Joshua Kosman March 3, 2021Updated: March 4, 2021, 7:22 am
Mezzo-soprano Hai-Ting Chinn performs “Science Fair: An Opera With Experiments.” Photo: Kate Milford
The presenter looks like any number of science popularizers you’ve seen on TV or in person. She’s got the white lab coat, the props oversize molecule models, vinegar and baking soda, a rock and the retractable pointer.
The difference is, she’s singing.
In “Science Fair,” billed as “an opera with experiments,” mezzo-soprano Hai-Ting Chinn holds the stage for 80 minutes, with only pianist Erika Switzer for company. In musical phrases as transparent as they are lovely, Chinn explains the Big Bang and the formation of the solar system, explores the structure of sound, and enlists a child volunteer from the audience to help her squeeze DNA molecules out of a strawberry.
Anne Schrager February 26, 2021Updated: March 18, 2021, 7:17 am
Cynthia Ling Lee in “Blood Run” as part of the Deborah Slater Dance Theater Studio 210 Residency Performance. Photo: Diana Chen, Deborah Slater Dance Theater
The month of March is typically dedicated to honoring mighty women and shining a light on the impactful ways they have brought change and contributed to the improvement of equal rights through the ages.
Women’s History Month is celebrated across the U.S. and around the world and corresponds with International Women’s Day (March 8). Bay Area organizations plan to recognize the celebration with a variety of virtual performances, activities and lectures aimed at highlighting women’s and girls’ power all month long.
Melisa Tien s SWELL to Premiere Online at HERE
Created by 26 artist-collaborators, Swell weaves together ten original, new music compositions by ten composers.by BWW News Desk
Playwright, lyricist, and librettist Melisa Tien is the creator and producer of the upcoming live, online song cycle Swell, presented by HERE from March 17-21, 2021. This contemporary work about immigrants and children of immigrants, written by immigrants and children of immigrants, is directed by Elena Araoz with music direction by Tian Hui Ng. Right now, the U.S. feels like it s on the brink of so many things - politically, economically, socially. Immigrant stories, especially ones that humanize the people they re about, help highlight those who are often left behind when, for example, a medical disaster happens. Swell reminds us these are real people, simply trying to make their way, like everyone else, Melisa said of the piece s subject and timeliness.