Ten-Block Walk opens tonight (6/21) and in the Boston Globe

Tonight's the night! The Ten-Block Walk opens with Facing Down Death, a collaboration between OperaHub and the Fort Point Theatre Channel. AND there's an article in the Boston Globe highlighting the event. Here's an excerpt:

Those with even a cursory knowledge of operas know that death looms large in many of them. Yet an upcoming program by the innovative company OperaHub called “Facing Down Death” offers a pairing of works that tackle the subject in unusual ways. 

First up are excerpts from “The Ten-Block Walk,” a work in progress by local composer Erin Huelskamp and librettist Christie Lee Gibson, OperaHub’s current director. The opera follows an elderly woman, Mrs. Otis, on a walk from her home to a local senior center. Her encounters along the way — with panhandlers, students, a Dunkin’ Donuts worker — bring out her anxieties, about other people, about aging, about death. The second half of the bill is Erik Satie’s “Socrate,” which tells the story of the death of Socrates with music of astonishing placidity. Both works will be done with piano accompaniment.

Read the article here. Don't forget to reserve your tickets too. From what I hear, Friday and Sunday have already sold out! 

June 21-23, 2013, 8:00 pm
Fort Point Theatre Channel
10 Channel Center Street
Boston

FREE ADMISSION!

Reserve tickets here

Summer 2013 Activity

It's gonna be a busy summer, and that's good. I hope you can make it to one or more of my upcoming events. Stay tuned for details as the summer progresses.

Here's the line-up:

The Magic Mirror
World premiere opera by Polina Nazaykinskaya
Erin Huelskamp, director
Lidiya Yankovskaya, music director

May 30-June 1, 2013
BCA Plaza Theatre
Boston, MA


Facing Down Death
Featuring scenes 1-6 of The Ten-Block Walk

Music by Erin Huelskamp
Christie Lee Gibson, director
Nick Place, music director

June 21-23, 2013 at 8 pm
10 Channel Center Street
Fort Point, Boston



Two Gentlemen of Verona
Commonwealth Shakespeare Company's Shakespeare on the Common
Steve Maler, director
Erin Huelskamp, assistant director

Various performances throughout July 2013
Boston Common

Der Zwerg Pics!

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)

Super Powers and Organization

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

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