| Date & Time: | Monday, August 4, 2008
- Sunday, August 31, 2008
10:00 AM |
|---|
(Seattle, WA) Connecting the ideas of surviving as an artist in America with living as a global citizen, composer Byron Au Yong premieres 64 portable operas inspired by the ancient Chinese text I Ching (Book of Changes) and the environment.
Scientists and global leaders worry that the world’s future challenges revolve around water. Kidnapping Water emotionally addresses these aspects in a new way. “These Bottled Operas are meant to be carried through catastrophes. I think about straining water resources and compose songs of survival,” says Au Yong.
Opera singers and percussionists perform Au Yong’s Kidnapping Water: Bottled Operas in waterways throughout the Pacific Northwest this August. The 64 mini-operas explore operatic themes in an accessible format.
By taking opera out of the opera house, the Bottled Operas connect the power and beauty of traditional operatic voices with a musical experience intimately connected to nature. The site-specific performances allow Au Yong to take his music directly to places where people interact with many forms of water, creating opportunities for audience members from all walks of life to experience heightened awareness, understanding, and awe of the powerful forces of nature and humanity in a natural environment.
Percussionists play the water found at these locations with instruments that include wood, stone, bamboo, bone, rope, hide, plants, and metal. Libretti are written by eight writers from diverse cultural and artistic traditions not often represented in opera; the 64 Bottled Operas will be anything but a traditional operatic experience.
Kidnapping Water: Bottled Operas will be performed by opera singer/water percussionist duos in rivers, lakes, fountains, ravines, and other waterways as part of 4Culture’s Site-Specific Performance Network on August 4, 11, 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, and 26.
Funketabla’s James Whetzel is one of four percussionists taking part in KWBO. The other percussionists are Stuart McLeod, Dean Moore and Ben Morrow.
The opera singers include Josie Davis, Emily Greenleaf and David Stutz.
The music is by Byron Au Yong. The libretti were created by Eugenie Chan (San Francisco), Bret Fetzer (Seattle), Aaron Jafferis (New Haven), Archana Kumar (Chicago), Carola Luther (Yorkshire), Caroline Murphy (New York), Vivian Umino (Los Angeles), and Edisa Weeks (Brooklyn).
James Whetzel will be performing 8 pieces from KWBO Monday August 4th with singer David Stutz in locations in Bothell, Shoreline, Lake Forest Park: UW Bothell, Saltwater Park, Richmond Beach, Ronald Bog, North Lake Washington, Lake Forest Park Towne Center, and Echo Lake.
James will also be performing as part of Kidnapping Water: Bottled Operas as staged by Bret Fetzer at the Bumbershoot Festival, August 29 - 31st in the DuPen Fountain at Seattle Center. Telephone info 206 281-7788.
Production Pike Pin (Project Manager), Emily Carlsen (Costume Designer), Eric Rockey (Videographer), Ben Kasulke (Filmmaker), Jean-Stephane (Photographer, Multimedia), Erica Howard (Researcher, Writer)
There will also be a Light/Sound Installation of KWBO by Byron Au Yong and interactive media artist Randy Moss at the Jack Straw New Media Gallery from September 12 to October 10, 2008; Opening September 12, 7pm with Artist Talk September 25, 7pm. Telephone info 206 634-0919
To see the complete schedule of performances and to get additional information about Kidnapping Water: Bottle Operas please go to:
hearbyron.com/
Scientists and global leaders worry that the world’s future challenges revolve around water. Kidnapping Water emotionally addresses these aspects in a new way. “These Bottled Operas are meant to be carried through catastrophes. I think about straining water resources and compose songs of survival,” says Au Yong.
Opera singers and percussionists perform Au Yong’s Kidnapping Water: Bottled Operas in waterways throughout the Pacific Northwest this August. The 64 mini-operas explore operatic themes in an accessible format.
By taking opera out of the opera house, the Bottled Operas connect the power and beauty of traditional operatic voices with a musical experience intimately connected to nature. The site-specific performances allow Au Yong to take his music directly to places where people interact with many forms of water, creating opportunities for audience members from all walks of life to experience heightened awareness, understanding, and awe of the powerful forces of nature and humanity in a natural environment.
Percussionists play the water found at these locations with instruments that include wood, stone, bamboo, bone, rope, hide, plants, and metal. Libretti are written by eight writers from diverse cultural and artistic traditions not often represented in opera; the 64 Bottled Operas will be anything but a traditional operatic experience.
Kidnapping Water: Bottled Operas will be performed by opera singer/water percussionist duos in rivers, lakes, fountains, ravines, and other waterways as part of 4Culture’s Site-Specific Performance Network on August 4, 11, 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, and 26.
Funketabla’s James Whetzel is one of four percussionists taking part in KWBO. The other percussionists are Stuart McLeod, Dean Moore and Ben Morrow.
The opera singers include Josie Davis, Emily Greenleaf and David Stutz.
The music is by Byron Au Yong. The libretti were created by Eugenie Chan (San Francisco), Bret Fetzer (Seattle), Aaron Jafferis (New Haven), Archana Kumar (Chicago), Carola Luther (Yorkshire), Caroline Murphy (New York), Vivian Umino (Los Angeles), and Edisa Weeks (Brooklyn).
James Whetzel will be performing 8 pieces from KWBO Monday August 4th with singer David Stutz in locations in Bothell, Shoreline, Lake Forest Park: UW Bothell, Saltwater Park, Richmond Beach, Ronald Bog, North Lake Washington, Lake Forest Park Towne Center, and Echo Lake.
James will also be performing as part of Kidnapping Water: Bottled Operas as staged by Bret Fetzer at the Bumbershoot Festival, August 29 - 31st in the DuPen Fountain at Seattle Center. Telephone info 206 281-7788.
Production Pike Pin (Project Manager), Emily Carlsen (Costume Designer), Eric Rockey (Videographer), Ben Kasulke (Filmmaker), Jean-Stephane (Photographer, Multimedia), Erica Howard (Researcher, Writer)
There will also be a Light/Sound Installation of KWBO by Byron Au Yong and interactive media artist Randy Moss at the Jack Straw New Media Gallery from September 12 to October 10, 2008; Opening September 12, 7pm with Artist Talk September 25, 7pm. Telephone info 206 634-0919
To see the complete schedule of performances and to get additional information about Kidnapping Water: Bottle Operas please go to:
hearbyron.com/
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