Our friends at OVERTONE STUDIOS in Los Angeles make their New York City debut at La MaMa for the world premiere of
ICELAND
By O-LAN Jones and Emmett Tinley
March 24-April 2, 2023
La MaMa (Ellen Stewart Theater)
66 East 4th Street, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10003
BUY TICKETS
A contemporary love story that plays with the ancient mythology of the country itself, ICELAND begins with a seemingly chance encounter between Vala, a disillusioned architect in search of answers, and Mundi, a dispirited wilderness guide mentally scarred by a climbing accident some years before. The heroine and hero embark on separate journeys across the physical and emotional terrain of a glacier, which catapults them into the realm of The Hiddenfolk and the Mythic Beasts. Through Vala and Mundi's opposing trajectories and eventual union, ICELAND explores - using movement, music, and design - how longing, courage, and the transcendent power of love create a vibrant relationship between the intimacy of human life and the vast dynamic life of the earth.
AN EVENING WITH BARE OPERA
Hosted by The Lyric Chamber Music Society of New York
Thursday 13 October 2022
Soprano Maria Brea
Mezzo-Soprano Sable Strout
Tenor Sungwook Kim
Bass-Baritone Anicet Castel
Pianist Laetitia Ruccolo
Stage Director Daniel Isengart
DOC THE HALLS!
Coming December 2, 2022
The companies of the Decameron Opera Coalition have teamed up for a third project together that will culminate in a unique holiday season album. Each company has produced a piece that encompasses a unique holiday perspective. The album is set to release on all major listening platforms (Spotify, iTunes, etc) on December 2, 2022.
Bare Opera once again has the privilege of producing yet another magnificent work of composer Thomas Cabaniss. “Christmas Eve: Nearing Midnight in New York” samples lyrics from poet Langston Hughes. Performed by soprano Maria Brea, mezzo-soprano Sable Strout, mezzo-soprano Malena Dayen and pianist (and Artistic Director of Bare Opera) Laetitia Ruccolo.
A LETTER TO OUR SUPPORTERS
12 October 2022
Dear Friends of Bare Opera,
Our 9th season is well underway, and we are looking forward to sharing opera with you through in-person and online. We kicked off the fall with two film festivals. Now we are anticipating an Upper East Side concert at the Kosciuszko Foundation and the release of a holiday album of new seasonal pieces from the companies of the Decameron Opera Coalition.
Our hit “HEROES OF NEW YORK” from last season was selected by not one, but two different film festivals. The Cannes Short Film Festival chose HEROES to be features in its MUSIC VIDEO category. Our supporters were able to watch August 15-21, 2022.
Opera Philadelphia’s ‘Opera on Film Festival’ selected HEROES OF NEW YORK from over 800 submissions to be screened live, in the theater on September 28, 2022. Laetitia Ruccolo, Bare Opera’s Artistic Director and Co-Founder was in attendance representing the team.
On October 13, 2022, Bare Opera artists will return for an intimate performance at the Kosciuszko Foundation on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, hosted by our friends at the Lyric Chamber Music Society of New York.
To close out 2022, we are part of the release of “DOC the Halls,” a recorded album of new holiday songs from the companies of the Decameron Opera Coalition. Our contribution to the album, an atmospheric piece capturing New York on Christmas night by Thomas Cabaniss, will be recorded and mixed in October 2022.
We hope you will join us online or in-person and enjoy some gorgeous music altogether.
Warmly,
Laetitia Ruccolo and Kirsten Scott
Bare Opera Co-Founders and Directors
Fall 2022
HEROES of New York goes to Cannes festival
August 15-21, 2022
CANNES SHORT FILM FESTIVAL 2022
August 15—August 21, 2022
HEROES OF NEW YORK
Directed by Brian Gonzalez + Malena Dayen
Music by Dina Pruzhansky
Libretto by Briana Hunter
Presented in the block of films:
MUSIC VIDEOS
Opera Philadelphia's Opera on Film Festival to feature Heroes of ny
September 28, 2022 | 6 p.m. | Philadelphia, PA
OPERA ON FILM
Presented by Opera Philadelphia
September 27—October 2, 2022
HEROES OF NEW YORK
Directed by Brian Gonzalez + Malena Dayen
Music by Dina Pruzhansky
Libretto by Briana Hunter
Presented on Day Two of the Festival:
"Shorts: Like, Share, Follow"
HEROES OF NEW YORK
CREATIVE TEAM
Composer Dina Pruzhansky
Librettist Briana Hunter
Videographer Brian Gonzalez
Director Malena Dayen
Lead Audio Engineer Sean Yoo
Audio Engineer Joseph Patrych
General Director of Bare Opera Kirsten Scott
Artistic Director of Bare Opera Laetitia Ruccolo
CAST (in order of appearance)
The Doctor Shannon Delijani
The Oyster Lady David Charles Tay
The Bodega Owner Brace Negron
The Sex Worker Patrice P. Eaton
The Singer Meryl Dominguez
INSTRUMENTALISTS
Piano Dina Pruzhansky
Violin Victoria Lewis
Cello Oded Hadar
Double Bass Pat Swoboda
Drums Arei Sekiguchi
With its great statues and grand architecture, it is easy to overlook the everyday heroes of New York City who are down on the pavement beside us: the real beating heart of this world-renowned metropolis. This opera is a monument for those who have no monument. No single person represents New York City: all New Yorkers are the city. Sometimes they get a bad rap, but nowhere else will you find a community of strangers who can also be as kind, compassionate and caring as your closest friends and family. They wouldn’t survive the constant hustle without each other, and moments of heroism abound daily in the small gestures and unexpected acts of kindness from faces you have never seen before and will never see again.
Heroes of New York explores the ecosystem of this living city, offering us a snapshot of the heroic efforts made by five of the countless unique souls who make the city’s heart beat. It’s only a handful of threads in the tapestry of a place built by nine million heroes, but for a moment we slow down in the dash from the skyscrapers to the subway and get to know the incredible people on the sidewalks around us. Everyone’s story is unique. Everyone’s story is human. Everyone is a hero.
BEHIND THE SCENES
Heroes of New York is funded in part by a generous grant from
Comm. Stefano Acunto.
Our season depends on you. Thank you for your support in any capacity.