CONSIDERING MATTHEW SHEPARD | JUNE 1 & 2, 2024

SOLARIA SINGERS

Andrew Minear, music director

Sara Catherine Barnes, stage director

Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater

Composed by Craig Hella Johnson, Considering Matthew Shepard is a Grammy-nominated three-part oratorio which is an evocative and compassionate musical response to the murder of Matthew Shepard.

On October 6, 1998, Matthew Shepard, a University of Wyoming student, was kidnapped, beaten, and left to die, in what became an infamous act of brutality, and one of America’s most notorious anti-gay hate crimes.

Considering Matthew Shepherd responds to and reflects upon the devastating events that led to Matthew Shepard’s heartbreaking death. It speaks with a fresh and bold voice, incorporating a variety of musical styles seamlessly woven into a unified whole. Through music, poetry, and singing this piece demonstrates that his life and legacy are more than his inhumane suffering and demise. Reflections on Matthews legacy are compassionately explored in this groundbreaking work.

Orlando Sings’ professional ensemble, Solaria, will present this work, fully staged, in the Pugh theater with orchestra, soloists and projections.

CONSIDERING MATTHEW SHEPARD | JUNE 1 & 2, 2024

SOLARIA SINGERS

Andrew Minear, music director

Sara Catherine Barnes, stage director

Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater

Composed by Craig Hella Johnson, Considering Matthew Shepard is a Grammy-nominated three-part oratorio which is an evocative and compassionate musical response to the murder of Matthew Shepard.

On October 6, 1998, Matthew Shepard, a University of Wyoming student, was kidnapped, beaten, and left to die, in what became an infamous act of brutality, and one of America’s most notorious anti-gay hate crimes.

Considering Matthew Shepherd responds to and reflects upon the devastating events that led to Matthew Shepard’s heartbreaking death. It speaks with a fresh and bold voice, incorporating a variety of musical styles seamlessly woven into a unified whole. Through music, poetry, and singing this piece demonstrates that his life and legacy are more than his inhumane suffering and demise. Reflections on Matthews legacy are compassionately explored in this groundbreaking work.

Orlando Sings’ professional ensemble, Solaria, will present this work, fully staged, in the Pugh theater with orchestra, soloists and projections.

Frida | Opera Orlando

music by Robert Xavier Rodríguez

book by Hilary Blecher

lyrics & Monologues by Migdalia Cruz

STEINMETZ HALL

at Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts

445 S Magnolia Avenue | Orlando, FL 32801

Friday | January 26 at 7:30 p.m.

Sunday | January 28 at 2 p.m.

Sung in English and some Spanish with English and Spanish supertitles.

Estimated run time of two hours and twenty minutes including one intermission.

TICKETS: start at $29

An Ambassadors reception will be held before each performance at Dr. Phillips Center. Learn more about being an Ambassador HERE.

An invitation only Artist Patrons party will be held after the opening night performance at Dr. Phillips Center. Learn more about being an Artist Patron HERE.

Age Advisory | PG-13

Frida | Opera Orlando

music by Robert Xavier Rodríguez

book by Hilary Blecher

lyrics & Monologues by Migdalia Cruz

STEINMETZ HALL

at Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts

445 S Magnolia Avenue | Orlando, FL 32801

Friday | January 26 at 7:30 p.m.

Sunday | January 28 at 2 p.m.

Sung in English and some Spanish with English and Spanish supertitles.

Estimated run time of two hours and twenty minutes including one intermission.

TICKETS: start at $29

An Ambassadors reception will be held before each performance at Dr. Phillips Center. Learn more about being an Ambassador HERE.

An invitation only Artist Patrons party will be held after the opening night performance at Dr. Phillips Center. Learn more about being an Artist Patron HERE.

Age Advisory | PG-13

Join your Space Coast Symphony for a little honky-tonk and a little heartache in a solid gold celebration of country music past and present. More than 75 years of country music you know and love will be showcased from legendary stars including Patsy Cline, Willie Nelson, and Johnny Cash, to the biggest stars of today such as Dolly Parton, Billy Ray Cyrus, Taylor Swift, and the Zac Brown Band. Vocalists Sarah Purser and Andrew Lejeune will bring that good-ole down-home feeling that is sure to leave boots knockin’, hearts pumpin’, and every country soul content.

More information HERE.

Join your Space Coast Symphony for a little honky-tonk and a little heartache in a solid gold celebration of country music past and present. More than 75 years of country music you know and love will be showcased from legendary stars including Patsy Cline, Willie Nelson, and Johnny Cash, to the biggest stars of today such as Dolly Parton, Billy Ray Cyrus, Taylor Swift, and the Zac Brown Band. Vocalists Sarah Purser and Andrew Lejeune will bring that good-ole down-home feeling that is sure to leave boots knockin’, hearts pumpin’, and every country soul content.

More information HERE.

A SOLARIA SOLSTICE | DECEMBER 21, 2023 | 6:30 & 8:15 PM

SOLARIA SINGERS

Andrew Minear, conductor

Timucua Arts Foundation

Quickly becoming a favorite holiday tradition in Orlando, A Solaria Solstice features Orlando’s finest vocalists in an intimate venue. Hear moving poetry and music from Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa, as well as compelling contemporary choral works that reflect on this time of darkness, renewal, and the light to come!

Carlos Cordero Holding Our Breath

Reena Esmail The Tipping Point

& Traditional Songs of the Season

Christmas with the Basilica Choir

Friday, December 15, 2023 | 7:30PM

Our most anticipated annual event with the Basilica Choir and Orchestra! Seasonal favorites and don’t forget the sing-a-long! Sponsored by the Guarisco Family Charitable Trust.

Come join us November 4, 2023 for a free evening under the stars enjoying the Space Coast Symphony Orchestra with an opening by the the Florida Symphony Youth Orchestra Jazz Ensemble. Bring your blankets, picnic baskets, and low chairs to sit back with your friends and neighbors.

https://windermerewineanddine.com/events/music-among-the-lakes-event/

Songwriters Rising is a monthly gathering featuring local songwriters, original music, and conversation to encourage a new and fun way of connecting with live music and each other.

Every 3rd Friday 8-11pm at Bynx Orlando. Tickets are by donation, but not required.

Songwriters Rising evolves from the traditional format of the songwriter listening room concert (where the performer gives and the audience takes) and shift towards a new way of experiencing story and song that involves participation and exchange from both artist and listener.

At Bynx, you can expect a space where live music is a mutually active experience for audience and artist. Where the listener feels like they are a part of the artistic experience rather than a passive observer. To become a part of the celestial body rather than remaining the astronomer.

Come prepared to enjoy a meaningful night of community, music, and expression whether you are by yourself or making plans with friends!

This month we are exploring the universes of:

Sentinel Events (instagram.com/sentinel_events/)

Sarah Purser (sarahpursersings.com/)

Sunriver (instagram.com/sunrivermusic/) from Jacksonville!

Hosted by Hannah Stokes (hannahstokesmusic.com/)

Though we are stars that seem so distant from one another, we make up one mysterious, complicated, beautiful constellation.

Argento won the Pulitzer Prize for music in 1975 for From the Diary of Virginia Woolf, a cycle of eight songs written for mezzo-soprano Janet Baker, who premiered the work with Martin Isepp, pianist. The text comes from A Writer’s Diary: Being Extracts from the Diary of Virginia Woolf, containing portions of the personal journal the writer kept over a period of 27 years

Sarah will perform the piece at Timucua Arts along with Rosamund Hencinski on piano.

Sarah will be featured on the Outdoor Stage performing two sets of solo original music. The outdoor stage is always free and no tickets are necessary.

Timothy Takach’s Helios is a concert-length work that explores the mythology surrounding our galaxy. Hear the horse-led chariots in Neptune, and the siren call of the sopranos and altos as they sing of Jupiter. Takach is one of choral music’s leading composers, and his gifts for melody and drama are evident throughout this unique contemporary work. This will be the Southeastern US premiere of Helios featuring visual projections created by artist Deborah Johnson.

Bel Canto Singers of Daytona will present Craig Hella Johnson’s Considering Matthew Shepard: A Choral Suite in concert May 7, 2023, 3.30 pm at Ormond Beach Presbyterian Church, 105 Amsden Rd. Ormond Beach, FL.

Three of Floridas most well-known professional soprano soloists will be featured in these works which includes Anna Eschbach, Sarah Purser and Samantha Barnes Daniel. Sheriff Mike Chitwood will serve as narrator.

Tickets are available online by visiting www.belcantodaytona.org

Join us for an evening at The Sarasota Opera House as the ranks of ensembleNEWSRQ swell to 40 Musicians! Presenting two contemporary classics - both composed in 1976. HK Gruber’s “Frankenstein” and Louis Andriessen’s iconic “De Staat”

Monday, April 17th, 2023 - 7:30 pm

The Sarasota Opera House
61 N Pineapple Ave, Sarasota, FL. 34236

Back in the acoustically marvelous Timucua Arts Foundation, the popular Solaria Solstice concerts return for another year of amazing sounds of the season. Music and poetry take us on a sonic journey through darkness into light. This program includes music of Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa, as well as brand new works sure to inspire. The Solaria Solstice is a new annual tradition not to be missed!

The Solaria Singers joined by the Solaria Players, the NEW Orlando Sings chamber orchestra, perform the 1610 Vespers by Claudio Monteverdi, the most important and pioneering composer of his day. Monteverdi was a master of the Renaissance and then helped usher in the Baroque Period through his ravishing and captivating compositional style. Titled the Vespro della Beata Vergine, the Vespers represent the best of the old and new styles of the time. A monumental masterpiece of the early Baroque — it is both personal and magnificent, spiritual and theatrical, sublime and sensual. Monteverdi serves up a plethora of textures, a sparkling orchestra, grand choruses, and captivating solo arias and duets.

Sarah Purser will be singing the role of Blanca in Nathan Felix’s one act opera, Ribas Dominicci.

Composer Nathan Felix presents the Florida premieres of the War Bride and the in-person premiere of Ribas-Dominicci. Each opera is 30-40 minutes and will be performed twice in one evening.

Composer Nathan Felix presents the Florida premieres of the War Bride and the in-person premiere of Ribas-Dominicci.

The War Bride: The War Bride is a short opera that follows a WWII bride, Jean Groundsell Contreras, from Britain as she faces new challenges as an immigrant in the USA in the 1940’s.

Ribas-Dominicci is a chamber opera based on the true story of Air Force hero Fernando Luis Ribas-Dominicci, whose fighter jet was shot down near Libya in April, 1986, during Operation El Dorado Canyon.

Nathan Felix (born 1981) is a Mexican-American music composer known for his immersive operas and experimental films. His music has been premiered in Bulgaria, Portugal, Spain, Japan, China, Sweden, Denmark, Mongolia and the United States and his music has been featured on the BBC, MTV, NPR & PBS.

Sarah Purser will be the Mezzo Soprano soloist with the Orlando Messiah Choral Society for their annual performance. Admission is free but seating is limited at the performance will take place at the Trinity Preparatory Performing Arts Center.

Sarah Purser will be singing the title role of the Medium in Gian Carlo Menotti’s one act opera of the same name.

Timucua presents two fully-staged opera performances: “The Medium” (running time 60 minutes) and “the Telephone” (running time 30 minutes) by Gian Carlo Menotti. Both operas will be performed back to back at a 3:00 pm matinee, and a 7:00 pm evening show.

The Medium is set in 1930’s USA. Madame Flora, with the help of her daughter Monica and Toby, a mute servant, tries to cheat her clients through faked seances. She is touched by a hand during one of them, an occurrence she cannot explain and which drives her to insanity and murder.

The Telephone revolves around the attempts of Ben (baritone) to propose marriage to Lucy (soprano) in her apartment before he leaves on a trip. Numerous phone calls and conversations that preoccupy her prevent him from popping the question.

TICKETS are now on sale for a special concert in partnership with Windermere Preparatory School. The concert will take place at Windermere Prep's beautiful performing arts facility on Thursday, Sept. 23 at 7 p.m. The program, a collection of Gilbert and Sullivan’s greatest hits, will feature Opera Orlando artists (including Sarah Purser and Samantha Barnes Daniel) teaming up with Windermere Prep students. Tickets are available to view in person or online at https://teachtix.com/wps/an-evening-of-opera.