Choral Music Ghana’s Post

Get to know one of the best-loved composers of his generation, Ludovico Einaudi, in a captivating conversation at Dubai Opera. Learn about his remarkable journey, the stories behind his successes, and the challenges that shaped his music, which has sold over 2.5 million albums worldwide. Watch the full interview here https://lnkd.in/d_ye84AB  #ConversationsWithDO

"Opera has been alive for 400 years, not by insisting on itself as a practice of purity. The practice isn’t hermetically sealed; in fact, it’s rather empirical. It’s like what the Brazilians talk about, antropofagismo—it eats influences from elsewhere." — Neo Muyanga At 16, Neo arrives in Italy, having left apartheid South Africa, and hears opera for the first time. He doesn't like it. "Why not just sing normally?" he wonders. “Why are people just crying and dying, and why so much blood?" Despite this initial reaction, it marks the beginning of a thread that Neo would go on to pull, unravel, and then reimagine. In an expansive part conversation, part performance, Neo, composer, musician, and theatre-maker, traces the arrival of opera on South African shores, along with colonial forces and their project to erase Indigenous histories and memories. For over a decade, Neo has been working to understand what the South African operatic voice is, and why so many individuals from environments without formal musical training and no desire to be classical performers are drawn to opera. His work and research have included looking at how the operatic tradition, present in Africa since the 19th century, has been not only assimilated but also boldly transformed and hybridised within black communities and, more broadly, in musical storytelling in the Global South. For Neo, it’s about leaning into this hybridity and developing a new language, “which allows us to do hybrid work that can sound both operatic and other.” Here’s a sneak peek of Neo’s performance, accompanied by soprano Tina Mene, titled 'Africa And Opera: A Revelatory Journey,' at the recent #AfricaIntheWorld2024 festival. In this excerpt, they perform an aria written by Neo as part of an opera adaptation of Zakes Mda’s novel Heart of Redness. We’ll be sharing the full performance in the coming weeks, so keep a lookout! #neomuyanga #tinamene #ZakesMda #heartofredness #AfricanOpera #AfricaIntheWorld #drostdyteater Dr. Sizakele M.STIAS: Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study Standard Bank Group

Earlier this month Arts Council England put out a 115-page document (Ross from Friends - "front and back"!) analysing the state of opera in the UK's biggest nation. The headline-grabbing part of it is the section where the authors express criticism about how many of the most performed works between 2017 and 2023 are by Puccini, Verdi, Mozart or Bizet, i.e. older works from the classic canon. That means, they say ominously, that opera “may find it harder to make an argument for its continued evolution as a cultural practice”. In The Times I argue that not only the methodology is flawed here, but so is the agenda. No operagoers - the general public - were actually consulted for this report. And while it's convenient to blame an ageing or conservative audience for the reliance on core parts of the repertoire, it isn’t borne out by the evidence. Go on to TikTok (before they ban it), search for “opera” and it’s La traviata, Carmen and The Magic Flute that soundtrack the most-watched operatic memes. A clip from the Royal Opera House of The Magic Flute has more than two million likes. Accessibility is supposed to be a watchword of the Arts Council, so what’s wrong with regularly offering audiences the most accessible works? #opera #artsandculture #letscreate https://lnkd.in/dM9FqUAk

Proud to be part of this conference: "Although there is clearly demand for new work, there is next to no institutional context to learn the skills necessary for new opera development. For example, Germany produces around 80 new works annually; yet in the entire country there isn't a single degree or certificate-granting program for training future opera creators. How are these artists – whether composers, librettists, directors or conductors – supposed to hone their craft to produce successful new pieces? NOD5 "OPERAtion education" aims to bring together artists, professors, and opera houses to take this problem head-on." #newoperadialogues #NOD5

#emenidesopera #vasilstole By GEORGE LEOTSAKOS THE ACTION OF THE OPERA Eumenides, begins in Apollo’s temple in Delphi. One of the priests finds Orestes before the altar pleading to be saved from the Erinnyes (Furies) who are now sleeping, exhausted from attempting to persecute him. At that moment, the ghost of Queen Clytaemnestra appears. She awakens the Erinnyes, reproaching them for failing to punish Orestes and criticizes Apollo for having offered shelter to this criminal. The action then moves to Athens, where according to Apollo’s decision, Orestes will appear before a court to be judged for his crimes. The young hero, following the advice of Apollo, arrives there and embraces the statue of the goddess Pallas Athena, begging her to protect him from the Erinnyes, who persecute him relentlessly. The opera itself is in three acts, including an overture, 17 separate numbers (scenes) and three orchestral interludes: Act One: overture, numbers 1-7, and two interludes: the first between nos 1 and 2, and the second (performed by folk instruments) after no. 7. Act Two: nos 8-16, with an interlude between nos 14 and 15. Act Three (Finale): no. 17. Considering Aeschylus text almost ready for his purposes, Tole has set it to music almost in its entirety, with the exception of some purely narrative parts, which delayed the action. Concluding this short introduction, we consider Vasil S. Tole’s Eumenides a score worthy of wide, international propagation, and above all, a fully staged performance. We wholeheartedly wish and hope that tonight’s world première, in concert form, will only be the beginning of a brilliant career for this work. https://lnkd.in/gxnTnSTu

It is true that music unites, and this concept holds an extra significance for those in diaspora. In this piece for Delilah Magazine UCLU, I talk about Lebanese singer Fairuz, her sociopolitical importance, as well as her impact on collective cultural memory in the Arab region and beyond!

Cannot wait for the #opera next month. Listen to this #podcast episode and how this #modernday #composition (2016) connects with the stories and issues of today.

From Opera Singer to YouTube Star: My Journey and Expertise Revealed Join me as I share my incredible journey from opera singer to YouTube star, and how my expertise in music and communication can help you succeed. Learn valuable insights and tips for breaking down complex topics for your audience. #OperaSingerTurnedYouTuber #JourneyToSuccess #ExpertiseRevealed #MusicCommunication #BreakdownComplexTopics #YouTubeTips #OnlineSuccess #ContentCreation #AudienceEngagement #YouTubeExpert

Music Performance Evaluation Guide Directions: 1. Observe the opera in full: La

Want to know more about the business side of the opera world? Read below to learn what INO Artistic Director, Fergus Sheil, will be addressing at this years' Business of Opera Summit...