Reich, Glass, a world premiere and a Bach adaptation combine to celebrate two anniversaries for Long Beach Opera. The release expresses the same vitality we’ve come to expect from this adventurous company, as well as a particular sense of artistic urgency: Stories that need to be told Music that needs to be heard Details below, … Read more
by Vivian Buentiempo-Johnson, Lister Reviewer Few things are as inviting as sitting by the water on a cool summer’s evening. You might even call it a siren’s call. In this instance, the siren was Linda Grimes, representing the San Pedro Waterfront Arts District. She reached out to others in the constellation of representatives from the … Read more
In an unusual pairing, LA’s own Heidi Duckler Dance Theatre joins forces with LA Opera in June, to offer a dancing, singing tribute to the great Leonard Bernstein in his centenary year. But they’re not stopping at mere collaboration: they’re bring the historic “tall ships” at San Pedro Harbor into the action, with the … Read more
With a chamber opera by Philip Glass focused on entertainment icon Walt Disney, The Perfect American comes to Long Beach this weekend, with a look at the storyteller’s final act. The libretto by Rudy Wurlitzer adapts the 2001 German novel Der König von Amerika, which turned the Disney fable on its big, round ears. Using … Read more
The Center Cannot Hold: A compelling opera about paranoid schizophrenia by Katherine Sullivan, Lister reviewer Whether or not you love opera, whether or not you are familiar with mental disorders, The Center Cannot Hold: A Chamber Opera is a fascinating piece, and an intimate look at a short period in the life of Elyn Saks. … Read more
Long Beach Opera strives to make their seasons accessible and engaging, and the recent production of Leonard Bernstein’s Candide is a shining example of that commitment. Staged in the cozy Center Theater in Long Beach, the show brought out the best of Bernstein’s music and comedic farce. Updating productions can be a tricky proposal. Many shows … Read more
[Press release] “Glitter and Be Gay” CANDIDE A Journey through “The Best of All Possible Worlds” Long Beach, CA, December 18, 2015―On January 23 and 30, 2016, Long Beach Opera (LBO) presents composer Leonard Bernstein’s satiric romp Candide at the Center Theater in Long Beach, CA. The eclectic score mixes everything from Viennese waltzes to … Read more
Local diva Jamie Chamberlin recitalizes at home this weekend This Sunday, one of the area’s favorite sopranos goes home for the holidays, bringing vocal favorites to Santa Barbara for a benefit recital at St. Barbara’s Greek Orthodox Church. Jamie Chamberlin is an engaging recitalist and loves working in that intimate format, citing it as her “favorite medium … Read more
LBO 2015 gala breaks fundraising record — Music and youth programs benefit FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 20, 2015 ( Long Beach, CA ) — Surpassing its fundraising goal, Long Beach Opera’s 37th Annual Gala raised over $210,000 to support its 2016 opera season and Youth Initiative Programs. Honorary Co-Chairs Barbara Bixby Blackwell and Jean Bixby … Read more
Going back in time can be a real trip. The retrospective offered by Long Beach Opera in Hydrogen Jukebox promised to be not just a “level 1 or 2 trip…you can get that at any legal dispensary,” but “level 4 or 5 psychedelics, where the world is curved and warped, objects talk to you, time … Read more
