Vocal focus from CCMN*
SOUTHERN CA VOCAL EVENTS
Lauri D. Goldenhersh’s
Weekly Highlights
My head is full of beautiful operatic moments. Just coming out of four incredible days teaching for the inaugural whirlwind of LA Vocal Lab, we worked with 19 talented singers, ranging from knockout newbies to established pros, and couldn’t be more proud. My interaction with this dynamic clan was in sessions about planning, networking and career mojo. But their work with JOHN DUYKERS, LISA SYLVESTER, PAULA THOMSON and MAURICE GODIN culminated in a final improvised performance that has us all thinking about the way opera arias and songs can be so deeply moving, whether in their original context or used in a new construction. This performance was essentially open by invitation (hence why you didn’t read about it earlier), but it’s a good excuse to stretch your horizons a bit this summer. Try one of these on for size:
OPERAWORKS is about to wrap up their summer intensive, and you won’t want to miss their improv creations in two performances of “Arias in Motion” this weekend. (Go to both and see what they do differently!) If you’re already a buff of the genre in its traditional form, an experience like this may change the way you see and hear familiar tunes. If you’re new to opera or haven’t bonded with it yet, this could be just the ticket to something so surprisingly resonant that you’ll be hooked. You’ll have to be there to figure it out for yourself. Click here
For a work that is every bit as emotional and dramatic as opera, catch JOUYSSANCE EARLY MUSIC ENSEMBLE on 6/21 or 6/22, as they perform Thomas Tallis’ extraordinary Lamentations of Jeremiah, as well as works by Lasso, Dunstable and more. The concerts are in West LA and Pasadena, respectively, and with such programming and a committed group in the hands of DR. NICOLE BAKER, this is a group to watch. Learn more
Which do you prefer: 6 or 8 (singers)? Night or day? Summer or Winter? LOS ANGELES CHAMBER SINGERS offers up another Spring Festival with two programs, two venues and two performances each, starting Friday 6/20. Whether you want to hear the sounds of Lassus in Munich or “A Study in Choral Chiaroscuro” with music by Byrd, Victoria, Philips, Lassus and Bassano, this Grammy-winning ensemble is always superb. Get more info by clicking:
SONGFEST wraps up between now and the 27th, with more than a dozen free concerts of art songs in various programming configurations, and featuring talents stellar and emerging. Get over there — I certainly will! For details, click here
ALSO CONTINUING:
Tosca — Repertory Opera Company, thru 6/21
The Gondoliers — Sierra Madre Playhouse, thru 6/21
Quoi? You don’t have your unSUNg tickets yet?
Our summer concert series starts 6/29 in Glendale, with “unSUNg: Songs UnCommon and New” by five contemporary composers: JONATHAN KUPPER, ROBERT S. COHEN, ALAN L. SMITH, CHRISTINA WHITTEN THOMAS, and JAC REDFORD, all for voice and piano. The next two concerts (7/20 and 8/17) are more varied in instrumentation, but just as magical. We’ll give you more details next week, but you can get the skinny now
Hope to see you soon, whether it’s at unSUNg or another event. Whatever you do, thank you for supporting live singing!
