It All Goes Dark’

(Photo credit: Jiyang Chen) In celebration of its 25th anniversary Music of Remembrance will give the world premiere of “Before It All Goes Dark,” a new opera by Jake Heggie and Gene Scheer. The creative team based the opera on “Mac’s Journey,” the true story of Gerald “Mac” McDonald, a gravely ill and deeply troubled Vietnam War veteran, which was {…}

Mar 7, 2024

Music of Remembrance Announces New Executive Director

The board of Seattle-based Music of Remembrance has announced legal professional and longtime human rights advocate Lorri Staal as the performing arts organization’s Executive Director. Staal joins MOR President and Founding Artistic Director Mina Miller to work with the organization. In a statement, Staal said, “I believe music is a cross-cultural unifying force, and I am honored to join MOR {…}

Feb 26, 2024

World Premiere of ‘Phoenix: A Musical Testimony of Women’s Rights Struggle in Iran’ Opens For International Women’s Day

The story of Nika Shakarami’s story has inspired a new musical work, written by the Iranian American creative team of composer Sahba Aminikia and librettist Zara Houshmand. “Phoenix,” (or “Qaqnus” in Persian) receives its world premiere on March 10 at Benaroya Hall in Seattle. On Sept. 20, 2022, 16-year-old Nika Shakarami joined other Iranian girls and citizens in protesting the {…}

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