Experiments in Opera presents seven new operas in a two night operathon at Roulette in Brooklyn on April 1 & 2, 2015. Over the course of this opera binge, you will hear the work of seven composers, whose arrival at opera couldn’t be more roundabout. The resulting pieces, one-act shorts and excerpts in concert and staged performances tell a range of absurd, abstract, historical and hilarious stories. So, take the plunge and stuff your ears!
Composers include Sam Hillmer, Nick Hallett, Matthew Welch, Gelsey Bell, Jason Cady, Aaron Siegel, and Roddy Bottum.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1
Sam Hillmer (a/k/a Diamond Terrifier) details the disconnect between spoken words and thoughts in his auto-biographical multi-media experience titled this is soon, and that was the web this is going to be. It’s a tribute to the confused and every other variety of psychic other.
With: Sam Hillmer, Laura Paris, Lawrence Mesich, Patrick Higgins, Angus Tarnawsky, Max Alper, Michael Beharie, Data Garden and Marley G.
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Nick Hallett’s To Music (Scene 1) looks at the nature of inspiration, originality, and illusion through the cautionary tale of a composer’s behavior on social media.
Nick Hallett, music, librettist; Josh Thorson, video design
To Music: Scene 1 is made possible by a Foundation for Contemporary Arts Emergency Grant.
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Matthew Welch explores his family memoirs of wartime Philippines with his ensemble, Blarvuster in And Here We Are. The impact of cultural collisions is stressed, with text focused on the accounts of Welch’s great-uncle Edgar, an opera singer isolated by his move to Asia and internment.
Matthew Welch, composer; Daniel Neer, librettist; Based on memoirs by: Edgar Kneedler, Ethel Kneedler and Donald Kneedler
With: Matthew Welch, Blarvuster: Daniel Neer, baritone; Ben Holmes, trumpet; Joe Bergen, vibraphone; Emily Manzo, piano; Ian Riggs, bass guitar; Mike Pride, drums; Matthew Welch, alto sax and conductor
Experiments in Opera: Story Binge is made possible, in part, with funds from GENERATE: The Frances Richard Fund for Innovative Artists of Promise. GENERATE, instituted in celebration of Roulette’s 35th Anniversary in 2013, aims to provide immediate, practical assistance to artists, helping them achieve ambitious work to be presented in our theater. Click here for more information about how you can contribute to GENERATE.