Chelsea Opera presents QUINNTESSENTIALLY YOURS �?a fund raising concert showcasing works by composer/lyricist Terry Quinn, with additional music by composers Stephen Paulus and Gary Fagin, at The New York New Church (114 East 35 th Street, NYC), on Friday, February 19, 2010 at 8:00 p.m. The program features singers Darcy Dunn, Elisabeth Halliday, Moira Kelley, Shana Mahoney, Leonarda Priore, Victoria Tralongo, Matt Castle, Peter Kendall Clark, Larry Long and James Shaffran accompanied by Kelly Horsted on piano, Rob Jacoby on sax/winds and Maurice Belle on bass with ensemble singers Larry Beers, Donald Grove, and Deborah Stone in a program that ranges from cabaret to musical theater to classical opera . The program will be directed by Heidi Lauren Duke.
Tickets are $20 (general admission) and $12 (seniors/students), or $25 and $15 at the door. Advanced purchase is recommended as seating is limited and tickets are going fast. Visit: http://www.chelseaopera.org/events.html or call 1-866-811-4111 for tickets. T his production is supported, in part, by the Friends of Chelsea Opera. The New Church is fully wheelchair accessible. For more information, visit www.ChelseaOpera.org or call .
The company looks forward to showcasing a variety of works by Terry Quinn. The author of two novels, a biography and a volume of poetry, his short stories, memoir pieces and plays have appeared in many literary journals and national magazines. He has written, directed and performed in numerous dramas and comedies produced on stages in New York City, England, France, Holland and Germany, and on National Public Radio. With George Plimpton, he co-authored One Sunday at the Fitzgeralds and Zelda, Scott and Ernest �?the latter having featured Norman Mailer as Ernest Hemingway in the premiere performance. He also wrote the book, lyrics and music for two music theater works including Rasputin (which is featured on this concert). A volume of his poetry, Mad for Newyorktown, (published by Straw House Press) has been set to music by Gary Fagin, from which three excerpts conclude the evening’s performance.
Two chamber operas for which he wrote the librettos have received seven productions, including world premiere performances at the 92nd Street Y’s Kaufmann Concert Hall in New York City (Hester Prynne at Death, with music by Stephen Paulus), and The Concertgebouw in Amsterdam (John Adams in Amsterdam: A Song for Abigail, with music by Gary Fagin). A dramatic song cycle, titled A Distant Love: Songs of John and Abigail Adams, for which he wrote the libretto (score by Gary Fagin), had a three-performance world premiere at the Brooklyn Historical Society in the fall of 2009. Mr. Quinn is collaborating with composer Stephen Paulus on a full-length opera titled The Birthmark. He is also completing the librettos for a dramatic song cycle, Legendary Deaths, and a one-act opera, Oscar / Sarah / Salome, as well as a music theater work titled Georgette’s Last Rehearsal, for which he is writing the playscript, lyrics and score. Excerpts from Hester Prynne at Death,A Distant Love and Georgette’s Last Rehearsal are included on the Quinntessentially Yours concert.
Halfway into its sixth season, Chelsea Opera, a professional company, presents fully staged operas with chamber orchestra. Performing its mainstage productions in the intimate space at St. Peter’s in Chelsea, New York City, the company provides an important venue for professional singers to advance their artistry while making opera attractive, affordable and accessible to a broad spectrum of the community. The company is also committed to providing opportunities for young people to learn about and become interested in opera either as a source of entertainment or future employment.
Formed in 2004 by Lynne Hayden-Findlay and Leonarda Priore, the company has produced Cavalleria Rusticana, Amahl and the Night Visitors, Pagliacci, Don Giovanni, Gianni Schicchi, The Ballad of Baby Doe, The Scarf and The Bear (two one-acts based on Chekhov texts) and this past June, Puccini’s Suor Angelica which was the company’s inaugural production and celebrated the 5 th anniversary. It’s recent up-dated production of Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors brought high accolades from audience and singers alike. The season concludes with Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro (Jun 10-13). Following Quinntessentially Yours, there is one additional “Chelsea Opera presents…�?concert, Shakespeare in Opera �?Signature Scenes (March 26 th).
Chelsea Opera is supported by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and the New York State Council on the Arts. JetBlue Airways is “the official airline of Chelsea Opera.
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Tickets may be purchased on-line (link through www.ChelseaOpera.org) or by calling 1-866-811-4111. This production is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, and from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency as well as by the Friends of Chelsea Opera. For more information, visit www.ChelseaOpera.org or call 260-1796 or 917-912-3778.
Chelsea Opera is a professional company presenting fully staged operas with chamber orchestra. Performing in the intimate space at St. Peter’s in Chelsea, New York City, the company provides an important venue for professional singers to advance their artistry while making opera attractive, affordable and accessible to a broad spectrum of the community. The company is also committed to providing opportunities for young people to learn about and become interested in opera either as a source of entertainment or future employment. As New York Times music writer, Anthony Tommasini noted this past June: “With American opera companies large and small struggling financially and a few going under, there was a patch of encouraging news [as] this scrappy company celebrated its fifth anniversary…�?
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