Hello from sunny Southern California!
Tomorrow night, don’t miss the YouTube premiere of the west coast Mission Opera production of Girondines (an opera featuring music by me and libretto by Kirsten C. Kunkle). It was a thrill for me and Kirsten to premiere our opera in concert in 2022 with Wilmington Concert Opera, and to premiere it fully-staged (costumes, sets, scenery, the works!) in 2023. This production not only expands the visual world of Girondines, but also its sonic world [as the 2023 production was the first time the opera’s harp part was performed as part of its orchestration.] Tune in on Sunday November 10 at 5pm Pacific / 8pm Eastern:
Register to watch the premiere here: https://www.onthestage.tickets/show/mission-opera/66faeb5a879a4014c1416dda/tickets#/productions-view
Girondines, based on historical fact, is a new opera which focuses on the story of French Revolutionaries who presumably knew one another, met in secret before the Reign of Terror, and supported one another during the political upheaval. All six of the revolutionaries are women, and of these, three are guillotined and three live. I composed the opera’s score and crafted electronic soundscapes to intertwine with the music.
Access the Girondines Mission Opera Production Virtual Playbill/Program here: http://bit.ly/48mczgS to read about the opera’s and this production’s cast and crew. Mission Opera, Kirsten, and I acknowledge, celebrate, and salute not only the cast being featured in tomorrow’s premiere, but also members of the second cast from this Girondines Mission Opera production whose performances were also captured on video and will premiere online at a later date.
An opera by women for women singers, the timeless, tragic Girondines tale epitomizes inequities, turmoil, abuse, and violence with which women continue to wrestle, struggling for autonomy of mind, body, and soul. Women worldwide pursuing science, literature, arts, and activism are still threatened. Opera itself is one of the battlegrounds on which women still fight to be fairly represented and treated in life and art. Vive la résistance!
Want to bring this show to your opera company, theater company, college, or high school? Send me an email if you are interested in learning about opportunities to help facilitate a production championing women, new music, opera, diversity, equity, inclusion, access, education, history, and contemporary art.
You can stream the Wilmington Concert Opera Original Cast Recording album via AmazonMusic, Spotify, AppleMusic, Pandora, YouTubeMusic, and more… Physical CD copies of the album are available, too:
Album proceeds benefit the opera’s composer-librettist team (myself and Kirsten C. Kunkle) as well as WCO, an exclusively woman- and minority-run company. For those curious to compare outcomes of online vs. physical CD enjoyment: album streaming online results in fraction-of-cent proceeds for artists vs. physical CD purchases generating artist income in whole dollars. (Plus you’d have a beautiful keepsake which features cover art by yours truly 🎶 – there are even some autographed copies available for purchase!)
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE OPERA or READ ABOUT the WCO ALBUM RELEASE
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For folks involved with voice, opera, theater, musical theater, or performing arts venues, companies, festivals, or university programs, please send me a message if you’re interested in exploring opportunities to have your own reading, concert, or staging of Girondines. A piano-vocal reduction score is nearly complete!
And for those seeking copies of my earlier albums (songwriting EPs Ophelia’s Song and Puzzle Pieces plus instrumental EP Overture to an Adventure or my Canon in D – Harp Trio Single), visit the platforms listed above for streaming and digital downloads, or order physical CDs here.
Seeking a creative collaborator for music, audio, video, web/graphic design, sound, songs, jingles, film, theatre, piano, harp, ukulele, voice, a cappella, mentorship, lessons? I look forward to connecting with you to learn more about how I can help!
Cheers,
Sarah
Sarah Van Sciver 