A wicked time at the manor!

Earlier this week, New Wave Opera had the joy of performing at Raven's Manor Haunted Bar for MUSIC IN THE MANOR. With a bustling house from open to close, we were thrilled to see so many familiar faces from the opera community (including friends from Lark Opera, the recent OrpheusPDX production of The Rose Elf, and singers involved in our upcoming production Night of the Living Opera), as well as meet those who had never heard opera before!

Today we share some of our favorite moments from throughout the night!

Reviving some of our repertoire from Summer Splash, it was amazing to see how perfectly flexible pieces like the Bored Cat duet from Meow & Forever (composer Jodi Goble & librettist Basil Considine) proved to be!

​Equally at home in The Manor, this hilarious duet, performed by soprano Lindsey Rae Johnson and mezzo Allison Kim-Yok Knotts, elicited some of the night's biggest laughs.

Later in the night, mezzo Lisa Neher performed Gabriela Lena Frank's evocative Yo crío una mosca.

​Simply buzzing with theatricality, Lisa employs a mix of speaking, vocalizing, Sprechstimme, and singing throughout the piece as pianist Stephen Lewis trills, stomps, and pulses away at the piano. 

Mezzo Lisa Neher with pianist Stephen Lewis

By far one of the biggest applauses of the night was in response to soprano Lindsey Rae Johnson's rendition of Rita's Aria from A Wedding, by William Bolcom and librettists Robert Altman & Arnold Weinstein.

Soprano Lindsey Rae Johnson with pianist Stephen Lewis

With a playful and dramatic text as Rita attempts to control the smallest of details on wedding day, and the hilariously clustery piano part pounding up and down the keys as Rita's ire become inflamed, this short aria packs a punch and left our audiences applauding thunderously in response to Lindsey's command of the multiple moments she leapt to the stratosphere of her voice!

While we love a good soprano diva moment, we were equally excited to revive pieces by Gwyneth Walker as performed by mezzo Allison Kim-Yok Knotts. Both "Sunrise Ruby" and "Still" are softer works, but include a beautiful array of musical gestures that tell complete stories of their own. We love Allison's ability to not only keep pace with Lindsey's large vocal performances in their duets, but also deliver a soft and sensitive performance while keeping command of a busy room.

Allison Kim-Yok Knotts and pianist Stephen Lewis

One of the highlights of the evening was the premiere performances of Kimberly R. Osberg's new opera trio, If You Cheese. We loved sharing this pun-derful and dynamic work about a woman trying to fill a last minute cheese-board order, only to have her friends offer more jokes than actual help. While our protagonist was cheesed off, listeners had a gouda-nough time!

We were also excited to unveil excerpts from our upcoming show at The Manor, NIGHT OF THE LIVING OPERA, which will see fully-costumed and fully-staged performances of four contemporary operas. For Music in the Manor, we shared excerpts from THUMP (Kimberly's setting of "The Tell Tale Heart" by Edgar Allen Poe), she conjures (a wicked one-woman opera by Lisa Neher & Bea Goodwin), and Serial Killers and the City (Del'Shawn Taylor & Joanie Brittingham). Given the enthusiastic response from our listeners on Monday, we can tell these shows will be a big hit in October!

Pianist Stephen Lewis, mezzo Lisa Neher, soprano Lindsey Rae Johnson, and mezzo Allison Kim-Yok Knotts

We are so grateful to everyone who came out to support us, and to our hosts at Raven's Manor for providing delectable food, incredible & whimsical drinks, and a truly welcoming atmosphere throughout the evening. We can't wait to be back at The Manor in October!

We still have a lot happening this season, so be sure to stay-in-the-know by  subscribing to our eblast list  and giving us a follow on Instagram and Facebook!

If you'd like to support our work this season, please consider a donation - we can accept gifts through most platforms. Just visit our Support Us page to learn more.

Thank you so much for showing up for us, Portland! We can't wait for our upcoming productions and performances in this wonderfully supportive community!

Thank you, Raven's Manor!

---

UP NEXT

​SCREAM QUEENS
A NIGHT OF VOICES IN TREBLE!

WHEN: Saturday, October 5 | 8 to late
WHERE: Mendelssohns | 3955 N Mississippi Ave | Portland, OR | 97227
COST: $10 cover charge at the door
ADDITIONAL DETAILS: Ages 21+ only. No RSVP required! Food & Drink available for purchase from the bar. Contact Mendelssohns for full menu & accommodation information.

Learn more on the event page linked here