Composer Lisa Neher and Libretist Kendra Leonard present the One Voice Project Virtual Micro Opera Fesval, a weeklong fesval of micro opera world premieres. Every day from March 22-26, a new 5-minute unaccompanied opera wrien by Neher & Leonard will be released on YouTube.
The operas feature acclaimed opera singers from across the United States, including tenor Hugo Vera (Metropolitan Opera), mezzo Margaret O’Connell (Center for Contemporary Opera), soprano Audrey Yoder (Pacific Opera Project), tenor Zach Finkelstein (New York City Opera), and mezzo Lisa Neher herself (Opera Theatre Oregon).
The festival channels the artistic brilliance of opera singers who have frequently found themselves without work and artistic outlets during the pandemic. Each opera is a self-contained story, with plots that address women in sport, the life of musicians during the pandemic, and resilience in the face of obstacles. Several were composed in collaboration with the singers, with plots drawn from their experiences over the last year. The operas promote unaccompanied repertoire for singers as a genre equal to that of unaccompanied instrumental repertoire, a cause Neher regularly champions through her One Voice Project call for scores & concert series. Tickets are Pay as You Can in order to make opera accessible to all.
Following the final release on Friday March 26, audiences are invited to a Talkback and Q&A Recepon with the artists, hosted by Gina Morgano of the Practice Parlour Podcast.
WHAT: The One Voice Project Micro Opera Fesval
WHEN: Mon March 22 – Fri March 26, 2021 |5:00 PM PDT: Operas Released Daily Fri March 26, 2021 | 5:10 pm PDT: Zoom Talkback and Q&A Reception
WHERE: Operas Released as YouTube Premieres: https://www.youtube.com/LisaNeher
COST: Pay as You Can. We invite you to make a donation to @Lisa-Neher on Venmo or lisanehermusic@gmail.com on PayPal in support of the artists. Consider donating your one-hour salary. All proceeds will be split evenly between the artists.
TICKETS: https://forms.gle/Ks8HZN193bQ72URUA
Register to receive a link to each day’s micro opera premiere and to RSVP for the Talkback and Q&A Reception with the Artists.
Lisa Neher Music presents Of Wind and Waves, a virtual concert of vocal and instrumental solos exploring the currents of air, water and emotions that define our natural and psychological world. The concert serves as a release party for Neher’s EP featuring selections from the concert.
The music, composed by Neher, conjures crashing waves on the ocean shore, soaring winds across grassy plains, the erratic flitting of moths in the moonlight, the eerie luminescing of deep water fish, and the longing of loved ones separated from one another. The concert holds space to sit with your deepest feelings, to take joy in the daily beauties around you, and to discover the strange and quirky creatures of the animal kingdom.
Of Wind and Waves is a collaboration with performers from across North America: Rose Bishop (flute, piccolo) of Iowa City, IA; Christine Hoerning (clarinet) of Montreal, Québec; Danielle Kuntz (harp) of Anne Arbor, MI; Catherine Rinderknecht Moritz (violin) of Atkins, IA; and Lisa Neher (mezzo-soprano) of Portland, OR. The concert includes the world premiere of Night Song for Moths, a piccolo solo commissioned by Rose Bishop, and a performance of Reach Out for flute, which was premiered in the spring of 2020 as part of the Gabriela Lena Frank Creative Academy of Music’s #GigThruCOVID initiative.
PROGRAM
Reach Out for flute, performed by Rose Bishop
Within a Dome of Sky for violin, performed by Catherine Rinderknecht Moritz
eddy for harp, performed by Danielle Kuntz
American Waters for voice, performed by Lisa Neher
Night Song for Moths (WORLD PREMIERE) for piccolo, performed by Rose Bishop
Gulper for clarinet, performed by Christine Hoerning
This concert is a ticketed event – tickets are $10 and available here: