Don't Blame Anyone Opera in Two Acts The elusive encounter between imagination and creativity, the terror experienced before the blank page, the battle against the demons of Reason, and the unpredictable visit of the muses are the forces that ignite this evening-long multimedia "opera" that combines original music, physical theater, and puppetry. Synopsis: Through a series of choreographed, interconnected scenes, an author/poet/composer faces the specter of the blank page. Each symbolic vignette explores the birth, growth, and death of an "idea", often ending catastrophically: the author falls into the abyss of the blank page; attempts to put on an impossibly large sweater while perilously climbing a ladder; is devoured by the monster of creative reason; is born out of the monster as a child castrated by self-doubt and censorship. The author is reduced to dust and dies but, all along, the "idea" he has been seeking reveals itself through the imaginative circle that unfurls onstage. We witness the creative product through a process where inspiration is shown as a fundamental human action. The work of several noted Mexican artists, illustrator/cartoonist José Ignacio Solórzano ("JIS") and poets Raúl Aceves, Jorge Esquinca, and Juan Trigos provides the visual and narrative basis of the work. Additional texts and inspiration come from Petrarch, Goya, and Julio Cortázar.
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Don'tBlameAnyone
OperainTwoActs
Theelusiveencounterbetweenimaginationandcreativity,theterrorexperiencedbefore
theblankpage,thebattleagainstthedemonsofReason,andtheunpredictablevisitof
themusesaretheforcesthatignitethisevening-longmultimedia"opera"thatcombines
originalmusic,physicaltheater,andpuppetry.
Synopsis:
Throughaseriesofchoreographed,interconnectedscenes,anauthor/poet/composerfaces
thespecteroftheblankpage.Eachsymbolicvignetteexploresthebirth,growth,anddeath
ofan"idea",oftenendingcatastrophically:theauthorfallsintotheabyssoftheblankpage;
attemptstoputonanimpossiblylargesweaterwhileperilouslyclimbingaladder;is
devouredbythemonsterofcreativereason;isbornoutofthemonsterasachildcastrated
byself-doubtandcensorship.Theauthorisreducedtodustanddiesbut,allalong,the
"idea"hehasbeenseekingrevealsitselfthroughtheimaginativecirclethatunfurlsonstage.
Wewitnessthecreativeproductthroughaprocesswhereinspirationisshownasa
fundamentalhumanaction.
TheworkofseveralnotedMexicanartists,illustrator/cartoonistJoséIgnacioSolórzano
("JIS")andpoetsRaúlAceves,JorgeEsquinca,andJuanTrigosprovidesthevisualand
narrativebasisofthework.AdditionaltextsandinspirationcomefromPetrarch,Goya,and
JulioCortázar.
Programcredits:Generalconcept:CarlosSánchez-Gutiérrez,RicardoZohnMuldoon,DarrenStevenson,Jis,AntonioCamachoMusic:CarlosSánchez-GutiérrezandRicardoZohnMuldoonEnsemble:EastmanBroadBandEnsembleMusicDirection:TimWeissImages:JisTexts:RaúlAceves,OliverioGirondo,RobertoJuarroz,JorgeEsquinca,FranciscodeGoya,JuanTrigos.AdditionalTextbyCarlosSanchez-GutierrezandKristelThornell.StageDirectionandChoreography:DarrenStevenson(PUSHPhysicalTheatre)Puppetry:AntonioCamachoandOlgaGámez(LaCoperacha)VideoandAnimatedSequences:XuanTechnicalDirectionandLighting:ToniElderkinAudioDesignandDirection:PaulColemanCostumes:PUSHPhysicalTheatre,LaCoperacha,JosefinaCalzadaGraphicDesign:JobitoPanteras,CarlosSanchez-Gutierrez
•Soloists:TonyArnold,soprano,TheAuthorPaulinaSwierczek,soprano,MamáPolillaNicholasHuff,tenor,"AmourphousIdea1"andNiñoPolillaIsaacAssor,baritone,"AmorphousIdea2"andPapáPolillaEastmanBroadBandEnsemble:TimWeiss,MusicDirectorDeidreHuckabay,flutesAndrewBrown,clarinetsChien-KwanLin,saxophonesBrantBlackard,percussionConnorStevens,percussionDanielPesca,pianoDieterHennings,guitarHannaHurwitz,violinMarielRoberts,celloArjunBaxter,bassAristeaMellos,TourManagerPUSHPhysicalTheatre:DarrenStevenson,ArtisticDirectorHeatherStevenson,ArtisticCo-Director AviPryntz-Nadworny,actorKatherineMarino,actorJonathanLowery,actorToniElderkin,TechnicalDirectionandLightingD.J.Stevenson,TechnicalAssistant
LaCoperacha:AntonioCamacho,ArtisticDirectorOlgaGámez,ArtisticCo-Director ElisbeidaSuárez,actorAlejandroHerrera,actorNicolásPallares,actor
•ComposerCarlosSanchez-GutierrezwasborninMexicoCityin1964andnowlivesintheNewYorktundra,whereheisProfessorofCompositionattheEastmanSchoolofMusic.HestudiedwithJacobDruckman,MartinBresnick,StevenMackeyandHenriDutilleuxatYale,PrincetonandTanglewood,respectively.Carloshasreceivedmanyofthemostcovetedawardsinthefield,amongthemthe2007BarlowPrize;Guggenheim,Fulbright,Koussevitzky,Camargo,Bogliasco,andAmericanAcademyofArtsandLettersFellowships.HismusicisperformedandrecordedfrequentlyintheU.S,LatinAmerica,EuropeandAsia.Carloslikesmachineswithhiccupsandspiderswithmissinglegs,looksatPaulKlee'sNotebookseveryday,andtriestousethesamesetofearstolistentoBach,Radiohead,orLigeti.www.carlossg.comhttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKfwDfcchG2drdsDBZ0KkMw+ThemusicofMexican-borncomposerRicardoZohn-Muldoonischaracterizedbyitsdetailedsculpting,“kaleidoscopic”counterpoint,andlyricism.Mexicanliteraturehasprovidedthepointofdepartureformanyofhiscompositions,suchasyono/túsí/yotú/síno,onpoemsbyRaúlAceves,theminiatureoperaNiñoPolilla,onalibrettobyJuanTrigossenior,andthesceniccantataComala,basedonthenovelPedroPáramo,bythenotedMexicanwriterJuanRulfo.ComalawasselectedasafinalistforthePulitzerPrizein2011.Otherhonorsincludethe2011LillianFairchildAwardandfellowshipsfromtheGuggenheimFoundation,CamargoFoundation,andMéxico’sSistemaNacionaldeCreadoresdeArte,amongothers.HisworkshavebeencommissionedbynotedinstitutionsintheU.S.andabroad,suchastheFrommFoundation,theBarlowEndowment,MeettheComposer,FestivalA•DEvantgarde,andInstitutoNacionaldeBellasArtes.Hisworkshavebeenperformedinternationally,andrecordedontheBridge,Verso,CRI,Ravello,Tempus,andQuindecimlabels.HereceivedaPh.D.incompositionfromtheUniversityofPennsylvania,wherehisprincipalteacherwasGeorgeCrumb.HetaughtattheSchoolofMusicoftheUniversityofGuanajuato,Mexico,andtheCollege-ConservatoryofMusic,UniversityofCincinnati,beforejoiningtheEastmanSchoolofMusiccompositionfacultyin2002.http://www.zohn-muldoon.com/bio.htmlhttps://www.youtube.com/user/RicardoZohnMuldoon
+ConductorTimWeisshasgainedcriticalacclaimforhisperformancesandbrave,adventurousprogrammingthroughouttheUnitedStatesandabroad.Since2005,hehasservedasmusicdirectorfortheNewarkGranvilleSymphonyOrchestra,aprofessionalensembleintheColumbus,Ohio,area.HehasalsoremainedactiveasaguestconductorwiththeBBCScottishSymphonyinGlasgow,Scotland;theBrittenSinfoniainLondon;theMelbourneSymphonyinAustralia;ICE(InternationalContemporaryEnsemble);andtheDetroitChamberWindsandStrings.Weissiscommittedtoexploringtheconnectionswithinandbetweenpiecesinhisperformancesandsearchingforsimilaritiesofvoicebetweendifferentcomposersfromseeminglydifferentgenres,periods,andbackgrounds.Accordingly,hisprogramsoftenpresentrareandrevealingjuxtapositions,offeringabroadrangeofworksfromtheminimaliststothemaximalists,fromtheoldtothenew,andfromthemainstreamtotheunheardof.Hisrepertoireincontemporarymusicisvastandfearless,includingmasterworks,veryrecentcompositions,andanimpressivenumberofpremieresandcommissions.Recently,hewastherecipientoftheAdventurousProgrammingAwardfromtheAmericanSymphonyOrchestraLeague.MusicdirectoroftheOberlinContemporaryMusicEnsemblesince1992,Weisshasbroughtthegrouptoalevelofartistryandvirtuosityinperformancethatrivalsthefinestnewmusicgroups.AfteraconcertwiththeensembleinCarnegieHall,AnthonyAibelwroteinareview,“underthedirectionofTimothyWeiss[theensemble]presentedunbelievablypolished,superbperformances—impeccableperformances—ofextremelychallengingrecentmusic…Theirlevelofpreparationeclipsesthehigheststandard...Eachworkontheprogramhadsomethingvitaltosay,somethingprofound,and[Weiss]wasabletocommunicatethemusic’smessagewithvitalityandinsight,despiteitsextremedifficultyandsomewhatforeignlanguage.Weissconductedwitheconomyofgesture—neveroverconducting,neverdistractingfromthemusic…theperformance…coheredlikeoneinstrumentwithperfectionthankstotheexpertpreparationbyTimothyWeiss.”Asacommittededucator,heisprofessorofconductingandchairoftheDivisionofConductingandEnsemblesattheOberlinConservatoryofMusic,wherehehelpedcreateandmentoredtheensemblesEighthBlackbirdandICE.HeholdsdegreesfromtheRoyalConservatoryofMusicinBrussels,NorthwesternUniversity,andtheUniversityofMichigan.https://new.oberlin.edu/conservatory/faculty/faculty-detail.dot?id=21283+SopranoTonyArnoldisaluminaryintheworldofchambermusicandartsong.Today’sclassicalcomposersareinspiredbyherinherentlybeautifulvoice,
consummatemusicianship,andembracingspirit”(HuffingtonPost).HailedbytheNewYorkTimesas“abold,powerfulinterpreter,”sheisrecognizedinternationallyasaleadingproponentofnewmusicinconcertandrecording,havingpremieredover200works“withamusicalityandvirtuositythathavemadehertheCathyBerberianofhergeneration”(ChicagoTribune).Sincebecomingthefirst-prizelaureateofboththe2001GaudeamusInternationalCompetition(NL)andthe2001LouiseD.McMahonCompetition(USA),TonyArnoldhascollaboratedwiththemostcutting-edgecomposersandinstrumentalistsontheworldstage,andshareswiththeaudienceher“broadergiftforconveyingthepoetryandnuancebehindoutwardlydauntingcontemporaryscores”(BostonGlobe).“Simplyput,sheisarock-starinthisgenre”(Sequenza21). www.screecher.comHeraldedbytheRochesterCityNewspaperaspossessinga"honeyedtone"and"naturallyexquisitevoice,"sopranoPaulinaSwierczekisadedicatedstoryteller,combiningtechnicalfacilitywithpassionateexpression.AgraduateoftheEastmanSchoolofMusic,shehasappearedasthefeaturedsoloistwithensemblessuchasEastmanSchoolSymphonyOrchestra,theOssiaNewMusicEnsemble,theCollegiumMusicum,theEastmanRepertorySingersandtheCelloEnsembleperformingtheworksofBeethoven(MassinC),Poulenc(Gloria),Haydn(LordNelsonMass),Harvey(SongOfferings),Villa-Lobos(BachianasBrasileirasno.5)andJ.S.Bach.ShehascoachedwithandsungforesteemedmusicianssuchasLibbyLarsen,MargoGarrett,MartinKatz,SuzanneMentzer,GrahamJohnson,DawnUpshawandRogerVignoles,andisthewinnerofthe2016JessieKneiselLiederCompetition.RolesincludeTheNewPrioress(DialoguesoftheCarmelites),Angelica(Orlando)andDonnaAnna(DonGiovanni),andsherecentlyappearedastheCountessAlmavivaintheEastmanOperaTheatre'sproductionofLenozzediFigaro,herperformanceinwhichwaspraisedas“thebestpuresingingoftheproduction.”PaulinaisthrilledandgratefultobeparticipatinginthisexcitingpremiereofDon’tBlameAnyonewithEastmanBroadband,PUSHPhysicalTheaterandLaCoperacha,andishonoredtobeactingasTonyArnold’scoverinadditiontoherrole. TenorIsaacAssorisarecentgraduateoftheEastmanSchoolofMusic,majoringinVocalPerformanceandLiteratureinthestudioofKatherineCiesinski.InhistimeatEastman,heperformedextensivelywiththeEastmanOperaTheatre,singingthetitleroleinMozart’sLenozzediFigaro,thebass-baritoneinPhilipGlassandAllenGinsberg’sHydrogenJukebox,andSaminNedRorem’sOurTown.HealsoperformedasasoloistinnumerousconcertworksincludingJ.S.Bach’sMassinBMinor,Bruckner’sMassinFMinor,Haydn’sLordNelsonMass,Rossini’sPetitemessesolenelle,andJ.S.Bach’sBWV70and76.Isaachasbeenactiveinvarioussummeroperafestivals.Thissummer,heperformedasaYoungArtistwiththeOhioLightOpera,playingtherolesofHortensioinColePorter’sKissMeKate,Pish-TushinGilbertandSullivan’sTheMikado,andvariousotherfeaturedrolesinthecompany’sseasonofoperettaandmusicaltheatre.Lastsummer,heperformedintheCentralCityOperaStudio.Anavidteacher,IsaacrecentlycompletedtheEastmanCertificateinCollegeandCommunityMusicTeachingProgram.HetaughtasaprivateinstructorfortheEastmanCommunityMusicSchool’sPathways
program,offeringadditionallessonsfortheschool’sscholarshiprecipients.HealsointernedwiththeROCMusicprogram,teachinggeneralmusictostudentsgradesKthrough5.IsaaccompletedhisundergraduatestudiesatColumbiaUniversity,wherehegraduatedsummacumlaudewithadoublemajorinMusicandPsychology.NicholasHuffisatenorfromtheChicago-Milwaukeearea.HehasbeenseeninoperaproductionsatTheEastmanSchoolofMusic,mostrecently,inaproductionofMozart'scharmingclassic,LeNozzediFigaroasDonBasilio,hisportrayalreviewedashaving"StrengthandIntegrity"bytheRochesterCityNewspaper.AtEastman,NicholashasalsobeenseenasBillinSamuelBarber'sAHandofBridgeand,outsideofEastman,heisaregularsoloistforHandel'sMessiahinIllinois(WaukeganSymphonyOrchestra)andWisconsin(FineArtsatFirst,concertseries).Mr.HuffwaspreviouslyseeninCarthageCollegeStudentOperaproductionsofL’elisird’amore(Nemorino),GianniSchicchi(Rinuccio),TheRacineTheaterGuild’sproductionofLesMiserables(Marius),andasDonQuixoteinCarthageTheaterDepartment’sManofLaMancha.NicholashasjustfinishedportrayingthedemonousPeterQuintinBritten’shair-raisingTurnoftheScrewwiththeEastmanOperaTheaterandispleasedtoperformanewrole,NiñoPolilla/AmorphousIdeatonight!Presently,NicholasstudiesunderRobertSwensenandisacandidateforaMasterofMusic(MM)DegreeinVoiceandLiteratureattheEastmanSchoolofMusic.VisitNicholasonlineatwww.NicholasHuff.pw+Darren&HeatherStevenson(foundingartisticdirectors/PUSHers)BornandraisedinEngland,DarrenmetHeather,aNewJerseynative,duringtheirmutualstudiesatTheCenterinSt.Louis,Missouri.Theirsharedloveoftheatreandperformanceplantedtheseedsfortheirrelationshipandeventualcollaboration.TheytouredtheUSandEnglandandcontinuedstudyingwithSeveralDancersCoreinAtlanta,Piloboluscollaborator;BillWadeinClevelandandTheGoldston&JohnsonSchoolforMimesatKenyonCollege.TheyfoundedtheStudioSchooloftheArtsinAtlanta,Georgiaand,in2000,theyrelocatedtoRochester,wherePUSHPhysicalTheatrewasborn.UndertheStevensons’leadership,thecompanyhastourednationallyandinternationallywithastrongconnectiontotheirRochesterhome.TheStevensonsreceivedthe2009PerformingArtistoftheYearAwardfromtheArts&CulturalCouncilofGreaterRochesterandtheAntonGermanoDanceAward.In2010,theywereinvitedtospeakaboutPUSH’suniqueartisticprocessatTEDxRochester.A2012grantfromtheFarashFoundationenabledcollaborationwiththeNationalInstitutefortheDeafduringwhichPUSHcreated“RedBall”usingiPadstostudytheinterplaybetweenrealandvirtualworlds.ArcofAges,anexplorationofJewishHistoryandculture,wascreatedin2013foratwo-weekrunattheJewishCommunityCenterofGreaterRochester’sCen-terStage.Theperformancefeaturedanunprecedented23physicaltheatreperformerstrainedbyPUSH.
http://pushtheatre.org/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8ja7YvegHo+Aself-taughtcartoonist,illustrator,andaccidentalphilosopher,JIS(b.JoséIgnacioSolórzano)haspublishedmorethanthirtybooksinMexicoandSpain,hashadanumberofexhibitionsinseveralofMexico'spremieregalleries,publishedforthenationaldailyMilenio,andco-produceswithhislong-timecollaborator,Trino,thepopularradioshow"LaChoraInterminable".JIS'artistictrajectoryhastakenhimfromhisworkasanindependent,philosophicalcartoonistinthe1980'stohisfruitfulcollaborationwithTrino—specificallyonthehighlypopularElSantosContralaTetonaMendozacomicstrip—and,sincetheyear2000,asamultifacetedartistinvolvedinjustabouteveryfacetofcontemporaryart,fromdrawingtoperformanceart.http://fuckyeahjismonero.tumblr.com/+EastmanBroadBandEnsembleFormedattheEastmanSchoolofMusicbycomposersRicardoZohn-MuldoonandCarlosSanchez-Gutierrez,theEastmanBroadBandisaflexiblegroupwhoseaimistoexplorethemanyfacetsofcontemporarymusic-making.Itsrepertoireincludesmodernclassics,suchasLigeti,Lutoslawski,Birtwistle,andCarter,aswellasrecentmusicbymanylivingcomposers,includingthatofSanchez-GutierrezandZohn-Muldoon.TheBroadBand’sperformancesofferequaldosesofrigor,precision,artistry,uncompromisingfurorandjoy.TheEastmanBroadBandhasperformedinternationallyatFestivalInternacionalCervantino,ChihuahuaInternationalFestival,andConservatorioNacionaldeMusicainMexico;inItalyatSoundSCAPE(Maccagno),MASKfest(Bologna),andFestivalSpazioMusica(Cagliari);inSpainatVIPA(Valencia),andasResidentEnsembleatthe2008and2010FestivalInternacionalChihuahua.Recently,thegrouphasalsoperformedinNewYorkCityatSymphonySpace’sSonidosfestival,theAmericasSociety,NYU'sCasaItalianaZerilli-Marimò,andMillerTheatre,andgavethepremiereofGarthFagan’sEdge/Joy,withtheGarthFaganDanceCompanyattheJoyceTheatre.ThegrouprecentlytouredWesternMexicoandtheUSNortheastwithastagedversionofZohn-Muldoon'sComala,incollaborationwithPUSHPhysicalTheaterandAliaMusica.Anextensiveblogaboutanotherrecenttour,authoredbyflutistDeidreHuckabay,waspublishedattheNewMusicBox,theonlinemagazineofNewMusicAmerica.BroadBandisResidentEnsembleeverysummeratSoundSCAPEFestivalinMaccagno,Italy.ThegroupreleasedCantos,acompilationofZohn-Muldoon'svocalworks(Bridge,2011)andDiaries,withlargeensembleworksbySanchez-Gutierrez(Urtext,2012).http://www.carlossg.com/broadband.htmlhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHN6Ae_e83M
+Guadalajara-basedLaCoperacha,oneofMexico'slongest-standingpuppetcompanies,hasbeenactiveforoverthirtyyears.Theirworkencompassawiderangeofactivities,invariablylinkedtotheircommitmenttobringingqualityarttothemostvulnerablesegmentsofthepopulation.LaCoperacha,ledbyAntonioCamachoandOlgaGámez,producedtheRockefellerFoundation-sponsoredfilm"PuppetsofFire",whichtracedthestoriesbehindJoséClementeOrozco'sastonishingmuralsinMexicoandtheUS.In2006,LaCoperachaproducedwiththetheatrecompanyPajarodeNubeObraNegra,asurrealsettingofFranciscodeGoya'sCaprichoswithactorsandlife-sizepuppetry.LaCoperacha'sComunidadesInvisibles,anambitiousandsuccessfulprogramthatpromotesartappreciationandparticipationamongchildreninthepoorestneighborhoodsofGuadalajara'smetropolitanarea,hasbeensponsoredbytheMexicanHouseofRepresentativesforseveralyears,andhasbecomeamodelforseveralinitiativesinMexicoandabroad.LaCoperacharescuedCasaReforma,oneofGuadalajara'soldestbuildings,andthroughameticulousrestorationprocess,isbringingitbacktolifeasamuseumandperformancespacededicatedtoGuadalajara'schildren.ThecompanyhasproducedanumberofshowsinspiredbytheworkofseveralofMexico'smostcelebratedcartoonists,includingTrino,MagúandHelioFlores.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-UdpyUUTJc+TheartistsandproducersofDon'tBlameAnyonewishtothankthefollowinginstitutions:SecretaríadeCulturadeMéxico,CulturaUdG,EastmanSchoolMusic,InstitutodeCulturadeZapopan,andSewgreen,aswellasthefollowingindividuals:AnaTeresaRamírezdeAlba,IgorLozada,JamalRossi,LuisGerardoAscencio,AlfredoSánchezandTeresaMedrano.
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