The Thaw Comes, Every Body.
Writing from the air somewhere in the middle there with some things for now and some for later.
Bullets here. Details further on.
2/22-2/23 David Lang's the loser at LA Opera (LA, CA)
3/21-3/23 Found Sound Nation's Mosaic Interactive at The Big Ears Festival (Knoxville, TN)
4/6-4/7 David T. Little's Soldier Songs at Opera ATX (Austin Opera, Austin, TX)
4/13-4/18 Huang Ruo's Bound with Fresh Squeezed Opera (Baruch Performing Arts Center, NY, NY)
Will be on the road for a bit. If we miss, catch up in the drip drip thaw.
Stay warm. Stay dry. Unless now's not the time.
Keep making.
With Gratitude and Appreciation,
Tata
Returning from Associate Directing David Lang's the loser with LA Opera at the ridiculously gaudy, gilt, height-of-American-baroquery Theater at the Ace Hotel. Built in 1927. All downhill from there.
It's been a privilege to work with David again and be introduced to this piece. It's an elegant, impressionistic, funny, troubling work and an incredible act of virtuosity by Rod Gilfry who reveals 60 minutes of non-linear exposition floating 33 steps above the stage.
An honor to work with/around/adjacent to designers Jim Findlay, Jennifer Tipton, Suzanne Bocanegra, Eric Dyer, and the performers Conrad Tao, Owen Weaver, Isabel Hagen, Mariel Roberts, Pat Swoboda and Lesley Leighton. And a most welcome return to both the Bang on a Can and LA Opera fams.
Tonight's the last night. If The West is your coast, come on by.
Mosaic
Big Ears Festival, Knoxville, TN
3/21-3/23
(Development 2/24-3/21)
With:
Ali Tekbas, Vocalist
Eva Salina, Vocalist
Mehdi Nassouli, Guembri Player + Vocalist
Ben Townsend, Fiddle + Banjo Player
Peni Candra Rini, Vocalist
Zafer Tawil, Oud Player + Percussionist
Alexia Webster, Photographer + Videographer
Kyla-Rose Smith, Artist + Producer
Elena Moon Park, Violinist + Producer
Christopher Marianetti, Composer + Producer
Jeremy Thal, French Horn Player + Producer
Gideon Crevoshay, Vocalist
Hatim Belyamani, Producer
Asma Ghanem, Producer
Samah Boulmona, Accordion Player
Ezra Tenenbaum, Production Manager
Christopher Botta, Audio Engineer
Ashley Tata, Director
Eamonn Farrell, Visual Designer
Maxwell Bowman, Lighting Designer
Heading to Appalachia for four weeks with the good folk at Found Sound Nation to develop and build Mosaic Interactive -- a suite of interdisciplinary works that explore our collective dreams, memories and rituals through song and storytelling.
I'm thrilled and honored to be working with the incredible musicians, composers, producers and artists who are coming from all over the world to create this project and pretty stoked to be working again with Eamonn (rhymes with "demon") Farrell to design the thing.
We'll be making the work with residencies at Pine Mountain Settlement School and Appalshop in Kentucky and Davis and Elkins College in West Virginia leading to the premiere at the Big Ears Festival in Knoxville. If you're in Tennessee the end of March, check it out.
Soldier Songs
Opera ATX, Austin Opera
4/6-4/7
Text and Music: David T. Little
Director: Ashley Tata
Video: Bill Morrison
Lighting: Chris Kuhl
Conductor: Todd Reynolds
Soldier: David Adam Moore
Performed by: Newspeak
Back on the road with David T. Little, Todd Reynolds, David Adam Moore, BMP and Newspeak to bring Soldier Songs to Austin, TX.
Very happy to return to this piece with these makers. Looking forward to the discussion that comes with bringing it to yet another community in the US.
Bound
Fresh Squeezed Opera
Baruch Performing
Arts Center, New York, NY
4/13-4/19
Music by Huang Ruo
Libretto by Bao-Long Chu
Directed by Ashley Tata
Scenic: Stephan Moravski
Video: David Bengali
Lighting: Abby Hoke-Brady
Costumes: Corina Louise Chase
Sung by:
Diane Tran: Fang Tao
Khan: Guang Yang
Looking forward to working with Fresh Squeezed Opera on the New York City premiere of Huang Ruo's opera. The work, based on a true story, deals with themes of immigration, questions of what it means to be a good citizen, familial responsibilities and the compromises we make to survive and make a living. I'm very grateful and humbled by the design team that has assembled and to the musicians who are joining us. I hope to see as many of you there as possible.
If you're in New York this spring, come on by.