It was January 2020, on the Brooklyn waterfront. A bone-chilling wind funneled through old buildings, slamming the streets. Inside, “Ellen West” would have its premiere. But my mind wasn’t on opera; that very day, I learned my brother had cancer. As I arrived, a cluster of people stood on the steps. Ricky Ian Gordon was in the aisle, easy to {…}
The NYU Florence and New York City Opera will partner to bring “The Garden of the Finzi-Continis” to Florence, Italy for two exclusive performances of selected scenes at the historic Villa La Pietra. The performances will star Rachel Blaustein, Won Whi Choi, Brian James Myer, Jason Detwiler, and Dmitry Glivinskiy. The performances will be part of the 17th edition of The {…}
New York City Opera’s world premiere of Ricky Ian Gordon’s opera “The Garden of the Finzi-Continis,” a co-production with the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene will be represented by librettist Michael Korie on a virtual panel at the Calandra Institute at CUNY on Feb. 1, 2022. The program is presented by Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò at NYU, the Calandra Institute at CUNY {…}
The New York City Opera has postponed the opening of the upcoming world premiere of Ricky Ian Gordon’s “The Garden of the Finzi-Continis.” The production, which is a co-production with the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene, will now open on Jan. 27 instead of its original Jan. 19. The opera was written by librettist Michael Korie and is based on Giorgio {…}
(Credit: Fay Fox) On Jan. 6, 2022, the Jacob Burns Film Center is set to present a screening of the 1970 film “The Garden of the Finzi-Continis” as well as a unique Q & A with composer Ricky Ian Gordon and librettist Michael Korie. The screening of the Vittoria de Sica classic is aimed at spreading the word on the {…}
The New York City Opera has announced casting for its upcoming production of “The Garden of the Finzi-Continis.” The Ricky Ian Gordon and Michael Korie opera, which will be directed by Richard Strafford, is set to star Rachel Blaustein, Brian James Myer, Mary Phillips, Stephen Powell, and Victor Starsky. The work will open on Jan. 19, 2022 at the Edmond {…}
(Credit: Opéra de Montréal official website / American Lyric Theater official website) The New York City Opera has announced a spring 2021 season featuring works by the two prominent American composers. The NYCO will first stage the world premiere of Ricky Ian Gordon’s opera “The Garden of the Finzi-Continis,” which is a co-production with the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene. Famed {…}