You are here: Home / Archives for urbanarias

New Opera duo: Booze and Cigarettes

April 18, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Contemporary opera is supposed to be a rare and endangered species. Robert Wood, Artistic Director of UrbanArias, says otherwise and believes fervently that it’s a cause worth pursuing. His second season is proving that opera properly seeded and nurtured can thrive.  His recipe for his developing company is “Opera. Short. New.” [Read more...]

Filed Under: Our Reviews Tagged With:

Positions 1956

April 17, 2012 By Leave a Comment

UrbanArias has not only landed once more in our midst, but opened its second season and first commissioned opera Sunday night to a full house. This world premiere of Positions 1956 with music by Conrad Cummings and lyrics by Michael Korie showcases two mature professionals at the top of their game, completely at ease in the world of new opera, with a work that is funny, musically accessible, and emotionally stirring.  [Read more...]

Filed Under: Opera, Our Reviews Tagged With:

11 shows and 1 movie I’m glad I saw

May 6, 2011 By 2 Comments

I had to slow down a bit after having heart surgery the end of February, so I carefully selected shows I thought I’d have a great time seeing and for the most part I chose wisely. The critics have spoken (and you can read their reviews here) but here’s my take. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Theatre Schmooze Tagged With: , , , , ,

UrbanArias Festival defines a new kind of opera. Will musicals fans follow?

April 14, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Washington boasts so much music-theatre these days that it’s not surprising the conversation has returned about what is opera, what is a musical, and what is music-theatre. People bring their prejudices, often based on limited experiences, to the conversation, and want to stake out their positions. But now, more than ever, these divisions seem artificial and even a little dangerous. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Features Tagged With:

UrbanArias opens with two Ricky Ian Gordon short operas

March 31, 2011 By Leave a Comment

UrbanArias, a new opera company dedicated to producing short, contemporary operas, presents its Inaugural Festival of Contemporary Opera from March 31 – April 10, 2011 at Artisphere’s Black Box Theater in Arlington, VA. Three operas will be presented: Glory Denied by Tom Cipullo and Ricky Ian Gordon’s Orpheus and Euridice, and Green Sneakers. [Read more...]

Filed Under: News Tagged With: