Haddocks' Eyes

MARCH 25TH & 26TH, 2012- HADDOCKS' EYES

In celebration of the 75th birthday of David del Tredici

"Haddocks' Eyes" by David Del Tredici
Starring Amy van Roekel with David Del Tredici on piano. With Hugh Ash (Trumpet), Alan Berquist (Flute), Monica Davis (Violin 2), Grover Edwards (Clarinet), Alice Hamlet (Cello), Adam Norris (Horn), Kerrick Sasaki (Viola), Svetlana Tsoneva (Violin 1), and Matthew Weber (Double Bass). Costumes by Karen Flood. Conducted by Conrad Chu.

Is the White Knight, who sings Alice his famous nonsense song in “Through the Looking-Glass,” really a caricature of Lewis Carroll himself? Like the knight, Carroll had shaggy hair, mild blue eyes, a kind and gentle face. Like the knight, his mind seemed to function best when it saw things in topsy-turvy fashion. . . Of all the characters Alice meets on her two dream adventures, only the White Knight seems to be genuinely fond of her and to offer her special assistance... His melancholy farewell may be Carroll's farewell to Alice when she grew up (became a queen) and abandoned him. With this idea in hand, David Del Tredici's uses his post-Romantic musical style to bring a touchingly personal dimension to the Alice universe. “Haddocks’ Eyes” was commissioned by the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and premiered at Alice Tully Hall in 1986.

David Del TrediciDavid Del Tredici's musical involvement with “Alice's Adventures in Wonderland” began in 1968 with the composition of Pop-Pourri, a “Cantata of the Sacred and Profane” which set ‘Turtle Soup’ from “Alice’s Adventures...” and ‘Jabberwocky’ from “Through the Looking Glass...” alongside the Litany of the Blessed Virgin and a Lutheran chorale (in a harmonization by Bach). Since that time, all of Del Tredici's works have concentrated exclusively on Lewis Carroll's Wonderland books.

THE ARTISTS INVOLVED

David Del Tredici Composer	Conrad Chu Conductor	Amy Van Roekel Soprano	Hugh Ash Trumpet	Alan Berquist Flute
Grover Edwards Clarinet	Alice Hamlet Cello	Svetlana Tsoneva Violin 1

FESTIVAL EVENT INFO

March 25 and 26-8:00PM
Doors open at 7:00PM
Galapagos Art Space
16 Main St., Brooklyn, NY 11201
DIRECTIONS

ADMISSION

ADVANCE-$20/ $30 for both shows
DAY OF SHOW-$25

Tickets on sale at Galapagos Art Space February 20

Dreaming of Wonderland

MARCH 25TH, 2012- DREAMING OF WONDERLAND

American Opera Projects in collaboration with Manhattan School of Music and Opera Index present a concert preview of Act II of the new opera by composer Manly Romero

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Featuring performances by Nadia Petrella, Elise Jablow, Becca Conviser, Rachelle Pike, Dory Schultz, and James Ioelu. Conducted by Zachary Schwartzman. Directed by Lemuel Wade, assistant-directed by Christopher Mirto. Piano by Scott Rednour and Mila Henry.

In this post-modern romp through Lewis Carroll's Wonderland, Manly Romero presents the story of Alice's older, wiser, and far less famous real-life sister, Lorina Liddell--and the not-so-true account of the Knave of Hearts and his close call with the chopping block. After awakening from her famous dream of Wonderland, Alice can't wait to tell her sister, Lorina about the strange personalities she has met and her crazy experiences. Impatient to leave childhood behind, Lorina can hardly wait for Alice's story to end. But when it does, Lorina is drawn into her own dream of Wonderland, four scenes that push the limits of sanity while questioning whether growing up is that great an idea to begin with. A coming of age tale for audiences of all ages, Romero’s score supports Lorina’s real-life teenage dreamings of love and success with bel canto lyricism, and the colorful madness of Wonderland with quirky, chromatic edginess.

MANLY ROMERO

Manly RomeroManly Romero’s songs, chamber music, symphonic works and stage works have been performed across the US and internationally, and praised as “lively, rhythmic and punchy.” Romero studied with David Conte and Conrad Susa at San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM), where he assisted in orchestrating The Dangerous Liaisons. Under the mentorship of Michael Daugherty and William Bolcom, Romero completed a DMA at the University of Michigan while composing orchestral works such as Spirals (recorded on the Klavier Gold label), his symphony, Cortège; Blanco, Azul, Rojo, and a first draft of his opera, Dreaming of Wonderland. These compositions garnered awards and commissions from The American Academy of Arts and Letters, American Composers’ Orchestra, The Ragdale Foundation, American Music Center, San Francisco Camerata Americana, and NYFA. Romero serves as Artistic Director for the New York City-based composers’ collective Random Access Music (RAM) and of the Queens New Music Festival. He works at Manhattan School of Music as Performance Librarian and Administrative Director of the Contemporary Performance Program. He lives in Brooklyn with his nine-year old son, Cameron, to whom Dreaming of Wonderland is dedicated. www.manlyromero.com

THE ARTISTS INVOLVED

Zachary Schwartzman Music Director	Lemuel Wade Stage Director	Nadia Petrella Lorina	Elise Jablow Alice	Becca Conviser Cook
Rachelle Pike Duchess	Dory Schultz Baby	James Ioelu Knave	Mila Henry Piano	Scott Rednour Piano

FESTIVAL EVENT INFO

March 25 and 26-8:00PM
Doors open at 7:00PM
Galapagos Art Space
16 Main St., Brooklyn, NY 11201
DIRECTIONS

ADMISSION

ADVANCE-$20/ $30 for both shows
DAY OF SHOW-$25

Tickets on sale at Galapagos Art Space February 20

Wonderglass

MARCH 26TH, 2012- WONDERGLASS

A Chamber Opera by Susan Botti

Opera on Tap presents scenes from Susan Botti's chamber opera Wonderglass. Stage direction by Beth Greenberg. Orchestra conducted by Yoon Jae Lee of Ensemble 212.

Wonderglass is a journey exploring the visions of Lewis Carroll. The sequence of events unfolds as it might in a dream. Because the characters and their adventures are already familiar, they become a point of departure - allowing each person's unique imagination to lead the way through the boundless world of Lewis Carroll.

"Life, what is it but a dream?"

"...it was hard to know what to admire most about her efforts here: her music, her singing, or the theatrical flair and imagination she brought to both. Her score traverses a kaleidoscopic mix of styles, from jazz through Weill to Neo-Classical Stravinsky and beyond, with remarkable assurance. In its mordant humor (with apt quotations from Gershwin, Mozart and Donizetti in the Queen of Hearts' mad scene) and its savvy, nightmarish treatment of seemingly childish material, the music evokes Harrison Birtwhistle's 'Punch and Judy'... Ms. Botti strikes hardly a false note...The piece incorporates two fine animated film sequences by Phil Denslow..."
-- James Oestreich, The New York Times

"Botti's music...shows a variety of influences while maintaining a solid personal voice. There are improvisatory passages, debts to Stravinsky and Schoenberg, operatic quotes (including a snippet from Lucia's 'Mad Scene' in which the soprano is accompanied bya trombone instead of a flute), humorous take-offs on popular styles and ample doses of sweet lyricism... But the opera's strongest moments are its most poignent ones... Botti herself sang several parts, including the pivotal Queen, using her winning soprano to show how varied her talents are... Botti's 'Wonderglass' deserves to take its place as a worthwhile contribution to contemporary opera."
-- John Guinn, Detroit Free Press

Susan Botti

As both a composer and a singer, Susan Botti's eclectic background and experiences are reflected in her music. Whether in an orchestral or chamber setting, theatrical influences play a vital part in her musical expression. Botti is the recipient of numerous grants and awards, including the Goddard Lieberson Fellowship from the American Academy of Arts and Letters; and grants from Meet The Composer, the National Endowment for the Arts, The Aaron Copland Fund, The Mary Flagler Cary Charitable Trust, The NY Foundation for the Arts, The Greenwall Foundation, The Jerome Foundation, ASCAP, and the Foundation for Contemporary Performance Arts. Ms. Botti was awarded a 2005 Guggenheim Fellowship and the 2005 Frederic A. Julliard/Walter Damrosch Rome Prize in Music Composition. She was the 3rd Daniel R. Lewis Young Composer Fellow with the Cleveland Orchestra. Additional orchestral commissions include works for the New York Philharmonic and The Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. She appears internationally as a composer and singer, most recently as the artist-in-residence with the National Symphony Orchestra of Taiwan.

THE ARTISTS INVOLVED

Susan Botti Composer	Yoon Jae Lee Music Director	Beth Greenberg Stage Director	Kamala Sankaram The Queen of Hearts	Joan Estep Alice
Michael Bragg Tenor 1	David Schmidt Bass-Baritone	Melissa Collom Mezzo-Soprano	Kevin Courtemanche Tenor 2	Christopher Goddard Piano

FESTIVAL EVENT INFO

March 25 and 26-8:00PM
Doors open at 7:00PM
Galapagos Art Space
16 Main St., Brooklyn, NY 11201
DIRECTIONS

ADMISSION

ADVANCE-$20/ $30 for both shows
DAY OF SHOW-$25

Tickets on sale at Galapagos Art Space February 20

Through the Peeping Glass

MARCH 25TH & 26TH, 2012- THROUGH THE PEEPING GLASS

Start believing in impossible things...

Burlesque producer/performer Rita MenWeep invites you down the Rabbit-Hole to the ‘Land of Galapagos’ for the most curious thing you ever saw in your whole life: “Through the Peeping Glass,” a two-part burlesque/cirque Alice in Wonderland. Don't be late for this very important date! 

Sunday, March 25th
David James as the Mad Hatter (Aerialist)    
Rita MenWeep as the Red Queen (Burlesque) www.ritamenweep.com
Jenny C'est Quoi as the Walrus (Burlesque) www.jennycestquoi.com
Tigger! as the Door Mouse (Burlesque) www.tiggertiger.com

Monday, March 26th
Joshua Dean and Ben Franklin as Tweedle Dee And Tweedle Dum (Trapeze duet) www.suspendedcirque.com , www.aerialjosh.com 
Ekaterina as Alice (contortion) www.missekaterina.com
Creamy Stevens as the Cheshire Cat (Burlesque) www.creamystevens.com

THE ARTISTS INVOLVED

Rita MenWeep The Red Queen	Joshua Dean Mad Hatter/ Tweedle Dee	Jenny C'est Quoi Walrus	Tigger The Door Mouse	David James Aerialist
Ben Franklin Tweedle Dum	Miss Ekaterina Alice	Creamy Stevens The Cheshire Cat	Ambrose Martos aka Manchego (Host)

FESTIVAL EVENT INFO

March 25 and 26-8:00PM
Doors open at 7:00PM
Galapagos Art Space
16 Main St., Brooklyn, NY 11201
DIRECTIONS

ADMISSION

ADVANCE-$20/ $30 for both shows
DAY OF SHOW-$25

Tickets on sale at Galapagos Art Space February 20