Join us as we proudly welcome Malcolm J. Merriweather conductor and baritone. Malcolm is the youngest and first Black Music Director of the NYC-based The Dessoff Choirs, which is currently celebrating its 97th season with a concentration on African-American composer Margaret Bonds, a significant figure in the fight for civil rights. Malcolm leads the choir in its Metropolitan…Continue reading Podcast 84: Conductor Malcolm J. Merriweather
REVIEW: Considering Matthew Shepard
by Gregory Moomjy Say the word oratorio in casual conversation and chances are Handel & Mendelssohn are the first names to come to mind. The classic oratorios by those composers are typically centered on Biblical figures like Samson, Deborah, and Elijah, or early Christian saints like Theodora of Antioch. It is rare to find an…Continue reading REVIEW: Considering Matthew Shepard
Podcast 83: Matthew Aucoin and Sarah Ruhl, Eurydice
We welcome Sarah Ruhl, librettist and playwright, and Matthew Aucoin, composer, the two creators of a new version of Eurydice at the Metropolitan Opera. We discuss the history and meaning of this oft-adapted myth, and what drew both writers to it. We delve into their creative process and discover why Sarah chose to make some…Continue reading Podcast 83: Matthew Aucoin and Sarah Ruhl, Eurydice
OperaFix: Craig Hella Johnson, composer, “Considering Matthew Shepard”
With me today is Craig Hella Johnson to talk about the creation of his oratorio Considering Matthew Shepard which is receiving its NY Premiere on November 6th by The Dessoff Choirs. FOR TICKETS: https://dessoff.secure.force.com/ticket/#/events/a0S3a000006OvvgEAC Matthew Shepard was kidnapped and then murdered on October 6, 1998. In 2012 Craig began work on this oratorio after receiving…Continue reading OperaFix: Craig Hella Johnson, composer, “Considering Matthew Shepard”
REVIEW: Death and the Powers
Gregory Moomjy Death and the Powers is the latest and perhaps most ambitious operatic take on humanity’s relationship with science, immortality, and miracle cures. Even so, reading the phrase “Tod Machover wrote an opera about robots starring robots” may cause as much confusion and consternation among readers as it caused me to write that. However,…Continue reading REVIEW: Death and the Powers