FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Contact: Suzanne Calvin (214.443.1014/suzanne.calvin@dallasopera.org)
Or Megan Meister (214.443.1071/megan.meister@dallasopera.org)
THE DALLAS OPERA IS PROUD TO PRESENT
“COMPOSING CONVERSATIONS”
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Featuring Joby Talbot, Composer of
ALICE IN WONDERLAND
and the Film Score for
THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO
THE GALAXY
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MAY 15, 2012 AT 6:30 PM
HAMON HALL, THE WINSPEAR OPERA HOUSE
AT&T PERFORMNG ARTS CENTER
MODERATED BY D MAGAZINE ARTS EDITOR PETER SIMEK
DALLAS, MAY 2, 2012 – The Dallas Opera is tremendously proud to announce the second in an ongoing series of “TDO Composing Conversations” a Dallas Opera special event designed to get you—and music lovers just like you—excited about the creative process and our commitment to the advancement of this dynamic art form.
This free, hour-long public presentation will take place on Tuesday, May 15, 2012 at 6:30 PM in Nancy B. Hamon Hall (located in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center in Downtown Dallas) and will featured acclaimed British composer Joby Talbot, whose music has charmed audiences in The Royal Ballet/National Ballet of Canada production of Lewis Carroll’s masterpiece, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (2011), and a host of other original works, including the film score for the pop culture classic, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (2005); Ave Verum Corpus (2006); Aluminium, an arrangement of ten songs by White Stripes; music for the BBC television comedy Psychoville; as well as film scores for The Lodger (1999), Penelope (2006), and Arctic Tale (2007). About Alice in Wonderland, a critic for The Times of London wrote: “Talbot’s score is utterly enchanting, a tapestry of wonder and mystery that shimmers with rich characterization”.
This “TDO Composing Conversation” will be moderated by D Magazine Arts Editor Peter Simek.
Concluding the conversation that evening will be General Director and CEO Keith Cerny accompanied by renowned American librettist and songwriter Gene Scheer, who brought Herman Melville’s epic to new life in the Dallas Opera world premiere production of Moby-Dick (2010), to bring you word of an exciting new project!
Those attending this second in our series of “Composing Conversations,” will also be among the first to hear this major announcement from the Dallas Opera.
Be there—or be (sadly) unaware!
Seating is limited and RSVPs are recommended. To secure your seat for this extraordinary inside look at cutting-edge opera-making, call 214.443.1044 or reserve your seat online at rsvp@dallasopera.org.
BIO:
Joby Talbot’s compositional aesthetic threads through his classical and concert works; scores for film and television; and collaborations with major contemporary choreographers.
Talbot studied composition privately with Brian Dennis and Brian Elias, prior to receiving tuition from Simon Bainbridge at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. A 1997 commission from the BBC Philharmonic resulted in Luminescence for string orchestra, quickly followed by the percussion and chamber ensemble piece Incandescence, initially written for the Brunel Ensemble and toured in 1999 by Evelyn Glennie and the London Sinfonietta, for whom Talbot went on to write Minus 1500 in 2001. Talbot’s first work for the BBC Proms was 2002’s à cappella The Wishing Tree for The Kings’ Singers; subsequently, the Proms commissioned Sneaker Wave (2004) for the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, and an arrangement of Purcell’s Chacony in G Minor (2011) for the BBC Symphony Orchestra.
In 2004, Talbot was named Classic FM’s first Composer-in-Residence, a project that culminated in the 2005 release of the album Once Around the Sun. Also in 2005, Nigel Short’s exceptional choral ensemble Tenebrae premiered Path of Miracles, another à cappella work of four movements, which describes the ancient Christian pilgrimage across northern Spain from Roncesvalles to Santiago de Compostela. In 2006, Talbot completed the trumpet concerto Desolation Wilderness for the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and Turku Philharmonic orchestras, conducted by JoAnn Falletta and performed by acclaimed soloist Alison Balsom. The piece received its North American premiere, by former Chicago Symphony principal Craig Morris, in August 2009 at the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music.
Works for smaller ensembles have included Blue Cell for the Apollo Sax Quartet; Mandalafor six harps; Motion Detector for cellist Maya Beiser; and Manual Override for the T’ang Quartet.
The latter two pieces, along with a further two of Talbot’s, were chosen by Royal Ballet resident choreographer Wayne McGregor for his 2008 work Entity with Random Dance, of which there has been over 85 performances worldwide. Talbot and McGregor had collaborated previously on Chroma for the Royal Ballet, which garnered the South Bank Show Award for Dance and an Olivier Award for Best New Dance Production; and, in the same year, on Genus for the Paris Opera Ballet, for which Talbot produced an electro-acoustic score in collaboration with LA electronic music producer Deru.
For a third 2008 dance collaboration, with Carolyn Carlson and the Orchestra National de Lille, Talbot wrote the full-length Tide Harmonic, now available on Signum Classics. In 2007 and 2008, Talbot’s The Dying Swan was choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon for Fool’s Paradise and performed by Wheeldon’s company Morphoses at Sadler’s Wells and NY City Center in successive seasons. In February 2011, Wheeldon and Talbot premiered their full-length ballet of Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland for The Royal Ballet, the score for which was the first of its kind to be commissioned by the company in 20 years.
Talbot’s work for film and television began in 1998 with his theme and score for British comedy series The League of Gentlemen, for which he was awarded the Royal Television Society Award for Best Title Music. In 2005 he scored the feature-length The League of Gentlemen’s Apocalypse, as well as The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy directed by Garth Jennings, with whom he subsequently worked on the 2008 film Son of Rambow. Other recent film scores include Penelope, Franklyn and Is Anybody There?, and during 2010-11, Talbot both scored and developed song arrangements with the young musicians in the recently released British independent film Hunky Dory.
Commissions from the British Film Institute, for silent films The Lodger (1999), premiered at the Edinburgh Festival, and The Dying Swan (2001) have been widely performed and adapted to other purposes.
As an arranger, Talbot has worked with numerous contemporary pop musicians, including Paul McCartney, Tom Jones, Air, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Neil Hannon and The Divine Comedy, Travis, and Ute Lemper, and with record producer Nigel Godrich. Talbot himself acted as producer as well as arranger on the XL Recordings album Aluminium, a limited-edition collection of songs by The White Stripes, arranged by Talbot for chamber orchestra.
Talbot has also composed works for band, including 2003’s The Watchers, written for his group Billiardman and incorporating electro-acoustic instrumentals alongside speech samples.
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT “MAY AT THE DALLAS OPERA”
IS CONVENIENTLY AVAILABLE ONLINE
VISIT WWW.DALLASOPERA.ORG AND CHECK THE CALENDAR LISTINGS
For high-resolution, digital photographs suitable for print
To arrange an interview
Or for additional information
Please contact Suzanne Calvin, Manager/Director Media & PR
214.443.1014 or suzanne.calvin@dallasopera.org
THE DALLAS OPERA WISHES TO EXPRESS ITS GRATITUDE TO OUR EXCLUSIVE PARTNERS:
AMERICAN AIRLINES – OFFICIAL AIRLINE OF THEDALLAS OPERA
LEXUS – OFFICIAL VEHICLE OF THEDALLAS OPERA
CARTIER – OFFICIAL JEWELER & WATCHMAKER OF THEDALLAS OPERA
ROSEWOOD CRESCENT HOTEL – OFFICIAL HOTEL OF THEDALLAS OPERA
In grateful appreciation of their service and commitment,
The Dallas Opera dedicates this season to Joanna and Peter Townsend.
Ticket Information for the 2011-2012 Dallas Opera Season
All main stage performances are in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center. Subscriptions start at just $75 and are on sale now. For more information, contact The Dallas Opera Ticket Services Office at 214.443.1000 or visit us online at www.dallasopera.org.
THE DALLAS OPERA 2011-2012 SEASON INFORMATION
The Dallas Opera celebrates its Fifty-FifthInternational Season in the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House at the AT&T Performing Arts Center in downtown Dallas. Evening performances will begin at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees will begin at 2:00 p.m. English translations will be projected above the stage at every performance. Assistance is available for the hearing impaired.
LA TRAVIATA by Giuseppe Verdi
April 13, 15(m), 18, 21, 27 & 29(m), 2012
Let’s Party Like It’s 1849!
An opera in three acts first performed in Venice at Teatro La Fenice, March 6, 1853
Text by Francesco Maria Piave, based on Alexandre Dumas’ play, La dame aux camélias
Time: 19th century
Place: Paris
Conductor: Marco Guidarini
Stage Director: Bliss Hebert
Production Design: Allen Charles Klein
Lighting Design: Thomas Hase
Choreographer: Rosa Mercedes*
Wig & make-up Design: David Zimmerman
Chorus Master: Alexander Rom
Starring: Myrtò Papatanasiu** (Violetta Valéry), James Valenti (Alfredo Germont), Laurent Naouri* (Giorgio Germont), Amanda Crider* (Flora Bervoix), Timothy Mix* (Baron Douphol), Tom Corbeil* (Marchese D’Obigny), Ethan Herschenfeld* (Doctor Grenvil), and Susan Nicely (Annina).
THE MAGIC FLUTE by W.A. Mozart
April 20, 22(m), 25, 28, May 4 & 6(m), 2012
Hearts Tested, Tried and True!
An opera in two acts first performed in Vienna, September 30, 1791.
Text by Emanuel Schikaneder.
Time: Legendary
Place: Mythological Egypt
Conductor: Graeme Jenkins
Production: August Everding
Stage Director: Matthew Lata
Scenic Design: Jörg Zimmermann*
Costume Design: Renate Kalanke*
Lighting Design: Duane Schuler
Wig & make-up Design: David Zimmerman
Chorus Master: Alexander Rom
Children’s Chorus Master: Melinda Cotten
Starring: Ava Pine (Pamina), Shawn Mathey* (Tamina), Patrick Carfizzi (Papageno), L’ubica Vargicová* (The Queen of the Night), Raymond Aceto (Sarastro), Kevin Langan (The Speaker), David Cangelosi (Monostatos), Angela Mannino* (Papagena), Caitlin Lynch* (First Lady), Lauren McNeese* (Second Lady), Maya Lahyani* (Third Lady), Aaron Blake (First Man in Armour) and Darren K. Stokes* (Second Man in Armour).
*DallasOpera Debut
** American Debut
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The Dallas Opera is supported, in part, by funds from: City of Dallas, Office of Cultural Affairs; TACA; the Texas Commission on the Arts and The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). American Airlines is the official airline of The Dallas Opera. Lexus is the official vehicle of The Dallas Opera. Cartier is the official jeweler and watchmaker of The Dallas Opera. Rosewood Crescent Hotel is the official hotel of The Dallas Opera. Advertising support from The Dallas Morning News. The T. Boone Pickens YMCA, Smartwater and Stephen Pyles Restaurant – new supporting partners! A special thanks to Mrs. William W. Winspear and the Elsa von Seggern Foundation for their continuing support.
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