Wolf Trap Opera has announced the world premiere of BORN FREE, composed by Edward W. Hardy with lyrics by American poet and writer Margaret Walker. BORN FREE, a song cycle based on four poems by Margaret Walker (Sorrow Home, Lineage, The Struggle Staggers Us and Southern Song) for soprano, violin, and piano, is a newly commissioned work by the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts.
Eva And Marc Stern Establish New Award To Honor Excellence Among LA Opera s Family Of Artists
Five inaugural recipients of the Eva and Marc Stern Artist Award honored for their artistic achievements at LA Opera and around the world.by BWW News Desk
LA Opera board chairman Marc Stern and his wife Eva have established an annual $50,000 award to celebrate and support extraordinarily gifted artists in opera: the Eva and Marc Stern Artist Award. The new award will recognize artists with deep connections to LA Opera and will serve as an expression of gratitude for past and future artistic contributions to the company. The award will assist artists with the many significant expenses required by a professional career in opera, including language studies, travel, coaching and preparation.
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Los Angeles Opera is expected to announce Wednesday that it has created a $50,000 annual award for an outstanding artist with deep connections to the company, but because of the financial challenges caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the inaugural award will be split evenly among five singers.
This year’s recipients are soprano Angel Blue, soprano Janai Brugger, bass-baritone Craig Colclough, tenor Joshua Guerrero and mezzo-soprano Kate Lindsey, each of whom will receive $10,000.
Created by L.A. Opera board chairman Marc Stern and his wife, Eva Stern, the prize aims to help artists with the costs associated with being a professional opera singer, including vocal lessons, role preparation and language skills. The Eva and Marc Stern Artist Award winners were nominated by members of L.A. Opera’s artistic staff in consultation with the Sterns.
Santa Fe Opera Appoints David Lomelí Chief Artistic Officer
SFO News:
SANTA FE The Santa Fe Opera (SFO) announced Friday the appointment of David Lomelí as Chief Artistic Officer commencing May 1.
Lomelí will be responsible for the artistic operations of the company including casting. This newly created position combines key aspects of two current positions, that of outgoing Artistic Director Alexander Neef and recently retired Director of Artistic Administration Brad Woolbright.
“I could not be more thrilled to welcome David to the Santa Fe Opera,” SFO General Director Robert K. Meya said. “Not only is he one of the leading casting directors of his generation with a demonstrated commitment to greater diversity in casting, he also brings with him a truly impressive digital media acumen as evidenced by the extraordinary success of the TDO Network.”
Imagine you are a young singer, hoping for a career in opera and you ve worked hard enough, been good enough and had enough stamina to reach the finalist stage of a competition where you ll be performing before a theater jammed with opera lovers.
But now instead of facing a live audience at your big moment, you are instead greeted with facsimiles of people: 2D cardboard cutouts filling the seats as you sing two arias in the course of the evening before a panel of judges. The rewards are still the same recognition, prize money, possible accepted into a respected training program but the ambience, well it ll be a bit different.