Aug

11

“La Petite Carmen” “La Petite Carmen”

with Catherine Anne Daniel, Tod Kowallis, Joy Bechtler, Martin Hargrove, Aya Shabu & music by Bizet

Sun August 11th, 2013

7:30PM

Main Space

Minimum Age: All Ages

Doors Open: 6:30PM

Show Time: 7:30PM

Event Ticket: $25/$35/$50/$100

event description event description

A classic tale with a Congo-inspired twist
 
La Petite Carmen is a 60-minute abridged version of Bizet’s French opera Carmen. It’s the story of a cycle of violence that leads to tragedy. This age-old story of the fate of Carmen connects OPERAnauts’ La Petite Carmen to Congo.
 
Like the people of Congo, OPERAnauts are influenced by music, and make music their reply to violence: “to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before.” – Leonard Bernstein
 
OPERAnauts’ mission is to present opera, a powerful musical art form, to urban youth and adults to demonstrate the collaborative and community-building process of producing a premiere event.
 
Performers:
Catherine Anne Daniel, mezzo soprano as Carmen
Tod Kowallis, tenor as José
Joy Bechtler, soprano as Micaela
Martin Hargrove, bass-baritone as Escamillo
Aya Shabu, dancer
 
Creative Team:
Joy Bechtler, Artistic Director
Brendan Teeley, Development Director
Cecelia Reilly, Production Manager
Bernadette Teeley, Event Manager
Chrys Adams, IT Manager
Craig Levesque, Composer/Arranger
Aruna Arya, Costume Designer
Louis Menendez, music director
Darcia Parada, stage director
Tyler Learned, lighting designer
 
$25 standing room ($35 after August 4th)
$50 seated ($100 after August 4th)
 
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TABLE SEATING POLICY
Table seating for all seated shows is reserved exclusively for ticket holders who purchase “Table Seating” tickets. By purchasing a “Table Seating” ticket you agree to also purchase a minimum of two food and/or beverage items per person. Table seating is first come, first seated. Please arrive early for the best choice of available seats. Seating begins when doors open. Tables are communal so you may be seated with other patrons. We do not take table reservations.
 
A standing room area is available by the bar for all guests who purchase “Standing Room” tickets. Food and beverage can be purchased at the bar but there is no minimum purchase required in this area.
 
All tickets sales are final. No refund or credits.

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“La Petite Carmen”

OPERAnauts to Congo announces its United States premier to be held August 11 Poisson Rouge (158 Bleecker St, NYC). The premier is the capstone of two years of community-building efforts designed to promote peace and build unity—a model that will be implemented in the war-ravaged communities in the Congo in 2014 with a goal of teaching youth a technique for coping with violence and aggression in their own lives, while spreading hope and peace to all people through music.
 
The OPERAnauts will perform La Petite Carmen; its own adaptation of Bizet’s Carmen arranged to underscore the senselessness of violence. The New York premier is a collaboration of artists and creatives across the US. and Canada. The Congolese productions will similarly tap local creative artists. OPERAnauts’ field work in Congo will include music instruction at Congolese schools and partnerships with the local orchestra.
 
The US premier models the community- building approach: music is the bridge, uniting people of many cultures. Performing artists and creatives from across the country and Canada have united for the performance: mezzo-soprano Catherine Anne Daniel, tenor Tod Kowallis, bass-baritone Martin Hargrove, and soprano Joy Bechtler will perform opera roles in La Petite Carmen while six musicians from the tri-state area will perform as the music ensemble. Seamstresses in Kinshasa (Congo) hand-made fabrics; international fashion designer Aruna Arya used the fabrics to create the costumes; artwork and graphic design from Philadelphian artist Sophie Sarkar; Africa-inspired choreography in the production by award-winning choreographer Aya Shabu.
 
OPERAnauts to Congo uses music as a social change agent in Congo to reverse the cycle of violence, poverty and disease. Founded in 2012, OPERAnauts’ mission is to present opera, a powerful musical art form, to urban youth and adults to demonstrate the collaborative and community-building process of producing a premiere event. Founder of OPERAnauts, Joy Bechtler was raised in the Congo and now resides in Princeton, NJ.

Catherine Anne Daniel

Martin Hargrove

Aya Shabu

music by Bizet

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