Recording of music by Curtis Hughes with Firebird Ensemble: 

This CD includes the Firebird's interpretations of three works, including "danger garden," a volatile, colorful instrumental work inspired by botanical experiments gone awry, recently described as a "little winner"in the Boston Globe and as "engagingly lively" in the Boston Phoenix. Also, "The Beck Journals" Volumes 1 and 2, featuring soprano Jennifer Ashe, presents introspective settings of diary entries by the late painter Rosemarie Beck as she copes with the male-dominated New York art world of the 1950s.

The CD also features the expansive textural colors of "Myopia 2" for a virtuoso group of 12 saxophones, and the politically charged intensity of "National Insecurity," composed during the run-up to US military action in Iraq of the past decade.

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We are still riding the wave of our most successful season yet in which we celebrated our tenth anniversary, the highlight of which was our first fully staged opera production ("The Face" by Donald Crockett) which took four years to create. Thank you to all of you who attended the fully staged performances in Los Angeles at the Japan America Theater and in Boston at the Boston Conservatory Theater!!!

We are delighted to announce our projects for the 2012-2013 concert season. This year our featured projects include a winter residency at Rockport Music (Rockport, MA); a guest appearance of Firebird Ensemble on the New Gallery Concert Series in Boston; in Februrary 2013 - a concerto collaboration with the Boston Modern Orchestra Project featuring solo violist - Kate Vincent and the Firebird Ensemble; a spring tour in March/April to California which includes a residency at UC Davis (Sacramento,CA) with performances at the Mondavi Center; a spring residency at the Boston Conservatory (Boston, MA); the spring release of a commercial recording of works by Lee Hyla performed by Firebird Ensemble (Tzadik Records) and a summer release of works by Eric Moe performed by Firebird Ensemble (New World Records). Our 2012-2013 Season will wrap up with early summer performances in Boston at Ryles Jazz Club.

For more information about these events please visit our CONCERTS page. We hope you are able to join us for as many performances and events as you can! 

THE FACE - A MULTIDISCIPLINARY CHAMBER OPERA BY DONALD CROCKETT 

For more information please visit the website for this project: www.thefaceopera.com . Set in Venice Beach, The Face tells a deeply compelling story about the price of fame, desire and creativity. A poet (Raphael) struggles with the recent loss of his love and muse - Marina, while juggling the demands of a movie being made about his life and his increasing notoriety. With a narrative that is both passionate and raw in candor, The Face offers insights into the intimate nature of the human condition. 
Firebird Ensemble will give the World Premiere of The Face, an 80 minute multi-disciplinary chamber opera composed by Donald Crockett and based on the novella in verse by David St. John. The Face was recently featured in the "Visions and Voices" performance series at USC in April and will receive it’s fully staged World Premiere run between August 25-28, 2012 in Los Angeles and a concert performance on August 31 at the Boston Conservatory Theater. The Face includes an exceptional international cast and artistic team.

August 25th, 27th and 28th, 2012:
World Premiere fully staged performances @ The Japan American Theatre, Los Angeles, CA

August 31th, 2012:
FREE concert performance at Boston Conservatory Theater, Boston (support provided by the Free For All Concert Fund) 

CAST: 

Daniel Norman (United Kingdom) - Tenor as Raphael 
Thomas Meglioranza (New York) - Baritone as Memphis
Janna Baty (New York) - Mezzo Soprano as Infanta
Jane Sheldon (Australia) - Soprano as Cybele and on film as Marina

(Covers: Emma-Grace Dunbar, Travis Sherwood and Natalie Ballenger)

ARTISTIC TEAM:

Donald Crockett (Los Angeles) - Composer
David St. John (Los Angeles) - Poet/Libretto
Kate Vincent - Producer
Lester Grant - Associate Producer/Technical Director 
Yano Iatrides (Heliotrope - Paris, France) - Stage Director and Choreographer
Paul Desveaux (Heliotrope - Paris, France) - Concept, Film and Set Design
Amaya Lainez (Heliotrope - Paris, France) - Assistant Stage Director
Laurent Schneegans - (Heliotrope - Paris, France) Lighting Designer
Hunter Wells - Costume Design
Gil Rose - (BMOP and Opera Boston) - Conductor 

MUSICIANS:

Members of Firebird Ensemble and special guests:
Linda Osborn- Piano
Brian Head - Guitars
JG Miller - (Los Angeles only) - French Horn
Ryan Baird - (Los Angeles only) - Double Bass
Lee Waldenphul - (Boston only) - French Horn
Scot Fitzsimmons - (Boston only) - Double Bass 

EVENTS:

July 18-23, 2011: Vocal Workshop and recording, Boston, MA
February, 2012: "An evening about The Face", Pacific Palisades, CA
April 23-27, 2012: Residency at University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
April 25, 2012: "Visions and Voices" event, Bovard Auditorium, USC, Los Angeles, CA
July 23, 2012: Production period begins, Boston, MA
August 25, 27, 28: World Premiere @ The Japan American Theatre, Los Angeles.
August 31: FREE concert performance at Boston Conservatory Theater, Boston. 

Between March 8-19, 2012 Firebird Ensemble performed, recorded and toured a program of new works and Firebird commissions by Eric Moe and Lee Hyla in Boston, Pennsylvania and California. Other featured composers featured on this tour included Thomas Ades, Donald Crockett and Curtis Hughes. In addition Firebird Ensemble undertook educational residencies at University of Pittsburgh, PA and Chapman University, CA presenting master-classes and readings of student works. The project will culminate in a commercial recording of works by Eric Moe which will be released by New World Records in the next twelve months.