FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

New York, NY, January 8, 2009 - Betrayal. Murder. Revenge. Passion. All are coming to the stage at The Harlem School of the Arts during Black History Month in Strange Fruit, a new American opera adapted from Lillian Smith’s best-selling novel whose title was taken from the famous Billie Holiday song of the same name. Composed by Chandler Carter with libretto by Joan Ross Sorkin, Strange Fruit in Concert is being presented by The Harlem School of the Arts in association with New York City Opera on Friday, February 27th at 8pm and Sunday, March 1st at 2pm in HSA’s Gathering Space (645 St. Nicholas Avenue @ 141st Street). Tickets are $15 per person and are on sale through the Registrar’s Office by phone 212-926-4100, ext. 304 or on-site at HSA .

 

Based on Ms. Smith’s book that was immediately controversial when published in 1944 and banned by booksellers around the country, the opera tells the tragic story of an interracial love affair between a young black woman and a young white man in a small town in Georgia in 1920. Strange Fruit revolves around the idealistic Nonnie Anderson and the gentle, though disaffected, Tracy Deen, whose love for each other struggles to survive the hate and intolerance that surround them. Yet even after the horrific consequences of their affair, Nonnie continues to dream of a world that is colorblind. The opera’s score, taking its musical vocabulary from the same period, is infused with blues, jazz and gospel. The opera was premiered by Long Leaf Opera in Chapel Hill, NC in 2007. It was originally showcased at New York City Opera’s VOX 2003.

 

Performances at HSA will be conducted by Steven Gross and accompanied by Marijo Newman on piano. The cast is led by international soprano Janinah Burnett who will cover the role of Yvette in the new production of La Rondine at The Metropolitan Opera in February. The cast also includes Daniel Neer, Robert Hughes, Tamara Haskin, Melissa Fogarty, Edward Pleasant, Djoré Nance, Heather Hill, Abby Fischer, Matthew Kreger, Dominic Inferrera, Daniel Yarzebinski, Karen Lehman, Abigail Brown and Lindsay O’Neil.

 

Additional information about the production and ticket sales is available on HSA’s website, www.harlemschoolofthearts.org, along with an audio sample. On Saturday, February 21st, HSA’s Saturdays at Noon program will feature a one-hour forum with Mr. Carter and Ms. Sorkin, discussing the making of the opera and the historical period in which it is set. The forum will be moderated by New York City Opera Dramaturg Cori Ellison, and cast members will sing short excerpts from the opera. Admission to Saturdays at Noon is FREE!

 

Chandler Carter’s works — which include over 50 songs, choral, chamber and orchestral works and three operas — have been performed throughout the United States and in Canada and Europe by numerous distinguished recitalists and ensembles. He has received several awards, including two grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, and prizes for his Mass, Symphony for Winds and Canticle for tenor and orchestra. Mr. Carter is one of a select few composers to have two operas — Strange Fruit in 2003 and No Easy Walk to Freedom in 2009 — selected for New York City Opera’s VOX: Showcasing American Opera Composers series. Strange Fruit was hailed by critics as a “stunner of an opening performance” for Long Leaf Opera’s inaugural summer festival in Chapel Hill in 2007.

 

Joan Ross Sorkin is an opera librettist, musical theatre book writer, lyricist, and playwright. Her principal work includes: Opera: Strange Fruit: Long Leaf Opera, Chapel Hill, NC (Premiere), New York City Opera VOX 2003; The Reef (in development). Musicals: Isabelle and The Pretty-Ugly Spell: 2005 New York Musical Theatre Festival (Outstanding New Family-Oriented Musical, TalkinBroadway.com), Actors’ Playhouse at the Miracle Theatre, Coral Gables, FL (2005 Winner, National Children’s Theatre Festival); In The Theatre: The York Theatre (dev. reading series). Cabaret: Songs sung at Birdland, Opia, The Zipper, and Lincoln Center Performing Arts Library Theatre. Off-Broadway Plays: (mis)UNDERSTANDING MAMMY: The Hattie McDaniel Story (Drama Desk nom. - Capathia Jenkins). Other NYC plays: The Survival Collection; Sweating It Out; The Confessional; Glimmer of Hope; L-O-V-E; Chasing Tigers (Finalist, Samuel French); Going Too Far; Therapy, New York-Style, Breaking Up Is Hard To Do. Member: Dramatists Guild; BMI Musical Theatre Workshop. About The Harlem School of the Arts Since 1964, The Harlem School of the Arts has offered children and young adults the freedom to discover the artist within them through instruction in dance, music, theater and the visual arts. HSA's programs recognize the intrinsic value of the arts in everyday life, and the ways in which arts education enhances academic achievement. Every day, HSA helps young people to develop into self-reliant adults by developing self-confidence, discipline and their love of the arts. HSA is committed to meeting the challenges of the 21st century by providing access to new arts education methodologies and cutting edge technology in today's information-driven global society. Through HSA's numerous partnerships and artists-in-residence, the School is a cultural destination, serving all ages and interests.

 

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Alexandra K. Mann

Director of Communications & Marketing

(212) 926-4100 ext. 314

 

Melody Gross

Communications & Marketing Associate

(212) 926-4100  ext. 334