Opera in Eden Returns to Symphony Space 6/2

Lawrence Edelson, Producing Artistic Director of American Lyric Theater (ALT), has announced that OPERA IN EDEN, an evening of one act operas written by Resident Artists from ALT's Composer Librettist Development Program, will return to the Leonard Nimoy Thalia at Symphony Space on Thursday, June 2nd, 2011, at 7:00 PM. Tickets to OPERA IN EDEN are $15 in advance, or $20 on the day of the performance, and are available from www.symphonyspace.org or by calling (212) 864-5400.

OPERA IN EDEN will feature four operatic fantasies on temptation: CYCLE by composer Clint Borzoni and librettist Tony Asaro; ON THE ORIGIN by composer Justine F. Chen and librettist Rochelle Bright; SEED by composer Gerald Cohen and librettist David Simpatico; and ALL WOUNDS BLEED by composer Christopher Cerrone and Librettist Tony Asaro. Composer/librettist Mark Adamo will moderate the event, which is the culmination of an intensive workshop led by Adamo as part of the core curriculum of ALT's Composer Librettist Development Program.
Edelson explained that "all of these pieces were borne out an assignment designed by Mark Adamo. Mark provided an outline that was very loosely based on the story of Adam and Eve, but with many missing pieces... sort of a 'MadLibs' project, where the artists were asked to fill in the blanks, make distinct choices about their takes on the story, and then to realize their visions in an operatic context. Throughout the workshop, the composers and librettists have been challenged to rethink assumptions, justify their choices, and to find their own voices as they create something that is both dramatically riveting and musically engaging. I'm always amazed at the variety of works that emerge from this process."

The short one-act operas will be performed in concert by an exceptional group of guest artists, including soprano Caroline Worra; soprano Chelsea Basler; mezzo soprano Sarah Heltzel; tenor Kyle Bielfield; tenor Glenn Seven Allen; baritone Christopher Burchett; and music director Keith Chambers. Following the performance, the audience will be invited to discuss the pieces and the compositional process with Mark Adamo and ALT's Resident Artists.

About American Lyric Theater (ALT) and The Composer Librettist Development Program

American Lyric Theater (ALT) was founded by Lawrence Edelson in 2005 to build a new body of operatic repertoire for new audiences by nurturing composers and librettists, developing sustainable artistic collaborations, and contributing new works to the national canon. ALT is not an opera company by any traditional definition. Many opera companies commission and perform new works; but ALT is the only company in the United States that offers extensive, full time mentorship for both composers and librettists. While the traditional company model focuses on producing a season, ALT's programs focus on serving the needs of emerging operatic writers, developing new works, and collaborating with larger producing companies to help usher those works into the repertoire. ALT's faculty and artistic mentorship team includes some of the country's leading operatic writers, dramaturges and directors, including Mark Adamo, Cori Ellison, Anthony Davis, Rhoda Levine, and Michael Korie.

In 2006, ALT commissioned its first main stage work: THE GOLDEN TICKET, a new opera based on Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, by American composer Peter Ash. After Ash and his librettist partner, Donald Sturrock, began independent development of this opera, ALT commissioned its completion with Felicity Dahl, and provided a supportive mentorship environment for three years. Under a new collaborative producing model, ALT developed a partnership with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis to present the world premiere of THE GOLDEN TICKET, which took place in June 2010 to tremendous critical and audience acclaim. The European Premiere of THE GOLDEN TICKET took place in October 2010 at Ireland's Wexford Festival Opera, and the production will next be seen at The Atlanta Opera in March 2012. In 2009, ALT initiated a second main stage commission, THE POE PROJECT: a trilogy of one-act operas inspired by the fiction of Edgar Allan Poe being written by six Resident Artists from ALT's Composer Librettist Development Program (CLDP). Since launching the CLDP in 2007, ALT has provided intensive personalized mentorship to 17 gifted emerging artists. Currently, ALT is developing two additional full-length operas, and welcomed 8 new Resident Artists to the CLDP in the 2010-11 season.