Heidi Melton's Valhallantines for the New York Phil
Heidi Melton turned Wagnerian wit into Valhallantines for the New York Phil's Instagram account.
February 14, 2018
In collaboration with Verismo, soprano Heidi Melton created a series of #Valhallantine posts for her takeover of the New York Philharmonic's Instagram account on Valentine's Day.
In honor of epic and awkward romances, The Ring Cycle-themed poems ranged from limericks and haiku to "roses are red" verses, utilizing Melton's deep knowledge of the Wagnerian repertoire.
Melton's performance as Sieglinde that evening earned critical notice, with The New York Times praising her as "a radiant soprano... Singing with bloom and richness, Ms. Melton was a tender, vulnerable Sieglinde.” Bachtrack was impressed by her "warm and gleaming voice...acted with insight and wisdom," while the New York Classical Review raved, "Soprano Heidi Melton proved nearly ideal as Sieglinde. She brought a rich voice to the role, showing smooth tenderness through most of the act, but was capable of thrilling energy, as well."
Learn more about Heidi Melton >
A Silent Night Album Resonates
“These artists address the listener with the urgency of a prophet or an obsessive. World War I ended almost a century ago, but they make it seem present and pressing, like many of the songs it inspired. Artsong recitals rarely feel so grounded in reality.” The debut album from baritone John Brancy and pianist Peter Dugan is reviewed in Opera News and aired on radio stations across the U.S.
October 15, 2017
““These artists address the listener with the urgency of a prophet or an obsessive. World War I ended almost a century ago, but they make it seem present and pressing, like many of the songs it inspired. Art song recitals rarely feel so grounded in reality.””
A Silent Night, the first disc from baritone John Brancy and pianist Peter Dugan, has earned praise from Opera News and airtime on radio stations across the U.S. Hailed by The Washington Post as “refreshingly, marvelously different,” their WWI tribute album features the music of British, German, French, and American composers who lived through, fought in, and died in the Great War.
Read the full review in Opera News.
Christopher Allen Featured in Opera News Magazine
"At thirty-one, conductor Christopher Allen is one of the fastest-rising podium stars in North America. Allen’s leadership is a model of clarity, vigor and intelligence, keenly detailed and richly colored; his work with soloists, chorus and orchestra is first-class..." The October issue of Opera News includes a 2-page spotlight on the young conductor – and his tattoos.
October 1, 2017
Photo by Gabriel Gastelum
““Opera is not dead. I’m just going to keep saying that.””
During a late afternoon lunch in St. Louis’s plush Tenderloin Room last June, Allen answered questions carefully and succinctly; his voice is soft, but his passion for opera is loud and clear. “The stories of our time need to be told. And the medium where I can help that is opera. That’s what we do—tell stories. Look at Ricky’s Grapes of Wrath, which we are doing now. Steinbeck’s novel was written in the ’30s, but there are so many things in it that are relevant today. How scary is that?
“Did you see Fellow Travelers at Cincinnati Opera? Greg Spears is a brilliant composer, and that piece is a perfect example of a story that is relevant to our time and needed to be told. I sat there and thought, ‘Wow, this is absolutely entertaining—people need to see this.’ And the reaction of that audience was astonishing. Opera is not dead. I’m just going to keep saying that. I suppose ‘Opera is dead’ is a good media headline, but I don’t know how true it is.
Read the full feature in Opera News.
The Crossroads Project Lauded by Boston Globe
"At this point, environmentally oriented performances are nothing new, but this music is deep enough to engage on its own." Read more from the Boston Globe on the Fry Street Quartet's latest project.
December 16, 2016
“Its modes hop from inviting post-minimalism to electrifying dissonance to twisted nostalgia, ending with a pensive ascent. The Fry Street Quartet plays fluently and fluidly, with remarkable unity in unintuitive passages.”
The Fry Street Quartet's new release on Navona, The Crossroads Project, is featured in the Boston Globe.
Last month, a “king tide” brought Boston Harbor up to the sidewalk of Long Wharf, seawater flowing through cutouts in the concrete barriers. For those few hours, the border between the built and the natural shifted, creating a sense of dislocation and, for some, wonder. This liminal zone is the territory of the Fry Street Quartet’s recent release on Navona, “The Crossroads Project.” The Utah-based group performs commissions by American composers Laura Kaminsky and Libby Larsen. Both pieces center on themes of nature and sustainability, and are accompanied by topical narration and visuals when performed live; at this point, environmentally oriented performances are nothing new, but this music is deep enough to engage on its own.
Photo by Andrew McAllister
Fry Street Quartet Launches #MakeItYours, Releases 'The Crossroads Project'
Alongside an album of environmentally conscious new works by Grammy winner Libby Larsen and Pulitzer Prize nominee Laura Kaminsky, the visionary Fry Street Quartet has launched the #makeityours campaign to encourage personal responsibility for global sustainability.
September 9, 2016
Today, the visionary Fry Street Quartet releases The Crossroads Project on Navona Records: a captivating recording blending art and science to address global sustainability, featuring new works by Pulitzer Prize nominee Laura Kaminsky and Grammy Award winner Libby Larsen.
The Crossroads Project exemplifies the FSQ’s intellectual and musical curiosity and collaborative spirit. The album commemorates the ensemble’s signature multimedia performance of the same name, created in collaboration with physicist Dr. Robert Davies, which has toured to 20 cities for a total of 30 performances.
“The FSQ has always been motivated by the goal of relevancy, in matters big and small. We feel it’s critical that we bring our artistic voices to bear on a topic vital to human society,” says Fry Street Quartet cellist Anne Francis Bayless.
“The arts, and music in particular, have long been instrumental in social change movements,” adds FSQ violinist Robert Waters. “The simpler goal of this recording is to generate a wider audience for these two fantastic new works. Our larger goal, though, is to spread awareness of the work of The Crossroads Project and, by extension, its call to action for each of us to work, as quickly as we can, to change our path away from environmental destruction and toward a sustainable world.”
To help spread that awareness, FSQ has launched the #makeityours social campaign, which encourages each of us to pick a way to contribute toward a more sustainable world. To date, the stop-motion video introducing the campaign has been viewed more than 17,000 times on Facebook.
Conductor Christopher Allen Recognized by Solti Foundation U.S.
The 30-year-old maestro receives a 2016 Solti Foundation U.S. Career Assistance Award.
May 3, 2016
Photo by Gabriel Gastelum
Christopher Allen, John L. Magro Resident Conductor at Cincinnati Opera, and Associate Conductor at Los Angeles Opera, has been named as a recipient of a 2016 Solti Foundation Career Assistance Award.
Now in its twelfth year of assisting outstanding young U.S. conductors to further develop their talent and careers, the Solti Foundation U.S. is the foremost organization in the United States dedicated exclusively to helping young conductors.
The mission of the Solti Foundation U.S. is to identify, support and promote emerging young American conductors as they launch their classical careers.
Established in 2000 to honor the memory of Sir Georg Solti by lending significant support to career-ready young American musicians, the Foundation endeavors to seek out those musicians who have chosen to follow a path similar to that followed by Sir Georg himself.