Rhymes With Opera (RWO) announces its final season, celebrating the company’s history of commissioning and performing new opera since its founding in 2007.
RWO’s 15th season will feature a special live retrospective concert at The Flea Theater in New York City, an online Cyber Salon, and the release of the studio cast album of Red Giant, their most recent production. For tickets and more information, visit www.rhymeswithopera.org.
The Rhymes With Opera Cyber Salon
July 31, 2022 at 7:00pm EDT | Free
Virtually via rhymeswithopera.org
RWO launches its farewell season with the final Cyber Salon. Throughout its history, RWO hosted regular in-person Salon series where musicians, ensembles, and artists were invited to present their works and works-in-progress in an informal event. RWO shifted the format to an online Cyber Salon during the 2020 Cyber Season, and the company is excited to conclude the series with one more Cyber Salon. The 2022 Cyber Salon features music of previous RWO composers written and produced during the pandemic, and will include live interviews with the composers and performers from locations across the country.
Record Release: “Red Giant”
August 1, 2022
Available On All Streaming Platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, and YouTube Music
As part of the farewell season, RWO will release its second studio cast album – the sci-fi chamber opera Red Giant (music by Adam Matlock and libretto by Brian Slattery). RWO first performed Red Giant in January 2014 as a fully staged touring production that saw performances in Baltimore, Brooklyn, and Jersey City. As part of its 2021-22 season, which was produced amidst pandemic restrictions, RWO created a revival production of Red Giant. For this special live online production, the three ensemble singers rehearsed and performed live from separate locations across the east coast. This studio cast recording from this production marks the second record released by RWO and features instrumentalists Tia Allen (viola), Zach Herchen (saxophone), Christopher Wilson (piano), Thomas Lai (violin), Maiko Hosoda (percussion), and Jenna Girone-Virgilio (cello). The album was mastered by Rhymes With Orchestra saxophonist Zach Herchen and produced by RWO’s co-artistic director and founding member Robert Maril.
15 Years of New Opera: A Celebration
August 27, 2022 at 7pm EDT
The Flea Theater, 20 Thomas Street, NYC | Virtually via rhymeswithopera.org
The centerpiece of RWO’s farewell season will be a special live performance that features greatest hits from across the company’s 15-year history of commissioning, producing, and performing new chamber opera. The performance features the three RWO ensemble singers (Elisabeth Hallday-Quan, Bonnie Lander, and Robert Maril) and includes music by RWO’s resident composers Ruby Fulton and George Tsz-Kwan Lam. In addition to works by ensemble members, the evening will present works by ten different composers, all of whom were commissioned by RWO since its founding in 2007. The retrospective will be directed by Ashley Tata and the singers will be accompanied by the Rhymes With Opera Orchestra, conducted by Alex Wen.
Founded in 2007, Rhymes With Opera includes founding company members Ruby Fulton (composer); Elisabeth Halliday-Quan (soprano); George Tsz-Kwan Lam (composer); Bonnie Lander (soprano); and Robert Maril (baritone). RWO commissions and produces new chamber operas written specifically for the RWO ensemble, including a roster of musicians that form the Rhymes With Orchestra. Recent productions include Rumpelstiltskin (music by Ruby Fulton and George Lam, libretto by John Clum), The Impossible She (music and libretto by Daniel Thomas Davis), and Red Giant (music by Adam Matlock, libretto by Brian Slattery).
The 2022 Cyber Salon is made possible in part with public funds from Creative Engagement, supported by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council and administered by LMCC. Rhymes With Opera’s programming is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
For more information, visit www.rhymeswithopera.org.
