RHYMES WITH OPERA’S CYBER SEASON FINALE BRINGS 23 OPERAS, 2 SOPRANOS AND A BARITONE DIRECTLY TO YOUR SCREENS
On Saturday, September 12, New York City-based contemporary ensemble RHYMES WITH OPERA will present 1-MINUTE OPERAS, a rollercoaster evening of one-minute-long micro-opera premieres written by 23 different composers, all of whom Rhymes With Opera has worked with in the past.
The capstone of the ensemble’s CYBER SEASON, which found the ensemble among the vanguard of organizations moving their performances to an online format, 1-MINUTE OPERAS features RWO founding members Robert Maril, Bonnie Lander, and Elisabeth Halliday-Quan. The 23 one-minute-long operas cut across a wide swath of musical styles and artistic points of view, and are as diverse as the composers that wrote them. Some of the micro-operas are ripped from the headlines, some are funny, and some are tender. If you find something that’s not to your taste, don’t worry–it’ll be over in a minute.
RHYMES WITH OPERA (RWO) is an ensemble of performers and composers committed to expanding the operatic repertoire by commissioning, developing, and staging new chamber works. Since 2007, RHYMES WITH OPERA has performed dozens of new works ranging from character sketches to evening-length operas. The RWO CYBER SEASON, which took place over the summer of 2020 after RWO pivoted to an online format early in the spring, occurred in lieu of the May mainstage production. RHYMES WITH OPERA has worked for over a decade to expand the operatic genre and hone the craft of making opera to tell contemporary, compelling stories in innovative ways. The 2020 CYBER SEASON included community-building events, an educational workshop for emerging composers taught by leaders in the field of new opera, world-premiere chamber music, artist interviews, and an album release (as well as an album of remixes, the proceeds of which are being donated to charity). In addition, RHYMES WITH OPERA were featured performers at this year’s New Music Gathering.
1-MINUTE OPERAS will stream live on September 12 at 8pm ET on www.rhymeswithopera.org and on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitch. All Cyber Season events are free.