(Photo credit: James Matthew Daniel) Michael Hersch’s latest opera, “and we each,” created in collaboration with poet Shane McCrae, makes its New York premiere at National Sawdust on Feb. 6. Hersch’s opera was conceived in period immediately following his recovery from a near-death experience early last year. The composer expressed in a press release that, “In many respects, that I {…}
National Sawdust has announced the second half of its 10th anniversary season will include 15 new works commissioned by the organization. For the purposes of this article only new operatic additions are included. Vivian Fung’s “Girl From the 905” is a work-in-process song cycle conceived and performed by soprano Andrea Núñez. Performance Dates: January 21–26, 2025 Sawdust teams with Sparks {…}
(Photo credit: Jill Steinberg at National Sawdust) National Sawdust’s 10th Anniversary opening season kicked off with Artistic Director/Co-Founder & composer Paola Prestini and librettist Royce Vavrek‘s foley chamber opera world premiere “Silent Light,” featuring director & scenic designer Thaddeus Strassberger and conductor Christopher Rountree. The cast includes powerhouse soprano Brittany Renee as Esther, bass-baritone Daniel Okulitch as Johan, soprano Julia {…}
Soprano Measha Brueggergosman-Lee is set to headline Aaron Davis’ “Zombie Blizzard” at the National Sawdust in Brooklyn on Oct. 28, 2024. The soprano will be joined by the composer himself, who will accompany her during the performance. “Zombie Blizzard” is described as “a song cycle written by Aaron Davis of seven concert arias for voice, jazz trio and brass ensemble, {…}
(Photo credit: Stephanie Sedlebauer) National Sawdust, the women-led, Williamsburg, Brooklyn-based non-profit has released the details of its 10th anniversary season. For the purposes of this article, only classical vocal works are included. Co-founder and artistic director Paola Prestini, and Royce Vavrek’s opera “Silent Light,” which is based on the 2007 film by Carlos Reygadas, opens the season. Performance Date: September {…}
National Sawdust is set to present the world premiere of “Silent Light” this September. The opera by Paola Prestini and Royce Vavrek is an adaptation of Carlos Reygada’s film of the same name. Per the official summary, “The opera follows a pious husband and father whose strongly held spiritual obligation to his wife, their family, and community is put to {…}
(Photo credit: Kaveh Kowsari) National Sawdust presented Emruz Festival’s “Whispers of the Flesh” on Friday, April 26th, 2024, directed by Shadi Ghaheri and assistant director/stage manager Lilia Houshmand, as part of a three performance series of works written by Iranian women residing within Iran. “Whispers of the Flesh” brings to light the works of women facing their own bodies and {…}
Photo credit: Maria Baranova The world premiere of Grammy Award-nominated vocalist, composer, and percussionist, Jodie Landau’s “Performance of Self” on March 15, 2024 at National Sawdust draws attention to improvisation’s empathic heartbeat that is still very much alive. Commissioned by Beth Morrison Projects (BMP), Landau’s solo debut show upholds BMP’s midas touch. It showcases Landau as the artist he is {…}
The National Sawdust has announced seven new board members. The new board members include finance, technology, and advertising professional Kathie Choi; lawyer, corporate executive, and writer Chinwe Esimai; attorney Peter Faber; communications professional Alexandra Fenwick-Moore; performing arts producer Charles Letourneau; machine learning research engineer Xiao Ma; and philanthropy professional and community activist Teresa Toro. “In our first 10 years, we {…}
(Photo: Jill Steinberg) “Sensorium Ex” is an opera by composer Paola Prestini and librettist/poet Brenda Shaughnessy and co-directed by choreographer Jerron Herman. It is a multi-sensory narrative woven together at the intersections of disability and artificial intelligence. “Sensorium Ex” opera will be premiering at the Common Senses Festival in Omaha for their 2025 season, and is commissioned by the Ford {…}
(Photo: Jill Steinberg) National Sawdust and The Met Opera presented “Opera Evolved: Genre Fluidity” on Thursday, February 22nd, 2024. This was the second installment of this three-part series that, according to the program, celebrates artistic convergence by investigating the intersection of innovation and tradition at National Sawdust. The evening included composer and co-founder of National Sawdust, Paola Prestini, and theater {…}