May 16, 2012 News from Opera Theatre

Five-Time Grammy Award-Winning Composer Terence Blanchard and Pulitzer Prize-Winning Playwright Michael Cristofer to Premiere New Opera at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis

“Champion,” a co-commission with Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and Jazz St. Louis, will receive world premiere June 15 – 30, 2013

Terence Blanchard

The Story of Champion

Emile Griffith was a three-time World Welterweight Champion and twice a World Middleweight Champion, fighting from the late 1950s into the 1970s. However, one of his greatest professional triumphs – winning back the Welterweight Championship from Benny “The Kid” Paret in 1962 – was also one of his greatest personal tragedies. The seventeen punches he landed on Paret in seven seconds resulted in not only a knockout, but also a coma from which Paret would never recover. Paret would die ten days later.

Before that life-changing televised fight, in a room full of press and officials, Paret mocked Griffith repeatedly with a derogatory term for homosexual. Years later, Griffith’s sexuality as a gay man was revealed to the public after he was nearly killed by a gang outside a gay bar in New York. “I kill a man,” Griffith was quoted to have said, “and most people understand and forgive me. I love a man, and to so many people this is an unforgiveable sin.” In an inspiring, moving, and painful journey of self-discovery, Champion presents audiences with a great contemporary tragic hero – a man of strength and courage consumed ultimately by rage, regret, and the terrible consequences of his actions.

The Cast of Champion

Champion marks the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis debut for Denyce Graves, who originated the title role in Toni Morrison’s opera Margaret Garner. Graves sings the role of Emelda, Griffiths’ mother. The cast is led by Aubrey Allicock, returning to Opera Theatre to play Young Emile after performances as Mamoud in The Death of Klinghoffer in 2011 and the Mad Hatter in Alice in Wonderland in 2012. Arthur Woodley, distinguished for his portrayal of the role of Porgy in Porgy and Bess world-wide, plays Old Emile. Robert Orth, who has one of country’s strongest pedigrees for originating roles in new American operas, plays Howie. Further casting will be announced in 2013.

The Creative Team for Champion

Renowned for his work as a composer of hauntingly beautiful jazz pieces for small ensembles, symphonic settings, film, and stage, Terence Blanchard has received five Grammy Awards, including the 2007 Large Ensemble Grammy for A Tale of God’s Will (A Requiem for Katrina). Most recently for film, he wrote the score to Lucasfilm’s Red Tails, which chronicled the story of the Tuskegee pilots and starred Cuba Gooding, Jr. His music is currently represented on Broadway with the score to Emily Mann’s new production of A Streetcar Named Desire, which stars Blair Underwood. Champion is Blanchard’s first opera. “My father loved opera,” Blanchard says, “He was a baritone who studied opera, so it was impossible not to feel an emotional connection to him in writing Champion. I was drawn to tell Emile’s story through music from the moment I first heard of his incredible journey. I knew there was no other way to tell this story but through the unique power of opera.”

Michael Cristofer

For playwright, filmmaker, and actor Michael Cristofer, the Champion libretto is also a first. In 1977, he received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and Tony Award for Best Play for The Shadow Box. Cristofer’s other plays include Breaking Up, Black Angel, The Lady and the Clarinet which starred Stockard Channing, and Amazing Grace starring Marsha Mason, which received the American Theater Critics Award for Best Play in 1997. His work on such films as The Witches of Eastwick, Falling in Love, The Bonfire of the Vanities, and HBO’s Gia has earned him a Golden Globe, a Writer’s Guild Award, two Emmy nominations, and a best director award from the Director’s Guild of America. Currently, he appears on the NBC drama Smash. “Champion is the story of a man struggling to make peace with himself and to find his place in the world… as a fighter and a gay man,” Cristofer says.  “It’s the story of courage in the face of sexual oppression, of love in the face of hate, of grace in the face of physical and mental decline. For me, Emile’s story not only asks the question of what it means to be a man. It asks what it means to be a human being.”

Director James Robinson is one of America’s most sought-after opera directors, winning wide acclaim for productions that range from standard opera repertory to world premieres and rarely performed works. Artistic Director of Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, Robinson has staged productions for major opera companies, including New York City Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Houston Grand Opera, Washington National Opera, Welsh National Opera, Canadian Opera Company, San Francisco Opera, and Seattle Opera.

Commissioning Partner and Underwriting

Co-commissioning partner Jazz St. Louis has been an integral part of the creation and development of this opera. Terence Blanchard has performed with Jazz St. Louis on many occasions, and through that relationship, Jazz St. Louis Executive Director Gene Dobbs Bradford introduced Blanchard to Opera Theatre. “Terence Blanchard is among the best jazz composers and musicians living today. We believe that this new opera will be remembered as a major work in the decades to come, both for American jazz and for American opera, as it bridges the two audiences and art forms in a fresh and exciting way.” says Bradford.

The commissioning and development of Champion was made possible with a leadership gift from the Whitaker Foundation and with major support from the National Endowment for the Arts and OPERA America.  Support for the production of Champion is generously provided by the Whitaker Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and Phoebe Dent Weil.  New Voices for Opera, the audience development programming surrounding the project, is made possible by OPERA America and PNC Arts Alive.

Performance Schedule

Champion will be presented as part of Opera Theatre’s 2013 Festival Season (May 25 – June 30, 2013), which also includes Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance, a double bill of Puccini’s Il Tabarro and Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci, and Smetana’s The Kiss. Champion will receive six performances, on June 15, 19, 21, 25, 27, and 30, 2013. Tickets to Champion are now available as part of a subscription to Opera Theatre of Saint Louis. Single tickets will go on sale February, 2013.

About Opera Theatre of Saint Louis

Opera Theatre of Saint Louis is one of the leading American festival opera companies, known for a spring season of inventive new productions, sung in English, featuring the finest American singers and accompanied by members of the St. Louis Symphony.  As of 2012, Opera Theatre has presented 22 world premieres and 23 American premieres – which is perhaps the highest percentage of new work in the repertory of any U.S. company.  Described by The Sunday Times of London as “one of the few American companies worth the transatlantic fare,” and by Opera Today as “the leading summer opera destination in the United States,” Opera Theatre of Saint Louis welcomed visitors from 45 states and 12 foreign countries in 2011.  Although the size of the theater limits box office income to 26% of the budget, the company has consistently produced work of the highest quality while never accumulating a deficit.

Opera Theatre gratefully acknowledges 2012 season presenting sponsor Wells Fargo Advisors.

Opera Theatre is a sustaining member of the Arts & Education Council of Greater Saint Louis, and receives major support from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Regional Arts Commission, and the Missouri Arts Council.

About Jazz St. Louis

Jazz St. Louis is on an incredible journey to advance the uniquely American art of jazz in St. Louis through live performance, education, and outreach. Each year, this non-profit organization presents over 270 performances on its internationally-acclaimed Jazz at the Bistro concert series. Artists appearing onstage at the Bistro regularly participate in one of Jazz St. Louis’s several education and outreach offerings. This unique, successful model sets the organization apart as an institution that presents jazz, educates future audiences, and nurtures budding musicians. Over 10,000 students are impacted each year by the organization’s work—all of which is offered free of cost to area schools and students. In this three-pronged approach, Jazz St. Louis maintains a commitment to inclusivity, diversity, and artistic quality unmatched in its field.

Jazz St. Louis gratefully acknowledges Wells Fargo Advisors as the presenting sponsor of the 2011-12 and 2012-2013 Jazz at the Bistro Series.

Jazz St. Louis receives significant support from the Arthur and Helen Baer Foundation, the Arts and Education Council of Greater St. Louis, the Missouri Arts Council, the National Endowment for the Arts, PNC Arts Alive, the Regional Arts Commission, the Trio Foundation of St. Louis, and the Whitaker Foundation.

Montez Coleman, an East St. Louis native himself, has toured the world with some of the biggest names in jazz. A long time member of the Roy Hargrove Quintet, Coleman has also worked with nationally recognized musicians like Rufus Reid, Russell Malone, and Wynton Marsalis, as well as local favorites Russell Gunn and Erin Bode.

Upcoming Shows

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Sponsored by the Arthur & Helen Baer Foundation, Ameren Missouri, and THF Realty

One of Jazz St. Louis’s most recognizable education programs, JazzU, places talented middle and high school musicians in small jazz combos, which meet weekly between September and May. This competitive program selected 55 emerging musicians from a pool of 85 who auditioned for the 2011-12 season.

These shows feature the top two groups from the JazzU program, which includes the Jazz St. Louis All-Stars. The two 7-piece jazz combos, made up of high school students, will put to rest any worries you had about the future of jazz with their incredible chemistry and musicianship. You won’t believe you’re listening to teenagers!

Joining the JazzU groups will be renown saxophonist Tim Warfield. Warfield’s name can be found on numerous Grammy-nominated recordings and Downbeat Critics’ Polls. He is currently serving as a board member for the Central Pennsylvania Friends of Jazz as well as an artist-in-residence at Messiah College in Grantham, PA. Warfield is also a current member of MAXJAZZ recording artist Terell Stafford’s quintet.

Upcoming Shows

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Charlie Hunter

Jazz St. Louis is putting the finishing touches on the 2012-13 Jazz at the Bistro Series and will be announcing the lineup soon.  In the meantime, JSL is proud to announce the 2012 Summer Series at Jazz at the Bistro.

Tickets for these concerts are now on sale via all Metrotix outlets and online at www.metrotix.com.

JazzU - the Jazz St. Louis All-Stars

June 1-2     JazzU w/ special guest Tim Warfield
($20 adults/$10 students)
Sponsored by the Arthur & Helen Baer Foundation, Ameren Missouri, and THF Realty

June 8-9     Erin Bode
($20 adults/$10 students)

June 15-16  Tim Cunningham
($20 adults/$10 students)

Tim Warfield

June 22-23  Charlie Hunter Duo
($30 adults/$15 students)

June 29-30  Denise Thimes
($20 adults/$10 students)

July 6-7        Reggie & Mardra Thomas
($25 adults/$10 students)

July 13-14    Good 4 The Soul
($20 adults/$10 students)

July 20-21   Willie Akins/Montez Coleman Group
($25 adults/$10 students)

July 27-28   Musica Slesa
($20 adults/$10 students)

On Sunday, March 18, jazz legend and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador, Herbie Hancock, sent out a clarion call from the Touhill Performing Arts Center stage to the St. Louis community to join him in celebrating the first-ever “International Jazz Day” on April 30.

Charged with leading the St. Louis region in advancing the uniquely American art of jazz, Jazz St. Louis heeded Hancock’s call and will open the Jazz at the Bistro venue to the community at-large with an open jazz jam session.

Jazz St. Louis presents “International Jazz Day Jam Session” on Monday, April 30 from 7:30–10:30 pm at Jazz at the Bistro, 3536 Washington Ave.  Admission is free but seating is limited.  The session will be hosted by Adaron “Pops” Jackson’s trio.  Participating musicians are encouraged to sign-up for the jam session at the Bistro beginning at 7 pm. All backline is provided, just “bring your axe.” Everyone is welcome to attend and enjoy the evening, even if you are not planning on jamming. The Bistro will offer food and bar service.  For more information, please call Devin Rodino, Communications and Operations Manager at 314-289-4030.

RSVP and invite your friends on Facebook!

For more information on the JazzU program and to download an application, visit the JazzU page on the JSL website:  http://jazzstl.org/education-outreach/jazzu/.  Audition procedures and requirements are outlined in the application materials.

Remaining questions can be directed to Phil Dunlap, Director of Education, at 314.289.4033 or phil@jazzstl.org.

Set 1 – 7:30 pm
Always August - (Brad Mehldau)
High Court Jig – (Joshua Redman)
In Walked Bud – (Thelonious Monk)
Old West – (Brad Mehldau)
Easy Living – (Rainger/Robin )
Ornithology – (Charlie Parker/Bennie Harris)

Set 2 – 9:30 pm
Mehlsancholy Mode - (Joshua Redman)
To Hold On or To Let Go – (Brad Mehldau)
There Is No Greater Love - (Jones/Symes)
Lithium – (Kurt Cobain)
Let Me Down Easy - (Joshua Redman)
Soul Dance – (Joshua Redman)

If you do some digging on Google and want to support Jazz at the Bistro policy-breakers…you might be able to hear what you missed/re-live the entire show…..

Although extremely fulfilling, Residency weeks are one of the most involved and exhausting aspects of my job as director of education. This program is very unique, and thanks to the generosity of many of our supporters, I am able to do three each season, the last of which was this past week with Matt Wilson’s Arts and Crafts (A&C). In all, more than 1,000 students and teachers participated in the week’s activities.

The band arrived in St. Louis after midnight on the morning of March 19. Earlier in the evening they had performed two sets at Murry’s in Columbia, MO as part of the We Always Swing series.  I, along with the rest of the JSL staff, had just finished at the Touhill Performing Arts Center where we presented Herbie Hancock earlier in the evening. Needless to say, neither myself, nor the members of A&C, were particularly looking forward to the 8:30 am breakfast/meeting that was just around the corner to kick off the week.

We started that morning with a rather disappointing experience at the Soulard Coffee Garden, then hit the road for our first school visit at East St. Louis Senior High. It is difficult to prepare guys for their experience at ESL because the band is so good. There aren’t many students in this age bracket that sound this mature. Heck, there aren’t a lot of adults in the area that can play this well. Despite their talent, there will always be ways to improve, and having musicians of the stature of A&C for two hours is a rare treat for ANY high school. This means that instead of having to spend time working on notes, individuals’ sounds, time, feel, etc… the guys were able to address higher-level concepts, such as the group’s concept of sound, how the lead trumpet and soloists fit with the drummer’s ride cymbal pattern, and how each section’s lead player shapes the overall concept and feel of the section. Matt’s comment after the session was “Wow. What a way to start the week!”

After a break, the band worked with four of our JazzU combos in a four-hour teaching marathon (Monday is always one of the busier days of the residency). Our youngest combo worked with Wilson and pianist Gary Versace on the creative process, composing a piece on the spot that involved contributions from all of the students. The point being that sometimes we think so much about how and what to play in jazz that we can’t forget how fundamental and fun the creative process can be. It can even be collaborative! I walked in on the middle of the tune to find all the students involved, and what appeared to be Egyptian hieroglyphics scrawled out over every inch of the white board. Matt was wildly pointing to different sections, directing the ensemble to play, then pointing to students to improvise. At the conclusion, Wilson, searching for a name for the piece, looked out the window. After seeing the blue lights of The Fieldhouse across the street, he exclaimed, “we’ll call it ‘Blue Light Fieldhouse’!” I still have that melody stuck in my head…

Meanwhile, the Jazz St. Louis All-Stars were getting put through the ringer by Terell and Martin.  The details are too gory to divulge, but the educational content was high and just what they needed.

We ended the evening at 8 pm and headed to find some much-needed nourishment, which we found in the form of Pi Pizzeria in the Central West End. This place never disappoints and the guys in A&C were blown away. I highly recommend the North Beach Classico and the Central West End.

Tuesday was another early morning, departing for Seckman High School at 8 am. At Seckman, A&C worked with all three of their jazz bands. We found an amazing amount of talent in that district. In between sessions, I watched as Matt rummaged through the band room, finding all sorts of percussion instruments and noise makers. His concept and pursuit of sound amazes me.  To him, anything can be a musical instrument.

After a great lunch at Blues City Deli, we headed to the University of Missouri – St. Louis, where Terell and Gary worked with Jim Widner’s jazz ensemble. At the same time, Martin and Matt visited my jazz appreciation class where they played for my students. They discussed the evolution of rhythm as seen in the transition between New Orleans jazz – swing – bebop.

We ended the day with two more JazzU classes…not sure where dinner was that night.

Wednesday began with a morning performance at St. Louis Children’s Hospital in the Child Life Playroom. These performances can be tough, as some of the children that attend have potentially terminal illnesses. Afterward, Terell Stafford said, “this was the most rewarding musical experience of my life.” It doesn’t matter what troubles you encounter in life, when you see a child fighting for their life, it makes all other problems seem so insignificant.

The day concluded with a session at Normandy High School led by Terell Stafford and our final JazzU group led by the remaining members of A&C.

That evening, Martin and Gary decided to catch the NY Knick’s game, Matt attended a play at the Rep with his brother, and Terell joined myself and Adaron Jackson (JazzU instructor) for an unbelievable dinner at Niche.

Thursday was a marathon day. We began with a morning performance at ESL Lincoln Middle School where many of the students had never heard jazz or even met a professional musician.  We continued a world away to the suburb of Webster Groves, where the band worked with three jazz combos under the direction of their band director, Kevin Cole. The students, which had just returned the night before from a trip to Ireland, were groggy, but eager to learn from the master musicians of A&C.

A short drive led us to our next session at Webster University and then to the Benton Park neighborhood where the group finished the day with an incredible, free community performance at Saxquest. There, more than 50 eager listeners packed the house to experience jazz surrounded by new and vintage saxophones. The guys even took a few minutes to check out their amazing saxophone museum located on the second floor.

The amazing energy continued after the performance with dinner at Brasserie. An amazing meal, surrounded by equally amazing individuals. It was clear that the love and honesty these guys emit from the stage is reflected in their general being.

The week was quickly wrapping up. It was already Friday morning! We ventured to the ‘burbs this time, where the group played for nearly 200 students at St. Charles High School. The energy was infectious. Matt even had students join the band on stage where they acted out a scene as aliens that were charged with traveling to earth to learn about jazz, return to their native world, and perform a jazz concert. The experience added humor to the concert while teaching the students to approach their instruments in completely different ways. After the concert, I received an email from the band director:

“Please pass my thanks on to Matt, Terell, Gary, and Martin. I was so inspired both as a musician and an educator. I was moved by their music and their approach to musical creation was inspiring. We are so thankful to have had the opportunity to welcome them into our musical community at SCHS. My students learned more today than they will ever know. Thank you all so much for sharing your music with us today!”

This is why I love my job.

Saturday was our final activity with the band. From 9 am – noon, all of our JazzU students (55 in all) came together to experience these musicians one final time before their residency ended.  This session was different from others in that we were joined by two jazz bands from the Notre Dame Academy in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Photo by Kent Phelan

After a short mixer, A&C began with a tune and opened the floor for questions. We then broke into instrument groups for an hour-long master class. Rhythm instruments worked with Matt, Gary, and Martin; Terell Stafford took the trumpets; JazzU instructor, Cody Henry worked with the trombones; and JazzU instructors Aaron Lehde and Andy Ament worked with the saxophones.  We finished the Saturday Session (and the week) with an epic jam session that consisted of a 45-minute version of “C-Jam Blues.”  Although considered a “rally” by anyone’s definition, the jam session illustrated many positive aspects of jazz—the best being that two separate groups of people, who until that morning had never met, can come together through the playing of a simple tune like “C-Jam Blues.”

A&C finished up the day with their final performance at Jazz at the Bistro, thus, ending their stint in St. Louis.

This leads me back to the beginning.  Sunday morning.  No musicians, no activities scheduled.  Just a book, brunch, and some much needed rest.

Vote here to keep Jazz at the Bistro recognized as St. Louis’s best jazz club!