Saturday, October 31, 2009

Reminder: LGCSF Halloween in the Castro Opera by Jack Curtis Dubowsky @ Sat Oct 31 8pm – 9:30pm (Queer Things)

LGCSF Halloween in the Castro Opera by Jack Curtis Dubowsky

The LESBIAN / GAY CHORUS OF SAN FRANCISCO presents
HALLOWEEN IN THE CASTRO
a new opera by JACK CURTIS DUBOWSKY.

DATES:
Friday, October 23, 2009 8pm,
Saturday, October 24, 2009 8pm,
Friday, October 30, 2009 8pm,
Saturday, October 31, 2009 8pm.

VENUE:
Metropolitan Community Church of San Francisco,
150 Eureka Street at 18th Street, San Francisco,
San Francisco CA 94114

TICKETS:
Call 1-800-838-3006 or visit http://www.lgcsf.org

LINKS:
http://lgcsf.org/HIC_press_page.html (Includes hi-res photos)
http://www.destijlmusic.com
http://www.dubowsky.blogspot.com

Halloween in the Castro:

Merging local politics with murder and mayhem, the Lesbian/Gay Chorus of San Francisco, under the direction of Stephanie Lynne Smith, presents Jack Curtis Dubowsky's horror opera Halloween in the Castro, a biting, in-your-face social commentary about what has gone wrong with Castro Halloween.

In this world premiere opera, horrors past and present haunt San Francisco's iconic street. As Halloween approaches, neighborhood residents, suburbanite tourists, city politicians and local business owners have conflicting ideas of how the evening should unfold. But will they all survive to see the dawn?

Halloween in the Castro is contemporary social commentary in the form of a traditional opera. Featuring an ensemble cast and an original score, the show educates, satirizes, and most of all, entertains.

Over many years, the Castro's Halloween celebration has degenerated from a fun, quirky neighborhood event to an uncontrollable human mass plagued by bashings and murder. The yearly Castro Halloween debate and debacle has become a microcosm for San Francisco at large. As San Francisco grew with money and population from the technology boom, the facets that reflected its independent, queer and idiosyncratic beat became rare, commodified, or disrupted. The world thinks of the Castro as a 'Gay Mecca,' but the district itself struggles to manage an historic event in the face of recurring violence and masses of gawkers.

Halloween in the Castro honors the history and the ongoing debate, even as the city and the neighborhood continue to look for a solution.

SUPPORT:
This event is supported in part through Subito, the quick advancement grant program of the San Francisco Bay Area Chapter of the American Composers Forum.
This event is also supported in part by a 2009 Pink Saturday Grant from the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, Inc.
LGCSF events are sponsored in part by a grant from Grants for the Arts/San Francisco Hotel Tax Fund.
LGCSF is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization. All donations are fully tax-deductible. There are a variety of support and sponsorship opportunities for individuals and businesses. Please visit http://lgcsf.org/support.html or contact Chorus Manager Kristen Brown at manager@lgcsf.org.

BIOS:

LESBIAN / GAY CHORUS OF SAN FRANCISCO:
The world's first mixed lesbian and gay chorus, LGCSF is dedicated to building and enriching the Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender (LGBT) community through song and a love of music.

This is LGCSF's thirtieth consecutive season.

LGCSF was founded in 1980 and originally called the "San Francisco Lesbian and Gay Men's Community Chorus." The Chorus helped to found the Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses (GALA) in 1981, and was renamed the Lesbian/Gay Chorus of San Francisco in 1984. The Chorus has performed around the world, and hundreds of times in San Francisco. The Chorus has provided a forum for San Francisco's gay and lesbian music lovers to develop their talents, find good friends, and share their gifts with San Francisco's diverse communities.

STEPHANIE LYNNE SMITH:
Conductor, Artistic Director, Stage Director Stephanie Lynne Smith is an active pianist, conductor, clinician, vocal coach, worship leader, and chamber musician. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree in piano performance from the University of Colorado at Boulder and a Master of Music degree in chamber music performance from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Her professional experience of more than a decade includes performing in master classes for Menahem Pressler and Emmanuel Ax, working with renowned composers such as Alden Jenks, David Garner and David Conte, and providing accompaniment for Sharon McNight, B.D. Wong, and Tony Award winner Alan Cumming. After accompanying the Lesbian/Gay Chorus of San Francisco Chorus for two years, Stephanie was appointed Artistic Director and Conductor in 2002. She has presented numerous original compositions by queer composers living in the Bay Area, organized and hosted fundraisers and variety shows, and led the Chorus at the past two international GALA Festivals.

In addition to her work with LGCSF, Stephanie is Music Director for the Worship and Praise service at MCC-San Francisco, founding and returning music director of New Spirit Community Church in Berkeley, co-founder of Gay, Lesbian and Allied Musicians (GLAM) Youth Choir, and a member of the Events Committee for GALA Choruses, Inc.

JACK CURTIS DUBOWSKY:
Composer, Librettist Jack Curtis Dubowsky is an active composer, conductor, writer, educator, and filmmaker. Dubowsky has composed four chamber operas and scored five feature films, including That Man: Peter Berlin, Redwoods, and Rock Haven. The short film NYC Dilemma about this working composer premiered at BFI in London in 2006. Dubowsky's choral music has been performed internationally by groups including San Francisco Choral Artists, Desert Voices, Lesbian/Gay Chorus of San Francisco, and Mount Eden Chorus. His orchestral music has been performed by Castro Valley Chamber Orchestra. His chamber music has been performed by Snopea Chamber Ensemble, Organic Sound Experiment, Collaborata, and Paradigm Brass.

Dubowsky has received grants from Meet the Composer, Zellerbach Family Fund, Friends of the San Francisco Public Library, and American Composers Forum.

Dubowsky performs and records with the Jack Curtis Dubowsky Ensemble, which combines acoustic instruments, electronic hardware, audiovisuals, composed material, and both free and structured improvisation. Dubowsky has performed at venues nationwide including AS220 in Providence, Galapagos in Brooklyn, and the Fillmore in San Francisco. Dubowsky has produced recordings by The Winsome Griffles, Glen Meadmore, and the Virgin Whore Complex. His "Mr Jones" parody is a highlight of the acclaimed Momus album Stars Forever.

Dubowsky holds a Master of Music degree in Composition from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and also attended the Aspen School of Music. Dubowsky studied composition with David Conte, Conrad Susa, Elinor Armer, and Michael Czajkowski.
When
Sat Oct 31 8pm – 9:30pm Pacific Time
Calendar
Queer Things

Invitation from Google Calendar

You are receiving this email at the account queerthingssf@gmail.com because you are subscribed for reminders on calendar Queer Things.

To stop receiving these notifications, please log in to http://www.google.com/calendar/ and change your notification settings for this calendar.

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.