UPCOMING
___________________________
PAST
2020
GRACIAS A LA VIDA
Soprano María Brea and pianist Colby Charnin
A concert streaming live from home
Saturday, November 28, 5:00pm
Watch at this link: GRACIAS
Sponsored, in part, by the Greater New York Arts Development Fund of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, administered by Brooklyn Arts Council (BAC).
__________________________
THE VIRTUAL CONSTITUTION
Virtual Performances of selected Articles and Amendments
of The Constitution, A Secular Oratorio by Benjamin Yarmolinsky, featuring the original soloists and the VPR Chorus from our 2019 world premiere.
-
Voting Rights*
- We The People
-
The First Amendment: TREASON***
- Article 1: IMPEACHMENT***
-
The Fifth Amendment (Self-Incrimination)**
-
The Sixth Amendment (Impartial Jury)**
-
The Thirteenth Amendment (Abolition of Slavery)
Featured soloists under the musical direction of Peter Szep:
Adrienne Danrich, Liz Lang, and Michelle Trovato, sopranos
Linda Collazo, Judith Barnes, mezzo sopranos
Andrew Egbuchiem, countertenor
Byron Singleton, tenor
Roland Burks, Blake Burroughs, bass-baritones
Felix Jarrar, piano
The VIRTUAL CONSTITUTION videos were made following safe social distancing practices, and we recorded from our respective homes.
In November, we collaborated with The Grace Chorale of Brooklyn for a recording of the Fifth and Sixth Amendments, with orchestra–the first hearing of the orchestral colors and textures as the composer imagined them.
“During these complex political times, it is especially unique to see a work that puts the Constitution front and center. This is an opportunity for audiences to familiarize themselves with a document that represents the soul of the U.S.” —Operawire
*A Vertical Player Repertory commission
**In collaboration with the Grace Chorale of Brooklyn
Sponsored, in part, by the Greater New York Arts Development Fund of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, administered by Brooklyn Arts Council (BAC).
___________________________
The MIRANDA WARNING
World premiere of a new setting by Benjamin Yarmolinsky
Adrienne Danrich, soprano
Felix Jarrar, piano
View at this link: MIRANDA WARNING
Sponsored, in part, by the Greater New York Arts Development Fund of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, administered by Brooklyn Arts Council (BAC).
__________________________
LE PAUVRE MATELOT
and excerpts from
LES MAMELLES DE TIRESIAS
(or HOW TO HAVE A HAPPY MARRIAGE)
POSTPONED
Thursday, March 26th, 2020, 7:00 PM
La Maison Française
Washington Mews, NYC
April 2020
Behind the Door
219 Court Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Sponsored, in part, by the Greater New York Arts Development Fund of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, administered by Brooklyn Arts Council (BAC).
___________________________
MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN
Midnight in the Garden is a staged program of song repertoire showcasing soprano Francesca Mondanaro, recognized for her “electric…high impact singing” (Opera News), “riveting performances” (Washington Post), and ability to create “thrilling and shattering music-drama” (Parterre Box).
Midnight in the Garden features cycles by Respighi (Deità Silvane), Alban Berg (Seven Early Songs), and songs by Rachmaninoff, Tosti and others, evoking a dark night of the soul on an unknown and winding path from dusk to dawn.
Francesca Mondanaro, soprano
Matthew Lobaugh, piano
Judith Barnes, director
POSTPONED
May 22, 2020, 8:00 PM
The Blue Building
222 East 46th Street, NYC
Sponsored, in part, by the Greater New York Arts Development Fund of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, administered by Brooklyn Arts Council (BAC).
_________________________
FIRST FRUITS
New Operatic Works in Progress
Behind the Door
TBA
___________________________
WOMEN OF SALT AND LONGING
A meditation on exile, displacement, and longing for home
TBA
___________________________
2019
THE CONSTITUTION
A Secular Oratorio
by Benjamin Yarmolinsky
“Benjamin Yarmolinsky’s choral work is literally a setting of the articles of the Constitution of the United States and the Bill of Rights, all the more important in today’s troubled age.” —Superconductor
Peter Szep, music director
Judith Barnes & James Rutherford, co-directors
Karni Dorell, scenic design
SOLOISTS
Liz Lang, soprano
Michelle Trovato, soprano
Linda Collazo, mezzo soprano
Andrew Egbuchiem, countertenor
Anthony P. McGlaun, tenor
Byron Singleton, tenor
Roland Burks, bass-baritone
Blake Burroughs, bass-baritone
THE VPR CHORUS
Sarah Arena, Frances Burgos-Linares, Sarah Downs, JoAnne Hoffman, Jeanne Marie Holcomb, Aley Kent, Laura Kolb-Araujo, Susan Kommel, Robert Lewis, Isaac Mann, Richard Mann, Chitra Raghavan, Ittai Ratzersdorfer, Gordon Reynolds, Lena Wu
Thursday, June 27, 2019, 7:30 pm
Saturday, June 29, 2019, 4:00 pm
Tuesday, September 17th, 2019, 800 PM
Tuesday, September 24th, 2019, 8:00 PM
Thursday, September 26th, 2019, 8:00 PM
Saturday, September 28th, 2019, 8:00 PM
Behind the Door
219 Court Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
Shining a light on the foundational document of the United States, Vertical Player Repertory presents a semi-staged performance of The Constitution by Benjamin Yarmolinsky, a setting for chorus and soloists of significant portions of the United States Constitution, including highlights of Articles 1-7, the Bill of Rights, and subsequent amendments.
TICKETS
constitutionrevival.brownpapertickets.com
PRESS FOR THE CONSTITUTION
“…one of the most unique and fascinating works in New York” —Operawire
‘The Constitution,’ ‘Figaro 90210!’ Headline Top 5 Operas to See This Weekend: “During these complex political times, it is especially unique to see a work that puts the Constitution front and center. This is an opportunity for audiences to familiarize themselves with a document that represents the soul of the U.S.” —Operawire
“The score’s great strength lay in Yarmolinksy’s (sic) remarkable ability to integrate the words of the Constitution into this smorgasbord of musical styles. Yarmolinksy (sic) found poetry even in the most periphrastic of the Constitution’s articles…
“The VPR chorus brought bucketloads of character to Yarmolinsky’s extended choral passages; the result was less a homogenous chorus, and more a rich tapestry of individual personalities coming together in a sharp, full-throated ensemble. Their performance had an infectious energy, which, under the baton of Peter Szep, was channeled into a nuanced and vibrant interpretation of the composer’s score.
“In a directorial coup, the doors to the theater, bordering onto the street, were left open throughout, so that the entire performance took place in full view of Brooklyn’s gawking flâneurs. At times, the performers spilled out onto the sidewalk, their gentle chorale mingling with the sounds of passing traffic and restaurant punters, as if hinting at the vast American nation beyond.”—Parterre
We The People image by Karni Dorell
VPR is a proud participant in the fourth annual New York Opera Fest, joining over 30 New York City-based companies putting on over 30 events in venues around the city in May and June.
miniatures Behind the Door 2019 series is sponsored, in part, by the Greater New York Arts Development Fund of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, administered by Brooklyn Arts Council (BAC).
___________________________
A BAROQUE HOUSE CONCERT BEHIND THE DOOR
The Beast Devoured a Few Key Players…But The Beat Goes On
Thursday, May 23rd, 8:00 PM
Joseph Trent, traverso flute
Vita Wallace, baroque violin
Motomi Igarashi, viola da gamba
Kelly Savage, harpsichord
Admission $15
or at the door, reservations please, at vpropera@gmail.com
If you already purchased tickets to Opera Feroce: The Beast Returns, please get in touch at vpropera@gmail.com. Thanks so much for your support!
___________________________
POSTPONED, ALAS!!
OPERA FEROCE: THE BEAST RETURNS
And just who is “The Beast”?
Come hear some of Feroce’s fiercest hits, and maybe you will find out…
POSTPONED due to illness
Behind the Door
Opera Feroce
Beth Anne Hatton, soprano
Hayden DeWitt, mezzo soprano
Alan Dornak, counter tenor
Vita Wallace, baroque violin
Moromi Igarashi, viola da gamba
Kelly Savage, harpsichord
with special guests
Judith Barnes, mezzo soprano
Joseph Trent, baroque flute
“Wonderfully small,” “magically twisted,” “funny, touching, and thoroughly entertaining,” the celebrated opera troupe in miniature Opera Feroce returns to its home away from home, Behind the Door, for an evening of greatest (and lesser) hits. With an ever-evolving cast of characters including Mll. Zirconie, Sig. Topazio, and Herr Smaragd Von Schmuckstück, Opera Feroce is sure to delight, amuse, and have you lifting an eyebrow (or two) at their light-hearted antics and gorgeous music-making.
Don’t miss this rare Brooklyn appearance before the Ferocistas head off to various and sundry international locations!
___________________________
BUCKY AND HIS FRIENDS
“You never know what’s gonna happen.” –Bucky Malocchio
A Variety Show
Bucky’s back in Brooklyn! So Brooklyn can heave a sigh of relief knowing it’s still got personality. Come for the songs and jokes, and stay for the frolics, flubs and blunders…and of course the gorgeous gals and mystery guests.
Written and performed by Isidore Elias
Starring Tiffany Stoker as Tiffie Teufel and Ezra Barnes as 45
…and Mystery Guests…
Beverly Closs, music director/piano
Steve Witting, director
Saturday, May 18th, 2019, 8:00 pm
Sunday, May 19th, 2019, 5:00 pm
Behind the Door
Tickets $15 at bucky.brownpapertickets.com
miniatures Behind the Door 2019 series is sponsored, in part, by the Greater New York Arts Development Fund of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, administered by Brooklyn Arts Council (BAC).
VPR is a proud participant in the fourth annual New York Opera Fest, joining over 30 New York City-based companies putting on over 30 events in venues around the city in May and June.
AFTER THE CHILDREN’S HOUR
Beth Anne Hatton, soprano
Judith Barnes & Hayden DeWitt, mezzo sopranos
Matthew Lobaugh, piano
A vocal recital interweaving trios, duets, and art songs that touch upon the inner voices of childhood and the intensity of young love, with a nod to the mothers who got us all here.
With music by Poulenc, Fauré, Delibes, Hahn, Saint-Saëns, C.P.E. Bach, Lili Boulanger, Britten, Ives, Rorem, and others.
Sunday, May 12th, 2019, 5:00 pm
Behind the Door
For tickets: ChildrensHour.brownpapertickets.com
VPR is a proud participant in the fourth annual New York Opera Fest, joining over 30 New York City-based companies putting on over 30 events in venues around the city in May and June.
miniatures Behind the Door 2019 series is sponsored, in part, by the Greater New York Arts Development Fund of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, administered by Brooklyn Arts Council (BAC).
___________________________
ANIMA MUNDI: THE COSMOS SHIMMERS
Anima Baroque Ensemble
Beth Anne Hatton, soprano
Vita Wallace, baroque violin
Motomi Igarashi, viola da gamba & lirone
Christa Patton, harp
Judith Barnes, reader
From the musical proportions of the Soul of the World (Amina Mundi), to the cosmic disorder caused by Love and the senses, The Cosmos Shimmers reflects on the eternal harmonies of body and soul, both universal and all-too-human. With readings paraphrased from Plato’s Timaeus.
Wednesday, May 1st, 2019, 8:00 pm
Behind the Door
For tickets: animamundi.brownpapertickets.com
miniatures Behind the Door 2019 series is sponsored, in part, by the Greater New York Arts Development Fund of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, administered by Brooklyn Arts Council (BAC).
VPR is a proud participant in the fourth annual New York Opera Fest, joining over 30 New York City-based companies putting on over 30 events in venues around the city in May and June.
___________________________
JÚRAME
“PROMISE ME,” Spain and Latin America in Song
Zarzuela, Opera, and Art Song from Argentina, Cuba, Spain, and Mexico
María Brea, soprano
Linda Collazo, mezzo soprano
Pablo Zinger, pianist and curator
Pablo Zinger, dubbed “The King of Zarzuela” by Opera News, will be joined by two vibrant young opera singers, soprano María Brea and mezzo soprano Linda Collazo, for a celebration of the depth and passion of Spanish and Latin American vocal music.
Sunday, April 7th, 2019, 4:00 pm
Behind the Door
miniatures Behind the Door 2019 series is sponsored, in part, by the Greater New York Arts Development Fund of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, administered by Brooklyn Arts Council (BAC).
___________________________
SALON BENEFIT CONCERT and RECEPTION
Fresh from engagements at Deutsche Oper Berlin and The Metropolitan Opera, two thrilling singers return to VPR, to help raise funds for our 2019 season!
Dramatic soprano Francesca Mondanaro’s “unforgettable – voluminous, lush and beautiful voice”
and “electric, high-impact singing” joins forces with the “massive, sinfully rich” voice and
“stunning, dramatic delivery” of mezzo-soprano Karolina Pilou in a program of some of the
most demanding masterpieces of the repertoire.
Arias and Duets from Aida, Norma, Semele, Adriana Lecouvreur, and Madama Butterfly.
Saturday, March 30, 2019, 3:00 pm
Behind the Door
219 Court Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
2018
WOMEN OF SALT AND LONGING
a meditation on displacement, exile, and longing for home
La Maison from Poèmes pour Mi by Olivier Messiaen
Addio Roma from L’incoronazione di Poppea by Claudio Monteverdi
Lamentation from the Jeremiah Symphony by Leonard Bernstein
Judith Barnes, mezzo soprano and director
Heather Green, Yuri Ogasawara & Irena Romendik, performers
Doug Han, piano
Friday, June 15, 2018, 7:30 pm
Voorhees Theater at City Tech, 186 Jay Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
___________________________
2017
I STAND ALONE
three monodramas for the female voice
Tesla’s Pigeon by Melissa Dunphy
Phaedra by Benjamin Britten
PHAEDRA
A dramatic cantata for mezzo-soprano
by Benjamin Britten and Robert Lowell
June 10, 2017, 8:00 pm
Presented by LEIMAY
334 South 5th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11211
Admission with reservation:
leimaymain.cavearts.org
___________________________
IF WOMEN WILL NOT BE INCLINED
Women Composers, Women’s Voices
Vocal music of the 19th and 20th Centuries
Songs by Lili Boulanger, Amy Beach, Pauline Viardot & Maria Malibran
Featuring Judith Barnes, Hayden Dewitt, Katya Gruzglina, Mal Harrison, Francesca Mondanaro, Margaret O’Connell, Andrea Reichenbach & Ellen Teufel, vocalists; Doug Han, piano
Curated by Thea Cook
Sunday, April 30, 2017, 4:00 pm
Behind the Door
Proceeds go to the Anti Violence Project
___________________________
MILTON RESNICK at 100: A Centenary View
A remembrance and a showing of a new film, “Milton Resnick Paints a Picture.”
Disorder but completeness, a total anarchy and at the same time a universal truth. — MR
“Milton Resnick Paints a Picture,” a short film of him painting and discussing his views on art and society, followed by a projection of paintings painted over eight decades.
Friday, March 31, 2017, 8:00 pm
Behind the Door
___________________________
Songs for voice and not piano
Saturday, January 28, 2017, 7:00 pm
Behind the Door
Proceeds to benefit the NYC Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union
___________________________
2016
MALVINA DI SCOZIA
by Giovanni Pacini
Libretto by Salvadore Cammarano
Hans Schellevis, Conductor / Judith Barnes, Director
Peter Szep, Chorus Master / Doug Han, Piano
Thea Cook, Production Curator
Angela Leson as Malvina / Karolina Pilou as Morna
Benjamin Bloomfield as Arturo / Stefan Kirchgraber as Malcolm
Aram Tchobanian as Wortimer / The VPR Chorus
May 11 & 13, 2016, 7:30 pm
Christ and Saint Stephen’s Church
120 W 69th Street
New York, NY
___________________________
2015
INCONTRO BAROCCO
Jewels of the Baroque
(high voices and low tea in a semi-precious setting)
Opera Feroce and VPR team up for Jewels of the Baroque, the latest episode in the Incontro Barocco series.
An uptight baroque band and an unruly troupe of singers are hired to entertain at the home of a wealthy family with pretensions to nobility. A nod to the salon concert, Jewels of the Baroque is a gleefully assembled smorgasbord of instrumental and vocal works trespassing across genres, styles and national boundaries. Singers and instrumentalists alike are costumed in High Baroque style, and the audience is shown more than a glimpse of the rivalry, revelry, and repartee among the players.
Saturday, November 28, 2015, 4:00 pm
Sunday, November 29, 2015, 2:00 pm
Behind the Door
___________________________
FRENCH SONG IN TRANSIT
Métamorphoses et Mélodies
Judith Barnes, mezzo soprano
Rémy Yulzari, double bass
Yegor Shevtsov, piano
Thursday, May 28, 2015, 8:30 pm
Behind the Door
___________________________
2014
THE VIRTUOSI QUINTET
Autumn Harvest
A selection of works from baroque to contemporary, celebrating the acclaimed Virtuosi Quintet’s 31st season. Music of Bach, Damase, Grieg, Ligeti, Hindemith and Running.
Wednesday, Nov 5, 2014, 8:00 pm
Behind the Door
______________________
New York Opera Alliance
Launching event at (Le) Poission Rouge
VPR performs excerpts from
THE DWARF by Yoav Gal
Sunday, November 3, 2014, 3:00 pm
_______________________________
STELLA NEMICA INFAUSTA
Rare bel canto arias for mezzo soprano
An evening of treasures plucked from the dusty attic of Italian opera and polished to their former luster. The program will feature rarities by Verdi’s rivals Alessandro Nini, Giovanni Pacini and Federico Ricci, as well as early comic arias by Saverio Mercadante and Gaetano Donizetti. Some of these arias will be receiving their first public performance since the 19th century.
Hayden DeWitt, mezzo soprano
Cathy Venable, piano
Thea Cook, curator
Thursday, October 30, 2014, 7:30 pm
Behind the Door
_______________________________
THE HEMINGS DIARY
A reading of a new play by Lucille Lichtblau
A mysterious diary found at an estate sale gives a young, mixed race couple a troubling legacy to consider; that of founding father Thomas Jefferson and his slave Sally Hemings, who bore him six children.
Featuring Che Ayende, Ezra Barnes, Nurit Monacelli and Libya Pugh
Directed by Melissa Maxwell
Behind the Door
A TWO PLANKS PRODUCTION
_______________________________
ALBUM FOR THE NOT-SO-YOUNG
Benjamin Yarmolinsky, composer and guitarist
Tuesday, July 29, 2014, 8:00 pm
Behind the Door
___________________________
OBSESSION SONGS
A program of songs inspired by obsessive love, longing and dream states, featuring the Ossessione song cycle by Richard Pearson Thomas.
PROGRAM includes songs by John Dowland, Robert Schumann, Hugo Wolf, Henri Duparc, Reinaldo Hahn, Jules Massenet, Antonio Caldara, Giovanni Bononcini, and Ossesione by Richard Pearson Thomas, a song cycle inspired by the much loved Arie Antiche from the Schirmer Italian Song Anthology.
Judith Barnes, mezzo soprano / Hayden DeWitt, mezzo soprano
Bruce Rameker, baritone / Richard Pearson Thomas, piano
Friday, May 23, 2014, 8:00 pm
Behind the Door
_______________________________
BUCKY’S BACK!
Bucky and his Friends
“You never know what’s gonna happen.”– Bucky Malocchio
Written and performed by Isidore Elias
An evening of comedy and music with Bucky and His Friends, featuring Bucky Malocchio and his adorable Buckettes, with a guest appearance by Bucky’s rootin-tootin cousin Billy-Bob Hannity.
Isidore Elias as Bucky
Evelyn Thatcher & Tiffany Stoker, vocals
Beverly Closs, piano / Lane Warren, bass
Cody Rahn, drums
Friday, May 16, 2014, 8:00 pm
Behind the Door
_______________________________
SLUGGING A VAMPIRE
Beautiful and Outlandish Songs
by Charles Ives and Richard Pearson Thomas
PROGRAM includes
Religion / At the River / Serenity
Slugging a Vampire / Two little flowers
The white gulls / Thoreau
and other songs by Charles Ives
I never saw a moor / Jordan / Diamonds / Voyeur
Spinster of Chelsea Embankment /Azulao / Poison
and other songs by Richard Pearson Thomas
Bruce Rameker, baritone
Richard Pearson Thomas, piano
Friday, May 9, 2014, 8:00 pm
Behind the Door
_______________________________
MUSICAL VISIONS
Maeve Hoglund, soprano
Marnie Laird, piano
PROGRAM includes
Amarilli mia bella by Giulio Caccini
Mattinata by Ruggero Leoncavallo
Come raggio di sol by Antionio Caldara
Il bacio by Luigi Arditi
Kaddisch by Maurice Ravel
Elfenlied by Hugo Wolf
Allah akbar allah by Karol Symanowski
Ce doux petit visage by Francis Poulenc
Rushes by Chris DeBlasio
Siete canciones populares Españolas by Manuel de Falla
Saturday, May 3, 2014, 7:30 pm
Behind the Door
_______________________________
IL PASTORE INNAMORATO
(the lovesick shepherd)
Hayden DeWitt, mezzo soprano
Beth Anne Hatton, soprano
Cathy Venable, piano and flute
Joseph Trent, flute
PROGRAM includes
Der Hirt auf dem Felsen by Franz Schubert
Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen by Gustav Mahler
Selections from Il Re Pastore by Wolfgang A. Mozart
Selections from sonatas for two flutes by Georg Philipp Telemann
Friday, April 11, 2014, 8:00 pm
Behind the Door
_______________________________
Sonnets to Orpheus
An evening with Rainer Maria Rilke
Hayden DeWitt, mezzo soprano
Paul Hecht, reader
Rita Costanzi, harp
Thursday, January 2, 2014, 7:30 pm
Behind the Door
_______________________________
2013
THE DWARF
A comic opera by Yoav Gal
Peter Szep, conductor
Doug Fitch, director
GALA PERFORMANCE, PARTY AND FILM SHOOT
November 21 & 23, 2013, 8:00 pm
TWO MORE PERFORMANCES ADDED
Dec 5 & 7, 2013, 8:00 pm
_______________________________
THE DWARF
A preview and party to foreshadow the upcoming full production of Yoav Gal’s THE DWARFThursday, June 20, 2013, 8:00 pm
Saturday, June 22, 2013, 4:00 pm
In Front of and Behind the Door
_______________________________
THE PEACE
Libretto Reading
An open reading of the libretto of VPR’s first commissioned opera, THE PEACE, by composer Nizan Leibovich and librettist Isidore Elias.
Saturday, June 1st, 2013, 3:30 pm Behind The Door_______________________________
THE MILLAY SISTERS
Open Rehearsal Saturday, May 18, 2013, 7:30 pm Behind the Door_______________________________
INCONTRO BAROCCO
A sumptuously costumed evening of music
with Opera Feroce and friends
April 6th & 7th, 2013, 8:00 pm
Behind the Door