Eat, Drink, and Be Scary!

8/9/2024

Three crows face different directions against a grey and black cloudy background. The event graphic reads: New Wave Opera presents Music in the Manor. Monday, August 19, 6-11pm. Raven's Manor Haunted Bar, Five-dollar cover. w,w,w, dot, new wave opera, dot, org.

On August 19th, New Wave Opera lands at Raven's Manor Haunted Bar to perform a selection of operatic works and art songs by living composers. In the coming weeks, we'll be sharing a bit more about these pieces and their writers - including a world premiere!

Today we dive deeper into three works that will be new to Portlanders - and all of which feature stories around food - the hilarious opera Serial Killers and the City, the chuckle-inducing COVID Bake-Off, and an equally-punderful opera trio, If You Cheese (a world premiere)!

COVID Bake-Off (2022) - Monica Chew & Sandra Flores-Strand

Two women stand next to each other wearing aprons. The woman on the right is wearing a bright red apron that reads "Lisa" in embroidered letters. hey are both wearing pinkish dresses, with the woman on the right having a striped dress and the woman on the left wearing a floral pattern.

Lindsey Rae Johnson and Lisa Neher backstage in their COVID Bake-Off attire during our Summer Splash performance!

Summary: Lilly, an up-and-coming celebrity baker, has been invited to go toe-to-toe with her nemesis, Bobby V., in a baking competition. Her reputation, her business, and a large cash prize are on the line. It’s the day before the competition and Lilly has no taste or smell due to COVID.

What to Expect: Attendees from our Summer Splash show will remember the hilarious and triumphant duet between Lilly and her friend Eve as they explore a variety of different methods to regain taste and smell. This duet makes a comeback next week, featuring mezzo Lisa Neher and soprano Lindsey Rae Johnson.

Why We Love This Work: Sandra's libretto skillfully captures the relationships and personalities of all the characters in such succinct ways - even from this short duet we perform, listeners already have a strong sense of the stakes, the characters, and the relationship they share. We love how Monica's setting of these words slips in and out of different styles seamlessly as the characters become more introspective. Her use of tempo changes, moments of a cappella, and reeling wind-ups in the piano really capture the emotional journey from anxiety and frustration to hope and triumphant joy. It is impossible to hear the end of this duet without having a smile on your face!

Read more about composer Monica Chew here. Read more about librettist Sandra Flores-Strand here.

Serial Killers and the City - Del'Shawn Taylor & Joanie Brittingham

Summary: In this murderous parody of Sex and the City, a group of stylish girlfriends get together to swap stories about their latest kills over Bloody Mary's and decadent bites - but things get tense when FBI Agent Small unexpectedly joins them for brunch!

What to Expect: We will be doing the full production of this opera for our October show, Night of the Living Opera, so Music in the Manor is your chance to catch an exclusive sneak peak as we perform an aria and trio from the production! The aria will be performed by Lindsey Rae Johnson, with accompanying vocal performances by Lisa Neher and Allison Kim-Yok Knotts.

A woman in bright orange clothing poses against a blue and teal-lit series of pillars, standing her her arms out wide wielding prop knives. She has her mouth open in a faux roar, and her large, bright hat has light netting that drapes menacingly around her head.

Lisa Neher (L) during the Experiments in Opera production of Serial Killers and the City in June 2024

Why We Love This Work: Joanie's libretto is absolutely stuffed with hilarious puns, witty quips, and killer one-liners. We love how Del'Shawn uses the voices to overlap like a natural conversation between gal pals, while still leaving plenty of room for the text to be heard (and reacted to!). The seamless transitions from duets, trios, and arias keep listeners rapt with attention from start to finish, and his use of grooves propels scenes forward in such a natural way. Lisa has performed this work in the past (most recently with the amazing New York-based company, Experiments in Opera!), and has loved how much laughter the opera brings to audiences.

Read more about composer Del'Shawn Taylor here . Read more about librettist Joanie Brittingham here. Learn more about the amazing folks at Experiments in Opera (NYC) here.

If You Cheese (world premiere) - Kimberly R. Osberg

A bright yellow title card for a work titled

Cover Art for If You Cheese

Summary: Bonnie gets a last-minute order for a large cheese board, and has only minutes to put it together. When her two friends start to offer a lot more puns than help, Bonnie can't help but get a little cheesed off.

What to Expect: This short scene will be premiered in its entirety by soprano Lindsey Rae Johnson and mezzos Lisa Neher and Allison Kim-Yok Knotts - not only as a world premiere, but as your last chance to hear the work this fall!

Why We Love This Work: This short opera scene is absolutely stacked with fantastic cheese-based puns, playful vocal lines, and super-dramatic moments from both vocalists and piano. Kimberly's writing really captures the anxiety of preparing something important last-minute, and - as mezzo Allison Kim-Yok Knotts said recently - you will never hear a more beautiful piece about cheese!

Read more about composer Kimberly R. Osberg here.

Three women stand with their backs to the camera as the look down at sheet music. A man towards the back of the scene sits at an upright piano, next to a large mural of trees. The room they are standing in has a tall, arched ceiling with bright-orange walls and ceiling paint. There is a large 3-pane window in the back, the top pane being a large semi-circle.

From a July rehearsal of "If You Cheese", featuring (L to R) soprano Lindsey Rae Johnson, mezzo Allison Kim-Yok Knotts, pianist Stephen Lewis, and mezzo Lisa Neher.

Hear these works and a whole lot more at
Music in the Manor !

Event graphic that reads: Opera Night. Five dollar cover. Raven's manor Haunted Bar. Monday, August 19th. 6-11pm. New Wave Opera. The graphic is comprised of light green, pale yellow, and an accent of salmony-red, along with darker elements in dark brown. There are four people in black and white standing in a row posing with silly faces, most of which involve having their tongues sticking out.

WHEN: Monday, August 19th | 6-11pm
WHERE: Raven's Manor Haunted Bar | 235 SW 1st Ave | Portland, OR | 97204
COST: $5 cover charge at the door
ADDITIONAL DETAILS: Ages 21+ only. No RSVP required, but reservations available via Raven's Manor. We will perform off & on throughout the evening, so come anytime! Food & Drink available for purchase from the bar. Contact Raven's Manor for full menu & accommodation information.
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