Photo By Staff Sgt. Benjamin Hilgert | The U.S Army FIeld Band reheares The New American Opera... read more read more
New York – A new American opera highlighting the sacrifices and comradery of American soldiers will be presented by the U.S. Army in partnership with Opera Memphis at the OPERA America New Works Forum.
An idea more than three years in the making, the opera was created using the shared stories of dozens of active duty soldiers and veterans, The U.S. Army Field Band, a composer, and a librettist.
The idea began in 2015 when a tenor in the Army Field Band's Soldiers' Chorus, Sgt. 1st Class Ben Hilgert, first proposed the idea of telling the Army story through opera. Hilgert joined the Soldiers' Chorus in 2010 after spending a decade in opera, performing with Baltimore Concert Opera, the Aspen Music Festival, Theater Goerlitz (Germany), Lyric Opera Kansas City, Central City Opera, Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre, Indianapolis Opera and Tulsa Opera.
"I had drawn up this really detailed proposal for our commander," Hilgert said. "By August, I was at OPERA America’s National Opera Center in the president and CEO's office with Col. (Jim) Keene talking about this idea. We wanted to work with opera companies that had a history of military connections, but we wanted to have veterans and active duty soldiers be the ones to tell their story and then bring it to the opera stage."
The opera by contemporary artistic duo Zach Redler, composer, and Jerre Dye, librettist, was inspired by collective interviews with dozens of active duty Army veterans at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, Fort George G. Meade, Maryland, and Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall.
"The Falling and The Rising" chronicles the imagined journey of a soldier suspended inside a coma following a roadside attack. Throughout the story, she makes her way through a coma-induced dreamscape punctuated by powerful encounters with other fellow service members, each on the brink of discovery. Together, they must find clarity, consciousness and communal hope inside a strange and ever-shifting universe. This operatic soldier's odyssey was created to honor the indomitable spirit of our military veterans and to shed light on the power of their often overlooked stories.
"'The Falling and The Rising' follows a recent trend of contemporary operas with military stories: Dog Days, The Long Walk, Glory Denied and Soldier Songs," said Garnett Bruce, Artistic Advisor of the San Antonio Opera who is assisting with the piece as an independent producer. "But this is the first opera produced and performed by active duty soldiers. Their connection, experience and commitment honors those who serve in defense of the nation and its ideals."
Part of the magic of the score is the space at the end of scenes for personal cadenzas - an older operatic tradition honored by Redler. The emotional high points take the story to a place beyond the text thanks to the virtuosic excellence of the military soldier musicians.
The opera is not only a powerful story for those who haven't had the opportunity to serve in the military, but also for those now serving our country.
"I have a whole new understanding of my role as a soldier," Hilgert said. "You can't hear those stories and it not change you. This project tells the Army story in a very human way. The stories contained in the opera speak truth to the service of soldiers, while at the same time highlighting the resiliency and strength demanded of them."
WHAT: "The Falling and The Rising: A New American Opera"
WHO: The U.S. Army Field Band's Concert Band & Soldiers' Chorus and Opera Memphis
WHEN: Jan. 12 at 9 p.m.; Jan. 13 at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: The Ailey Citigroup Theater, 405 West 55th Street, New York, NY 10019
TICKETS: https://armyfieldband.ticketleap.com/the-falling-and-the-rising
COST: Free, but must be reserved
“The Falling and the Rising” was commissioned by: The U.S. Army Field Band and Soldiers’ Chorus, San Diego Opera, Seattle Opera, Arizona Opera, Opera Memphis and Texas Christian University, and developed at the American Center for New Works Development at Seagle Music Colony.
Special thanks to NYU Steinhardt Music and Performing Arts Professions (Ron Sadoff, Chair) and the NYU Percussion Studies Program (Jonathan Haas, Director). The stage director is Jerre Dye and conductor and music director is Tyson Deaton. Production design by Chris Rynne.
Singing the featured roles in the "The Falling and The Rising" are Soldiers' Chorus members
Jan. 12 at 9 p.m. and Jan. 13 at 7:30 p.m. programs:
Sgt. 1st Class Teresa Alzadon, Soprano: Soldier
Sgt. 1st Class Elizabeth Garcia, Mezzo-Soprano: Toledo
Sgt. 1st Class Benjamin Hilgert, Tenor: Jumper
Staff Sgt. Ian Bowling, Baritone: Doctor
Staff Sgt. Will Tvrdik, Bass-Baritone: Colonel
Staff Sgt. Keenan McCarter, Baritone: Homecoming Soldier
Doctors:
Master Sgt. Rose Ryon, Soprano
Sgt. 1st Class Daniel Erbe, Tenor
Staff Sgt. Michaela Shelton, Soprano
Chorus:
Sgt. Major Robert H. McIver, Jr,
Master Sgt. Mario A. Garcia, Teresa Harris, Mark Huseth and Erica Russo
Sgt. 1st Class Samuel Chung, Rachel Rose Farber and Charis Strange
Staff Sgt. Heidi Ackerman, Timothy Coombs, Leslie Ostransky and Megan Pomales
Jan. 13, 3 p.m. program:
Staff Sgt. Michaela Shelton, Soprano: Soldier
Master Sgt. Rose Ryon, Soprano: Toledo
Sgt. 1st Class Daniel Erbe, Tenor: Jumper
Staff Sgt. Will Tvrdik, Baritone: Doctor
Staff Sgt. Ian Bowling, Bass-Baritone: Colonel
Staff Sgt. Keenan McCarter, Baritone: Homecoming Soldier
Doctors:
Sgt. 1st Class Teresa Alzadon, Soprano
Sgt. 1st Class Elizabeth Garcia, Mezzo-Soprano
Sgt. 1st Class Benjamin Hilgert, Tenor
Chorus:
Sgt. Major Robert H. McIver, Jr,
Master Sgt. Mario A. Garcia, Teresa Harris, Mark Huseth and Erica Russo
Sgt. 1st Class Samuel Chung, Rachel Rose Farber and Charis Strange
Staff Sgt. Heidi Ackerman, Timothy Coombs, Leslie Ostransky and Megan Pomales
About The U.S. Army Field Band:
The U.S. Army Field Band tours nationally and internationally as directed by the Department of the Army, and serves as the liaison between the Army and the American people. The Army Field Band consists of four performing components and a far-reaching educational program. Each concert tour is sponsored by a local organization with the mission of supporting local community events such as centennial celebrations, festivals, and city and state commemorations. To become a sponsor or for more information, visit www.ArmyFieldBand.com.
About Jerre Dye
Jerre Dye is a Chicago-based librettist and playwright. He is the recipient of the Award for Dramatic Literature from the Fellowship of Southern Writers. Beyond The Falling and the Rising, his opera librettos include: Ghosts of Crosstown for Opera Memphis with composers Zachary Redler, Kamran Ince, Jack Perla, and Nathaniel Stookey (featured at the Opera America Annual Conference as part of the New Works Sampler 2014 and 2015), Parksvlle, a filmed, episodic, virtual reality opera for Opera On Tap with composer Kamala Sankaram, Chautauqua Stories for Chautauqua Opera in Chautauqua, NY, BY/IN for Opera Memphis with composers Kamala Sankaram, Sam Shoup, Robert Patterson, Taking Up Serpents with composer Kamala Sankaram for Washington National Opera and an upcoming commission for Opera Philadelphia with composer Jennifer Higdon.
About Zach Redler
Zach Redler is an award-winning music theater composer whose music has been performed in concert halls, opera houses and theaters around the world. Ben Brantley of the New York Times said, Zach's music "transcends the expected and achieves a haunting originality...the music itself becomes a character that both connects and divides the others." In 2014, Zach and collaborator Sara Cooper won the 2014 Jonathan Larson Award for their musical theater writing. Zach is adjunct faculty at, and a graduate of, Tisch's Graduate Musical Theater Writing Program and is a member of ASCAP and Local 802. Recent/upcoming productions include: The Falling and The Rising (2018 TCU, Seagle Music Colony; 2019 Seattle Opera, San Diego Opera, Opera Memphis, Arizona Opera); Adam (2017 libretto by J Douglas Carlson at The Kennedy Center with Washington National Opera); Movin' Up In The World (libretto by Jerre Dye 2014-18 Opera Memphis; 2015 University.
About Tyson Deaton
Known for his broad range of repertoire and versatility of style, Tyson Deaton has established a reputation for leading energetic and inventive performances. He has led workshops of Voir Dire (Peterson) and Libby Larsen’s A Wrinkle in Time. Other premieres have included The Companion and Safe Word from the opera triptych, Three Way (Paterson) and The Wanton Sublime (O'Regan). He joined San Francisco Opera for Sweeney Todd, soon followed by L'elixir d'amore at Opera Birmingham. Deaton has also worked with New York City Opera, American Modern Ensemble, Anchorage Opera, Atlanta Opera, Sarasota Opera, Opera Southwest, Opera Company of North Carolina, Wichita Grand Opera to name a few. Deaton made his Fort Worth Opera with Cipullo's Glory Denied, which received much critical acclaim. He led the first professional recording of this work (Albany). In addition to being highly lauded, it was rated “Best of 2013” (Washington Post), and one among “12 Best Full-Length Opera Recordings of 2014” (OperaNews).
| Date Taken: | 12.21.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 12.21.2018 12:11 |
| Story ID: | 304855 |
| Location: | MD, US |
| Web Views: | 346 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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