(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 {…}
The Metropolitan Opera is joining forces with National Sawdust to co-present a concert centered on excerpts from Paola Prestini’s upcoming opera “Sensorium Ex.” The event, which is part of the “Opera Evolved” series, features such artists as J’Nai Bridges, Hailey McAvoy, stage director Lileana Blain-Cruz, and Brenda Shaughnessy (librettist of “Sensorium Ex”), as they alternate between performance and discussion. Prestini {…}
(Photo Credit: Kevin Condon) Death of Classical (DOC) and The Alexander S. Onassis Benefit Foundation presented “Waiting for the Barbarians,” a one-night-only concert part of “Archive of Desire: A Festival Inspired by the Poet C.P. Cavafy” curated by prolific composer Paola Prestini and under the creative direction of Afroditi Panagiotakou. This extraordinary gathering took place on May 2nd, 2023 at {…}
Photo: Unison Media “Con Alma” was performed at the United Nations Headquarters in NYC’s Trusteeship Chamber on March 14th, 2023. This once-in-a-lifetime experience, presented by VisionIntoArt, and Death of Classical, in partnership with Carnegie Hall, showcased the album “Con Alma” by composer Paola Prestini and Mexican singer and composer Magos Herrera. Performers from the Young People’s Chorus of NYC, led by Artistic {…}
On November 17, 2022, Artscape Theater in Cape Town, South Africa, will begin its workshop for composer Paola Prestini’s developing opera “Sensorium Ex.” “Sensorium Ex” is written for soloists, choir, chamber orchestra, and electronics, and seeks to explore the nature of voice beyond language, as well as the human experience and relationships with community. The libretto, by Brenda Shaughnessy, draws {…}
The Voices of Ascension and the Young People’s Chorus of NYC performed composer Paola Prestini’s ‘The Glass Box’ in a highly anticipated program at the Church of the Ascension on November 9th. Prestini composed ‘The Glass Box’ in 2018, with text written by Royce Vavrek as an oratorio about young refugees in Sweden. This new work challenges perspectives and promotes {…}
The Young People’s Chorus of New York City and Grammy-nominated Voices of Ascension will present Paola Prestini’s “The Glass Box” on Nov. 9 at 7:30 p.m. Premiered in 2018, “The Glass Box” is a multimedia piece centered around the phenomenon known as “uppgivenhetssyndrom,” a coma-like condition found in young refugees in Sweden whose families are slated for deportation. Playwright Royce {…}
Paola Prestini’s first grand opera, “Edward Tulane,” makes its world premiere on October 8th as the first work by a woman to be commissioned by Minnesota Opera as part of the company’s New Works Initiative. Based on the novel, “The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane,” by Minnesota author and two-time Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo, Paola Prestini collaborates with librettist Mark Campbell to honor {…}
(Credit: Caroline Tompkins) ALL ARTS’ original series “The First Twenty” is set to present a unique documentary film that explores the making of composer Paola Prestini’s “Sensorium.” The film, which premieres on Tuesday, March 8, 2022, will be available via ALL ARTS’ official websites. The showcase features Prestini’s collaboration with poet Brenda Shaughnessy and choreographer Jerron Herman to create a {…}
The Young People’s Chorus of New York City (YPC) has announced the lineup for a new music series that explores the pandemic’s impact on children and young adults. The series, entitled “AloneTogether,” will take place in an immersive, mixed-media art exhibition at New York’s High Line Nine Gallery through Dec. 19, 2021. The events will feature world premieres of works {…}