MUSIC & DRAMA

Der Zwerg mentioned in the Globe year-end recap

2011-01-01T16:02:00.000-05:00

Jeremy Eichler gave Der Zwerg, the show I stage directed in March 2010, a shout out in his year-end scene recap:

"The small indie companies also showed spunk and creativity. I can still recall every detail of Opera Hub’s [sic] vivid take on Zemlinsky’s 'Der Zwerg.'"

Check out the entire article here: http://www.boston.com/ae/music/articles/2010/12/26/classical_music_around_boston_in_2010_according_to_critic_jeremy_eichler/

And see the image below!

More Quotes from the Past

2010-11-05T16:24:00.000-04:00

Jan. 23, 2009 - Juventas New Music Ensemble mentioned in The Boston Phoenix

These renegade companies serve young singers and instrumentalists ("young" meaning generally under the age of 35, with a short résumé that may or may not include principal roles). Without the pressures of catering to an audience of lifelong upper-crust opera nerds, they are free to think outside the box seats and take theatrical risks. Case in point, OperaHub's 2008 collaboration with Juventas! New Music Ensemble for Tramps, E-mails, and Hemlock, a collection of new chamber operas that included an operatic homage to online romance.
-SARA FAITH ALTERMAN

Mondo-intensive months

2010-06-10T15:42:00.002-04:00

I took on too much. I know I know…I’m an artist. It’s what we do. In order to make any semblance of a living through composition, new music, opera, choreography or stage directing, I always take as many paying projects as I can. Some day, hopefully sooner rather than later, I’ll be able to take on fewer projects that pay more. This time, however, I overloaded myself. Just to give you an idea - I started a new job in public speaking that suddenly required 40+ hours of time a week coupled with assistant directing/producing the Juventas Opera Project, stage managing the TCAN Players production of Twentieth Century, learning a new script as a Boston Chocolate Walking Tours Tourguide, while maintaining my position at Cecilia and attempt to have a bit of a social life. The later failed as I am sure you can imagine. Now, I’m just coming out of a couple months of mondo-intensive work and I am looking forward to a bit of chill time.

Working so much definitely forced me to re-evaluate my priorities. Now I am trying to narrow my focus, so I have already left the public speaking position. I gave it a good shot, but that particular position turned out to be more work than it was worth. I’m back to gigging around town and drumming up funding for the many projects I have floating around my mind. So that’s a little catch up on my life.

At this very moment, I’m flying somewhere over Utah on my way to LA for the Opera America Conference. My hope is to blog or at the very least tweet my way through the conference, so stay tuned for the excitement.

Der Zwerg Pics!

2010-04-12T13:41:00.005-04:00

I finally have them! Pictures from OperaHub's production of Zemlinsky's Der Zwerg...yeah, the one I stage directed! Check them out and leave a comment if you like them. If you missed the show, don't fret. I *might* (it really depends on the quality of the video) schedule a viewing party with music director Julia Carey. More to come...

Pics are by Marion Cohen. Enjoy!

(The three maids and Ghita admiring a gift for the Infanta)

(The Infanta's Entourage)

(Don Estoban prepares for the Infanta's birthday party)

(The Dwarf - both his imagined self [singer] and real self [dancer] - and the Infanta)

(The Dwarf sees himself in the mirror for the first time and discovers he is hideous)

(The Infanta calls him an animal and not a man)

(The Dwarf dies and only Ghita cares)

REBLOG: Analissa Martinez talks about my world premiere next week

2010-04-09T08:16:00.002-04:00

Composer's Corner: •••••••••••••••• Erin Huelskamp: "

April 15, 2010 7:30pm

St. John's Episcopal Church

1 Roanoke Avenue

Jamaica Plains, MA

The Boston New Music Initiative presents

World Premiere of A Mind-dependent Phenomenon

for solo cello, by Erin Huelskamp
Analissa Martinez on cello

I chose this next work because it takes me out of my comfort spot behind the cello, and asks for an acted performance...but still behind the cello. It's subject matter is also very familiar territory, so an 'acted performance' is not so much necessary.

Erin calls for the intimate moments for a musician in a practice room. The phenomenon of Time passes, slowly or quickly. We procrastinate, play around, stomp, sing and show off.

I display the unpleasantries of time passing by while practicing...and I get to show off some cello rockstar moves interpolated with the ticking of time passing.

Thanks Erin!

About Erin:

Energetic, hardworking and enigmatic, Erin Huelskamp (b. 1982) composes dramatic and comical music that often reflects a philosophical twist on her daily experiences. Co-founder and executive director of the Juventas New Music Ensemble, Ms. Huelskamp voraciously promotes new music – especially by amazing unknown composers – and she strives to draw ever new audiences to the burgeoning sounds of the 21st century....

Trained as a classical dancer for 16 years, Ms. Huelskamp began composing at the age of ten with no musical training. In 2000 she began studies in composition and flute at the University of Missouri-Columbia where she earned a Bachelor of Music in both composition and flute performance; she studied composition with Thomas McKenney and Stefan Freund and flute with Steven Geibel. In 2007, Ms. Huelskamp completed a Master of Music in Composition from the Boston Conservatory, where she studied with Andy Vores, Dana Brayton, and later Ken Ueno.

To learn more about Erin, visit her at http://erinhuelskamp.com

••••••••••••••••••••

About The Boston New Music Initiative

The Boston New Music Initiative is an organization committed to the composition and performance of new music on the local, national, and international fronts. Founded in 2009, the Initiative's vision is to establish a network of composers, performers, conductors, directors, and champions of new music in order to generate new music concerts, compositions, collaborations, and commissions.

Visit: http://www.bostonnewmusic.org/

Another quote

2010-04-06T09:27:00.000-04:00

Here's another quote from an article of Huelskamp yore:

“I founded Juventas with two other young composers who felt there was a flaw in the ‘system’. Instead of ‘whining’ … we decided to take initiative and form an ensemble that focuses on giving amazing performances of music by primarily young, living composers, and to perform this music as repertoire—meaning more than once. Since that time, we have worked diligently to form a community of supporters for our mission. Juventas, as it stands, is the result. I encourage you all to do the same. If you see a problem with the way ensembles, calls-for-scores, competitions, etc., are run … then create something that supports your ideas.”

-Erin Huelskamp, Executive Director & Co-founder, Juventas New Music Ensemble (Boston), post on SCIMEMBERS listserve, 01-MAR-2008. Chamber Music Today “We Are All Illegal Aliens Now: Ageism in Calls-for-Scores and Competitions as Quasi-Immigration Policy?”

Techno gone twisted: Review of Lukas Ligiti

2010-03-23T08:40:00.001-04:00

My new review of Lukas Ligiti's CD Afrikan Machinery is up at Boston Lowbrow. Check it out here:
Techno gone twisted: Lukas Ligeti’s “Afrikan Machinery” is eclectic and shifting to the extreme

Stage Directing Der Zwerg - reviews, pics, and press mentions

2010-03-16T21:37:00.000-04:00

Those of you who know me well know that I have been crazy busy over the past few weeks stage directing Der Zwerg with the company OperaHub. Here are a few press mentions and reviews along with a couple of press pics for you to enjoy. More pics from the production to come soon...

A loose bunch
The Boston Globe

Culture Vulture: See ‘The Dwarf’

The Arts Fuse

From Lloyd Schwartz and The Pheonix:

"PS: Speaking of teamwork: kudos to OperaHub for its highly imaginative production of a true rarity, Alexander Zemlinsky's moving one-act, Der Zwerg ("The Dwarf"), in four free (!) performances at the BCA. Everything worked."

The pics below feature Sean Malkus, tenor (The Dwarf) and Erin Pedersen, soprano (Infanta). Pics are by Keith Collier from Cayuga Strategies, LLC.

Super Powers and Organization

2009-12-07T11:17:00.003-05:00

I'm back! I bet you thought I disappeared...

Life is fast-paced right now. Between stage directing and keeping up with my composition projects, Juventas, OperaHub, Boston Arts Academy AND Cecilia - well, I feel a bit overwhelmed. Overwhelmed in a good way. I feel lucky to be working on so many amazing artistic projects. Can you believe it!?! I just wish there were a few more hours in the day, or maybe I could develop super powers like Evie from Out of This World. I'll just touch my two pointer fingers together, freeze time, and take however long I please doing whatever strikes my fancy. Ah! Such a nice fantasy...

Side note - do you think I would age during this frozen time? That could be a problem.

In the midst of developing my powers, I am trying to organize my website. My plan is to post some of the interesting news items I received over the past year on my blog.

To begin, here is a review of A Protest received from the Boston Musical Intelligencer back in March of 2009:

Eight Commissioned Works for Women’s Vocal Ensemble Take on Social Protest by Liane Curtis

Erin Huelskamp’s A Protest proved the most memorable and startlingly revelatory work of the evening. Her choice was a Victorian-era poem by Arthur Hugh Clough. The anxiety expressed by a woman who rises to speak her opinion before a hostile assembly unfolds haltingly and in overlapping waves of forward motion, then hesitation. Speech-like declamations spar with sung comments, electrifying the psychological battle. This is the piece I most want to hear again, to parse and savor the interplay of interjections, questions and responses.

Anthology Voices commissioned A Protest in 2008 and premiered it in March 2009. Anthology is an amazing performing force; thus, I have a killer recording of the piece. I plan to post said recording to the "Listen" section of my site soon, so check back or join my mailing list.

OperaHub Auditions for Der Zwerg - Huelskamp as Director

2009-11-05T17:18:00.004-05:00

OperaHub announces auditions for our March 2010 production of Alexander Zemlinsky’s powerful one-act opera Der Zwerg (The Dwarf). We are seeking singers for the following roles: Der Zwerg (tenor), Donna Clara (soprano), Ghita (soprano/mezzo), Don Estoban (bass), as well as sopranos and mezzos for a dynamic women’s ensemble.

Auditions will be held by appointment on Monday, November 16 from 7:30-10pm and Tuesday, November 17 from 6:30-9pm, with walk-in auditions (no appointment necessary) on November 17 from 9-10pm. Auditions will take place at BU’s College of Fine Arts, 855 Commonwealth Ave. Please check signs in the lobby when you arrive for the room number. Individual callbacks will be scheduled for the evening of Tuesday, November 24.

Please bring two contrasting arias, including one in German, that showcase your vocal and dramatic ability. Women interested in the women's ensemble may bring one prepared piece in German. An accompanist will be provided.

To schedule an audition, please email auditions@operahub.org with your name, voice part, and preferred audition date and time (if any).

The production is directed by Erin Huelskamp, with music direction by Julia Scott Carey. Rehearsals will begin in early January and performances are March 11-14, 2010. All roles are volunteer.

Founded in 2007, OperaHub is committed to bringing engaging, innovative and accessible opera productions to the Boston area. For more information, visit our website: www.operahub.org

Juventas New Music Ensemble announces a Call for Chamber Operas

2009-11-01T10:13:00.001-05:00

Juventas New Music Ensemble announces a Call for Chamber Operas:
Juventas New Music Ensemble announces the Call for Chamber Operas. One opera will be selected from this call for performance in the Juventas Opera Project 2010 the Cambridge YMCA Theater on Thursday, May 20 through Saturday, May 22 at 8 PM and Sunday, May 23 at 3 PM.

Juventas is seeking Chamber Operas 45 minutes in length or longer scored for vocalists and up to 13 instrumentalists. Additionally, all composers must be age 35 or under as of Janurary 1st of the present year to be eligible for consideration.

Act fast! The application deadline is November 14, 2009.

Details and application instructions are available at http://www.juventasmusic.com/submissions.php. Any additional questions or comments can be directed to info@juventasmusic.com.

Here are a couple images from the Juventas Opera Project 2009:

Delvyn Case and The Prioress's Tale

2009-10-21T09:51:00.000-04:00

I want to give a quick shout out to composer Delvyn Case. He's having a concert of his music this evening, and if you have the time, you should definitely check it out.

Here's the details:

Delvyn Case: Faculty Composition Recital

LONGY SCHOOL OF MUSIC

Featuring Bulent Guneralp*, bass-baritone, performing excerpts

from the opera The Prioress's Tale, and Sara Bielanski,

mezzo-soprano, singing the song-cycle Brutal Arithmetic.

www.longy.edu

www.delvyncase.com

Wed Oct 21, 2009 8:00 PM

Palin’s Got Rhythm

2009-09-27T11:07:00.007-04:00

Guerilla Opera presents the world premiere of Curtis Hughes’ new opera Say It Ain’t So, Joe

(Preamble: This review was written for The Opera Insider; unfortunately, their site is currently experiencing technical difficulties and will not launch in full until later this year. Due to the time sensitive nature of concert reviews, I am temporarily posting here.)

Politicians speak in musical rhythm, or so composer Curtis Hughes asserts in his new opera Say It Ain’t So, Joe – a one-and-a-half hour light tragedy showcasing the 2008 vice presidential debate. Written for four singers and four instrumentalists, Hughes explores the musical rhythm of political speech – specifically, that of Sarah Palin and Joe Biden. While there is much to be said about Sarah Palin, one thing is certain: she has a very specific twang to her speech. Hughes’ setting captured this characteristic with ease, splitting the difference between straight speech, a sort-of sung musical theater style, and the Schoenbergian concept of Sprechstimme, a specific vocal technique in which singers dramatically speak-sing. Jennifer Ashe’s version of the former vice presidential candidate’s vocal characteristics sounded authentic and captivating, always presented with a lilting smile that hinted at the perhaps slightly clueless nature of her character.

The two-act opera alternated scenes between fully sung personal interviews, first with Palin and later with Joe “the Plumber,” and relatively strict, speak-sing settings of the debate. The stage direction by Nathan Troup served as a creative aid to understanding the theatrics through the use of props and one captivating video camera angle. The camera – which projected circus-like multiples of Palin and friends onto a screen located upstage left – dramatically highlighted the media influence on political spectacle while enhancing the musical punches Hughes added to the dialogue. Further, Troup placed white human-shaped cutouts capable of standing and sitting on their own throughout the Boston Conservatory’s Zack Box Theater. The cutouts served as a sort of metaphoric commentary on the American public as they mutely watched the story unfold from the sidelines.

The instrumentalists were precise; I took special notice of Rane Moore as she doubled Biden’s and Palin’s speech rhythms in mockery of political games. Her bumbling, low clarinet tone added the perfect punctuation to Hughes’ rhythmic vocal settings of the debate. Kent O’Doherty also stood out on saxophone as he stealthily stole long, beautiful notes from Aliana de la Guardia’s version of Palin, making it seem as though her voice reverberated forever until a sudden swelling crescendo brought it to my attention that I was now hearing a saxophone and not a singer.

Honestly folks, this production is the whole package: amazing singing and acting, smart stage direction that captivates, musical precision, and one darn good composition. Bravo to Guerilla Opera for commissioning the work and performing it with such gusto! For more information, visit http://www.guerillaopera.com/

*Say It Ain’t So, Joe picture by Rudolph Rojahn

-E

“One Hell of an Opera!” Jean-Paul Sartre’s groundbreaking play receives the operatic treatment!

2009-09-25T10:48:00.004-04:00

Okay, I am re-blogging an article on Andy Vores' opera No Exit. Go see it if you can; it's good. I borrowed this from Chip Michael's blog Interchanging Idioms.

-E

One Hell of an Opera!” Jean-Paul Sartre’s groundbreaking play receives the operatic treatment!:

Chicago Opera Vanguard Presents the Chicago Premiere of No Exit by Boston Conservatory Composer Andy Vores

(September 20, 2009 --- Chicago , IL ) Chicago Opera Vanguard, in partnership with Center on Halsted and Praxis Productions, kicks off its 2009/2010 Season with the Chicago premiere of NO EXIT by Boston composer Andy Vores. Based on Jean-Paul Sartre’s groundbreaking play, NO EXIT’s limited 3 performance run begins Friday October 16 at Center on Halsted’s Hoover-Leppen Theatre, 3656 N Halsted St, in Chicago ’s Lakeview neighborhood.

“Hell is … other people!” Jean-Paul Sartre’s classic black comedy, premiered in German occupied Paris in 1944, receives the operatic treatment! There is nowhere to run and nowhere to hide as three self-absorbed people who neither know nor like each other, are trapped together in one room… forever! Full of intense drama and sly comedy, NO EXIT is a haunting and humorous vision of damnation that you will never forget.

For this modern morality play, director George Cederquist has gathered an impressive ensemble of singing actors, musicians and visual artists from across Chicago’s creative community.

NO EXIT is presented as a part of Center on Halsted’s month long celebration of Chicago Artists’ Month 2009, “Chicago Artists Month 2.0.” More information on Chicago Artists Month can be found at chicagoartistsmonth.org.

Composer Andy Vores was born in Wales in 1956 and raised in England. He studied composition at Lancaster University with Edward Cowie. In 1986 he was a Tanglewood Composition Fellow, studying with Oliver Knussen. In 1989 he moved to Boston and in 2001 was appointed Chair of Composition, Theory, and Music History at The Boston Conservatory.

Mr. Vores’ music has been performed by the London Sinfonietta, the Boston Modern Orchestral Project, the New England Philharmonic, The Cantata Singers, the Scottish National Orchestra, the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, the Omaha Symphony, Boston Musica Viva, The Nash Ensemble, the BBC Singers, Irvine Arditti, Sarah Walker Lynn Torgove, Dominique Labelle, Dawn Upshaw, Gilbert Kalish, Sanford Sylvan, Kendra Colton, Kathleen Supové, David Kravitz, Karol Bennett, and many others.

Juventas Review - Murmors From Limbo

2009-09-20T10:08:00.004-04:00

REVIEW by BOSTON THEATER REVIEW

Enjoy!

-E

------

Murmors From Limbo:

Juventas New Music Ensemble, a resident of the Boston Conservatory, offered quite the “mind trip” with it’s fall selection, Murmurs From Limbo: A Musical Exploration Into the Human Mind. The ensemble features young artists in the Boston area and strives to produce and promote composers under the age of 35, but this is not an easy task. Filling an audience for classical works can be hard enough, but add to that a bevy of unheard of composers and the risk of green performers, and you have the potential for a disaster- thank goodness Juventas pulled it off with class and style.

Murmurs From Limbo featured six pieces that could not be any more unique from one another- from classic compositions, to dramatic percussive performance piece, Juventas pushed the envelope, and pushed the boundaries of the audience’s expectations.

Tim Stullman’s Deaf Ears Hear No Crying is a tribute to those who seek justice but go unheard. From the first moment of odd scratching and the plucking of piano strings, it is clear that this is not your average composition, in fact, the piece defines the genre of “new classical music” in its ability to combine the a classic and beautiful orchestration with elements of jarring and otherworldly reality.

Bit of Nostolgia by Matt Boyd and performed by Brian Calhoon was a surprising foray into the inner working of a percussionist’s mind. Seeing each object on the stage as a potential vessel for music, Calhoon moved about the stage playing everything from a paper bag to a handful of plastic chains. In glorious contrast to Stullman’s piece, it worked as a perfect bridge to what I consider to be the most beautiful piece of the night.

Erich Stem’s Revisited filled the auditorium with the rich and beautiful sounds of the East. Inspired by Japanese Shakuhachi music, the three movements of this piece are unique and beautiful. The third movement, inspired by an 18^th century poem by Minezaki Koto, echoed the feeling of poetry with fluid lines and sophisticated nuances.

The second part of the evening started off with the fun, playful The Mind is a Monkey, Swinging From Branch to branch Through the Forest by Ethan Greene. The mouthful of the title is an homage to the text of the Sutra, and the music does it justice- full of movement and a witty repartee between the instruments.

Part didgeridoo, part tuba beat-boxing is the best way to describe the piece that stole the show. Fnugg by Norwegian composer Oystein Baadsvick was an all around crowd-pleaser as performed by tuba genius, John Eliot. The audience could not help to gasp in audible delight as Eliot morphed the homely tuba into an unexpected boom-box of fun. Whoops and hollers followed him off the stage until he had to take a second bow.

The evening of music closed with the title piece of the production, Murmurs from Limbo by Steven Rice. Unfortunately this piece fell a little flat for me (no pun intended). As the title engagement of the night, I was expecting to be blown away, especially with the caliber of music and fun we’d previously experienced, but unfortunately Murmors from Limbo was not my cup of tea. A mish-mashed conglomeration of weird shouting and singing in middle English, odd and ugly dissonant music, and an irritating lack of balance between voices and instruments left me feeling pretty disappointed- the text translations provided did no assist in my understanding help because it was extremely difficult to hear the vocalists sing (or moan/shout/growl). It almost felt like a parody of what someone might do if they were trying to make fun of “modern classical music”. That being said, I did appreciate the fine performance of the orchestra, and what I could hear of singers Thea Lobo and Owen Mcintosh.

It was wonderful to see Juventas staples Michael Sakir and Julia Carey giving their skill to the production, and special congratulations to new associate conductor, Lidiya Yankovskaya for an excellent debut!

The Juventas New Musical Ensemble has a lot of exciting productions coming up throughout the year, and will continue with their spring Opera project. I’m looking forward to seeing what’s in store.

Music Director, Michael Sakir in action
Photo credit: Cayuga Strategies, LLC.

A Compelling Story

2009-09-19T11:36:00.008-04:00

Music and drama; that about sums me up.

I am writing this blog with the intent of showcasing the life of an artist. The strife and struggle we go through to create our art – a situation that I consider an unfortunate necessity. I can’t speak for other artists, but I know for myself creating is something I cannot escape. I yearn for it. Most of the time this means telling a compelling story, and yes, I do believe every artist, composer, dancer, etc., is telling a story – even if that story is about nothing other than the way a dominant chord ultimately moves to an implied tonic. I digress.

My point is that artists lead an unusual lifestyle. We tend to have multiple jobs – none of which feature a nine-to-five schedule, and, ironically enough, half of which actually provide income for sustenance. We think, meander, ponder, argue, and love in ways that most consider either exciting or just plain weird, and I want to share an insider’s perspective of this experience with you.

I don’t know how often I’ll write, though I will try to keep it consistent. One thing I can tell you from the get-go, though, is that most artists are prone to flights of fancy; hence, I can’t promise anything with this blog other than an exploration of music and drama. So add me to your RSS reader, and check back often. Until then, I’m off to create.

-E

PS - check out my website at http://erinhuelskamp.com/