Opera Theatre of Saint Louis Announces Premieres
Opera Theatre of Saint Louis has commissioned three new works. As a result, it will have a major premiere at each of its three forthcoming seasons. Part of the financing comes from a $1 million grant from the Mellon Foundation. In June 2013, the company will present Champion, the first opera by jazz composer Terence Blanchard and playwright Michael Cristofer that tells of the 1962 prize fight between Cuban welterweight Benny “The Kid” Paret and gay challenger Emile Griffith.
During the 2014 season, OTSL will perform Twenty-Seven by Ricky Ian Gordon and Michael Korie who wrote The Grapes of Wrath together. The new work’s title refers to the Paris address of Gertrude Stein, 27 Rue de Fleurus. Stephanie Blythe will portray Stein in her salon as she interacts with various famous characters.
Scheduled for June 2015 is Shalimar the Clown, based on the novel of the same name by Salmon Rushdie and featuring music by Jack Perla. The composer says he plans to create a score that blends contemporary Western opera tradition with traditional Indian sounds. “Opera has lately entered an exuberant era of new works” says OTSL General Director Timothy O’Leary, “and Opera Theatre is excited to build on a 37-year tradition of adventurous programming.”
www.opera-stl.org/about/news-press/
Classical Music Invades the Pizzeria
Local musicians in Baltimore are joining the growing nationwide trend of bringing traditional classical music to nontraditional venues. In October, the bar and pizzeria known as Joe Squared in Baltimore’s Station North neighborhood had two shows of live classical music billed as a “string chamber jam session,” according to the Baltimore Sun.
Those playing are part of a local chapter of the national group Classical Revolution. The first group was formed in San Francisco in 2006 at the Revolution Cafe by a group of musicians who wanted to bring the timeless music of Haydn, Beethoven, and Shostakovich to a casual coffeehouse setting. Their purpose was to break down the traditional expectations of classical music by making it truly accessible. Since then, local groups under the umbrella organization have begun popping up all over the country and in Canada. At last count, member groups play at venues in 19 states and three Canadian provinces.
www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/arts/bs-ae-classical-revolution-20121013,0,97903.story
classicalrevolution.org/
California University to Explore Effects of Music Training
The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, the University of Southern California Brain and Creativity Institute, the Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA), and the Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles (YOLA) are collaborating on a five-year investigation of the emotional, social, and cognitive effects of musical training on the cognitive development of children.
The project will provide university researchers with an opportunity to obtain new insights and important data that will aid in understanding the effect of early musical training on learning and brain function. Using advanced imaging techniques, scientists will track the responses of five- to seven-year-old children to systematic and intense musical education. The children at YOLA and HOLA will be compared with a control group matched in age, socio-economic status, and cognitive abilities, but with no musical training.
www.usc.edu/schools/college/bci/
www.laphil.com/education/yola
www.laphil.org
Former Symphony Members Form New Orchestra
More than 50 members of the now defunct Syracuse Symphony have formed a new cooperative ensemble called the Musical Associates of Central New York, reports Central New York Central. Since the demise of the symphony, these former members have been working on putting together a more stable organization that will enable them to stay and play in the Syracuse area. Many of them have lived there for years and have significant ties to the community. They are using their own money to start the new orchestra. Their first performance was a family Halloween program at the city’s Crouse-Hinds Theater. Later they hope to present the Nutcracker, Messiah, and a holiday pops concert.
www.cnycentral.com/news/story.aspx?id=817607#.UJWNZRw0jDo
Hans Werner Henze Passes Away
German composer Hans Werner Henze, born in 1926, has died in Dresden at the age of 86, the Associated Press reports. One of the most important and influential composers of our time, he wrote operas, symphonies, concertos, chamber works, ballets, and a requiem. His operas included Boulevard Solitude, Elegy for Young Lovers, The Bassarids, L’Upupa, Phaedra, Gisela, and the anti-war drama We Come to the River, which the Dresden Semperoper recently performed in his honor.
Henze grew up during World War II, and for many years he rejected life in Germany. After studying and starting his career there, he moved to Italy in 1953. Eventually he took teaching assignments in Austria, Cuba, Germany, and the U.S. At one time he was the composer-in-residence at the Berkshire Music Center in Tanglewood, Mass.
www.boston.com/news/world/europe/2012/10/27/german-composer-hans-werner-henze-dies/vkMlpTi83whrELvi1QJWzI/story.html
Thornton School Gets New Hall
Long-time professor and violinist Alice Schoenfeld has donated $3 million to fund a new symphony hall at the University of Southern California’s Thornton School of Music, according to the Daily Trojan. The hall will be named after Schoenfeld and her late sister, Eleonore. The space had been used by the university’s School of Cinematic Arts, but was refurbished for music over last summer. Now it has complete audio and video recording capabilities and acoustics fit for concerts of classical music. Thus, the newly redesigned space will be able to accommodate larger performing groups of various types.
dailytrojan.com/2012/10/29/thornton-professor-gives-sc-3-million/
