Wednesday, December 28, 2011

"Share the Stage" Chorus Kick-Off

A new choral group is in the making --
Come find out what all the excitement is about!

Sunday, January 22, 2012
11 am
YM & YWHA of Washington Heights & Inwood
54 Nagle Avenue, New York City
FREE

 With Share the Stage, professional choral conductor Gina Crusco makes choral singing easy and fun for older adults.  She’ll give skill-building mini-workshops that build lung-capacity, vocal confidence, and team-work. Refreshments will be served.

  • Build your vocal confidence
  • Enjoy singing in harmony
  • Learn a new "language" -- the language of music
  • For Older Adults, 50+

Gina Crusco directed the Westport Madrigal Singers for 8 years and led the Jan Hus Choir in concerts with full orchestra.  She directed opera chorus in Italy and is currently Artistic Director of Underworld Productions Opera. 

FREE with RSVP to underworldprod@gmail.com.  Join us!

Monday, December 26, 2011

Timing is Everything! Comedy Workshop

UPO has FINALLY gotten Heather Dick to come to NYC!  

Timing is Everything!
Playing Comedy on the Stage
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
6:30 – 9 pm
CAP21 Studio #502
18 W. 18th St. (b/w 5th-6th Aves.), NYC




Since 2009 when Artistic Director Gina Crusco took “Make ‘Em Laugh" at Theatre Ontario, she has been determined to give you the chance to work with Heather.  Now is that opportunity – don’t miss it!!  


Through games, improvisations and simple exercises this workshop will explore the technique of playing comedy on the stage.  We’ll create physically comedic characters, play with verbal comedy and language, and explore the art of good timing.  Use your own unique qualities and imaginations to explore and to take risks with your work in a very supportive atmosphere. Come ready to play, laugh and have fun! 

Heather Dick is a performer, director, producer, acting coach and published writer who loves to bring humour into every aspect of her work. She has taught for Theatre Ontario, worked across Canada, produced or performed in more than 70 shows, and appeared in film, television and commercials. Heather is the Producing Artistic Director of the Sirius Theatrical Company.


Think fast!  Register Now.

$25 when you register by January 18
$30 when you register by January 23
$35 at the door

Click the "Donate" button on UPO's homepage:




Friday, November 18, 2011

Underworld Productions Opera Annual Gala


GALA AT CASA ITALIANA
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
6-9 pm
24 W. 12th St. (b/w 5th & 6th Avenues)

Be the first to hear the artists and ideas behind UPO's innovative production
of Don Pasquale
With Amelia Watkins, soprano; Nils Neubert, tenor: Matthew Singer, baritone; Emily White, pianist; and
Special Guest Artist Peter Castaldi, bass-baritone.
Peter Castaldi

Wine and cheese to follow.
This program is available by reservation only. 

$75 per person
$250 for groups of four
RSVP by November 28 to

Judith Binney, Gala Chairperson
333 East 46th Street #4A
New York, NY  10017
 
Checks payable to Underworld Productions Opera
Or Visit Paypal.com


Program includes
"Bella siccome un angelo" (Malatesta's aria from Don Pasquale) sung by Matthew singer, baritone;
  Norina/Ernesto duet sung by
Amelia Watkins, soprano and Nils Neubert, tenor;
Tosti songs sung by
Peter Castaldi, bass-baritone;
and
Liszt transcription of Du bist die Ruh’ by Emily White, pianist.

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Raise YOUR voice in song!

Sing Along with UP
Sunday, November 6, 2011
2 pm
YM/YWHA of Washington Heights & Inwood

54 Nagle Avenue

Raise YOUR voice in song! Join us for a unique event melding the artistry of Underworld Productions Opera singers with voices from the community.  UP's special guests are seniors from the Y who have been singing along with UP throughout the Fall. Selections from Mozart, Bellini, Gounod, Gershwin, Porter, and Bernstein.





Take the “A” train to 190th Street. Exit through tunnel following signs for Bennett Avenue. Once you leave station, go left down small hill to intersection of Broadway and Nagle Avenue. Cross over Broadway and continue walking straight onto Nagle Avenue. The Y is ½ block on your left.

Or, take the “1” train to Dyckman Street. Exit down stairs and turn left onto Nagle Avenue. Go 4 blocks to the Y which is on your right side.

NOTE: Southbound #1 platform at Dyckman St is closed.  If you want to return via the #1, take the A train to 168th St. and transfer to the #1.

Many thanks to our sponsor, Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center Neighborhood Fund!

Monday, October 24, 2011

Shakespeare and Italy

Shakespeare-inspired vocal music in Italian and English

performed by
Resident Artists of Underworld Productions Opera
November 15, 2011
6:00 pm
Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimo
24 W. 12th Street

Last year's Resident Artist Concert at St. Anthony of Padua Church, November 20, 2010


Sung by Tara Bobiak, Pamela Stein, and Juliana Valente; with Barry Robinson, baritone,
Kostja Kostic, clarinet and Elizabeth Rodgers, piano.  Directed by Gina Crusco.

The program features music with Shakespeare and bard-inspired texts including Bellini’s
O quante volte, Britten’s Injurious Hermia, Full Fadom Five by Henry Papale, By Cupid’s Bow by Michael Dutka, and Orpheus with his Lute by Ben Yarmolinsky.
FREE admission with RSVP: underworldprod@gmail.com

Sunday, October 23, 2011

FREE Weekly Teen Performing Arts Workshops

Underworld Productions offers FREE performing arts coaching with Jesse Cromer, a teaching artist equally at home with musical theatre and classical music.  Join Jesse in theatre games, improvisation, and vocal warm-ups every Monday night, 5:45 - 8 pm, at the Y of Washington Heights and Inwood, 54 Nagle Avenue.  To register, call Abraham Palma at 212-569-6200 x 249.

Jesse Cromer started his singing career in musical theatre, performing many roles around the Salem area.  A graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, Jesse has portrayed roles such as Lockit in the Beggar’s Opera, Dick McGann in Street Scene, and Cadmus in Semele, Scenes include Figaro in Le Nozze di Figaro, Demetrius in Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Sir Tristan Mickleford in Martha.  Equally at home with concert repertoire, Jesse has been the baritone soloist for the Brahms Requiem with the West Village Chorale, Fauré Requiem with the Oregon Bach Festival, and Puccini’s Gloria with the Westchester Choral society.  Jesse performed the roles of Apollo in Handel's Apollo & Dafne, and The Senator in Yarmolinsky's Clarence & Anita, with Underworld Productions Opera.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

WaHI Community Events

Meet us at the Mansion
Saturday, October 15, 2011
1 pm
Underworld Productions Opera Resident Artists sing at the
Morris-Jumel Mansion
65 Jumel Terrace at 160th Street

Join us for Verdi & Puccini arias and songs by Gershwin, Richard Rodgers, and others, sung by five talented and diverse young artists.

Subway: C to 160th Street

Bus: M2 to 160th Street and Edgecombe Avenue; M3 or M18 to 160th Street and St. Nicholas Avenue; M101 to 161st Street and Amsterdam Avenue (walk one block east)

Workshop with Janet Gerson
Sunday, October 30, 2011
10 am - 12 noon
YM/YWHA of Washington Heights & Inwood
54 Nagle Avenue
(directions below)
Are you a closet performer who wants to come out?  Do you already perform but want to polish your skills?  This Underworld Productions workshop, led by Janet Gerson, is for you!  We will use theater, movement and voice improvisations to build your performance persona and technique.  Gain confidence by participating in a safe space to experiment, and realize your potential.

Janet Gerson is a master teacher, performer, presenter and consultant who has taught and presented worldwide.  Her affiliations include Underworld Productions Opera, Theater of the Oppressed Laboratory of NYC (TOPLAB), Pasos Peace Museum, and The Heights Center for the Arts (THCA).  A choreographer and dancer, she was Founder Director of Janet Gerson Dance Co. & Dance Stream, Inc.  She is currently Education Director, International Institute on Peace Education (IIPE).
Workshop Fee $12.  Call the Y at 212-569-6200 to register. 

Seniors Share the Stage
Sunday, November 6, 2011
2 pm
YM/YWHA of Washington Heights & Inwood

54 Nagle Avenue

Join us for a unique event melding the artistry of Underworld Productions Opera singers with community sing-along.  The Y's seniors will be there to raise their voices in song along with you.





Take the “A” train to 190th Street. Exit through tunnel following signs for Bennett Avenue. Once you leave station, go left down small hill to intersection of Broadway and Nagle Avenue. Cross over Broadway and continue walking straight onto Nagle Avenue. The Y is ½ block on your left.

Or, take the “1” train to Dyckman Street. Exit down stairs and turn left onto Nagle Avenue. Go 4 blocks to the Y which is on your right side.

NOTE: Southbound #1 platform at Dyckman St is closed.  If you want to return via the #1, take the A train to 168th St. and transfer to the #1.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Save the Dates! November 15 & December 7, 2011

Recital by Resident Artists of
Underworld Productions Opera
November 15, 2011
6:30 pm
Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimo
24 W. 12th Street

Last year's Resident Artist Concert at St. Anthony of Padua Church, November 20, 2010

Annual Gala
December 7, 2011
6:30 pm
Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimo
24 W. 12th Street
Watch this space for more details!

Sunday, June 12, 2011

El Reino de los Animales/The Animal Realm

Monday, June 27
7pm – 8pm
Isham Park Entrance near 215th St. and Park Terrace West (map)

Leave the city noise behind and enjoy the hum of summer music! 

 El Oso Panda -- Illustration by Manuel Servin

Bring blankets and lawn chairs and the whole family.  Selections include three songs from El Reino de los Animales (The Animal Realm) by Misha Dutka on poems by Elisa Gonzalez, sung in both English and Spanish by Lauren Alfano, soprano and Erik-Peter Mortensen, baritone.  Metropolitan Soloists woodwind quintet performs classical favorites and popular selections for a relaxing evening under the trees.


FREE!  Donations welcome.
INFO | RSVP: underworldprod@gmail.com

Friday, April 1, 2011

Apollo & Dafne + Clarence & Anita, June 8-9, 2011

 A double bill of Handel’s 1710 cantata
and the stage premiere of Ben Yarmolinsky’s 2010 opera
of the Clarence Thomas-Anita Hill story  



Apollo & Dafne + Clarence & Anita comprises a pair of operas separated by 300 years, contrasting yet thematically related. The archetypal story of Apollo’s aggression toward Dafne, her escape via metamorphosis, and the laurel wreath woven from her limbs, is revisited from multiple perspectives as American mythology. John Scott leads Sinfonia NY in the Handel; Mark Shapiro conducts the C&A Band in the Yarmolinsky. Gina Crusco directs.

 
Dafne -- Amelia Watkins, Soprano
Apollo -- Jesse Cromer, Baritone

Anita Hill -- Adrienne Danrich, Soprano
Clarence Thomas -- Anthony Turner, Baritone
Joe Biden -- William Ferguson, Tenor 

Two Performances Only!
June 8-9, 2011 at 8 pm
The Riverside Theatre
91 Claremont Avenue at 120th St.
Q&A with the composer at 7:30 pm

Box Office:  212-870-6784

 

The Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation

Venable Foundation

Monday, March 21, 2011

Sample Apollo & Dafne + Clarence & Anita!

Find a venue in your neighborhood and be among the first to hear music from this production. From “teasers” to complete performances with piano, most are free or by donation. Featuring Lauren Alfano, Jenne Carey, Jesse Cromer, Isaac Grier, Sarah Hop, Yolanda Johnson, Clarissa Lecce, Brian Long, David Mimran, and Amelia Watkins; with Elizabeth Rodgers, pianist. Directed by Gina Crusco. 

Wednesday, April 13, 4 pm
Manhattan College, Thomas Hall #517
Selections from Clarence & Anita

Wednesday, May 11, 3 pm
Bronx Community College
"Clarence & Anita: Setting a Piece of American History to Music." Program includes archival footage from the hearings juxtaposed with live musical setting of same text, and discussion with composer Ben Yarmolinsky.

Sunday. May 15, 1 pm
Riverdale Yonkers Society for Ethical Culture
"Clarence & Anita: Setting a Piece of American History to Music" (see description above)
 
Monday, May 16, 2011, 7pm
Dwyer Cultural Center
Selections from Clarence & Anita

Wednesday, May 18, 2011, 6 pm
YM & YWHA of Washington Heights & Inwood, Heights Program
Selections from Clarence & Anita

Saturday, May 21, 3 pm
La Plaza Cultural
Family version of Apollo & Dafne with piano accompaniment

Sunday May 22, 2 pm
YM & YWHA of Washington Heights & Inwood
Full Apollo & Dafne + Clarence & Anita performance, semi-staged with piano accompaniment

Wednesday, May 25, 6:30 pm
Casa Italiana, New York University
Full Apollo & Dafne performance, semi-staged with piano accompaniment