SUPPORT AN EXCITING NEW AMERICAN OPERA!!!
West Bay Opera company here in the San Francisco Bay area has agreed to
pursue a commission of a new opera I would write, first for a contemporary opera workshop in Palo Alto and San Francisco in the summer of 2010, and then taking it further.
The subject is the last novel by F.Scott Fitzgerald, "The Last Tycoon". It is a fascinating story, a novel that Fitzgerald did not finish (he died in the middle of writing it), and it seems that it has never been put to music in any way (some of you may remember a movie with Robert De Niro which I'm afraid did not do justice to Fitzgerald's masterpiece). The main character is a young
Hollywood producer in the 1930-s, a self-made man and the whole plot
evolves around him and his love story. We plan to use appropriate cinematic effects to augment the music.
Currently, the West Bay Opera is looking for funds to make this
project happen.
If you would like to see this new and exciting American opera become a
reality - you can make a tax-deductible donation!
Here is what the General Director Moscovich says about specifics:
People can write checks to West Bay Opera and put "for Last Tycoon"
in the memo line of the check. The address is West Bay Opera, 221 Lambert Avenue Palo Alto, CA 94306 Or they can call the box office and donate on a credit card. Box office is 650.424.9999. We'll segregate the funds into their own account.
Here is the link to the page where you can print out a form to make a donation and then mail it:
http://www.wbopera.org/SupportWBO.html
Sounds Like
The first 4 audio tracks represent a cantata "Canticles of Love, Despair, and Hope". Movements 1 & 3 have lyrics by Emily Dickinson, movements 2 & 4 have Spanish text by San Juan de la Cruz. Track 5 is an orchestral overture "Symphonic Parallels", and track 6 is an a cappella piece with a Russian text called "A Northern Tale". It is an old legend that combines Christian and pre-Christian motifs. The sheet music for all 3 works will soon be published by E.C.Schirmer, and "A Northern Tale" is already available with an English translation. If you're interested in sheet music for these tracks, please contact ECS at
www.ecspub.com or
office@ecspublishing.com or
617.236.1935
The online store has an arrangement of a popular spiritual "Jesus walked this lonesome valley"; music performed at the recent San Francisco concert A Bridge of Hope - Organ Suite No.1 (2-4); Fantasia (5); Song cycle Transformations(6-9); String Quartet No. 1(10-12). The store also has as a choral piece with Russian text entitled Prayer, thanking God for all the gifts of nature and life.
American composer, conductor, pianist, and organist Cyril Deaconoff (born Kirill Dyachkov), originally from Russia, was born in Moscow. He attended Gnesine State Music College and is a graduate of the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory (Composition and Choral Conducting). In December 2006, Deaconoff completed his Doctoral degree in Conducting at Indiana University Bloomington, where he also studied composition with Sven-David Sandström. His other composition and orchestration teachers included Marina Kovaleva, Andrei Golovin, Alexander Pirumov, Yuri Butsko, and Roman Ledeniov. Deaconoff’s choral composition Two choruses for children’s voices with Lyrics by Maikov received one of the prizes at the Pushkin Composition Contest in 1998 and was subsequently performed at the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory. A number of his works, including a choral ballade A Northern Tale, were also performed at the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory.
An active choral/orchestral conductor, Dr. Deaconoff was one of only sixteen conductors chosen by Chorus America to participate in the 2006 Beethoven Conducting Master Class with the Philadelphia Singers and their Music Director David Hayes, and Music Director of the Philadelphia Orchestra, Christoff Eschenbach. He taught at Carroll College, Wisconsin and Indiana University. Deaconoff’s recent conducting projects at Indiana University included a concert with the Contemporary Vocal Ensemble and orchestra entitled “American Tribute”, a performance of his new cantata, and a recording of his orchestral overture Symphonic Parallels. Several of his recent works, including cantata Canticles of Love, Despair, and Hope; A Northern Tale; and Symphonic Parallels are now being published by E.C. Schirmer.
Dr. Deaconoff’s most recent work, String Quartet No.1, was selected by the San Jose Chamber Orchestra for their concert of contemporary music entitled Valley Voices. A concert of Cyril's chamber instrumental, vocal, and choral music took place in San Francisco on May 25 2008. Dr. Deaconoff received commissions from the Vallejo Choral Society and the Arts Council Silicon Valley. Cyril Deaconoff is currently Artistic Director of the Vallejo Choral Society, Organist and resident Composer at St. John’s Presbyterian Church in San Francisco and Assistant Conductor of the Symphony Silicon Valley Chorale in San Jose.
Thanks again so much for coming to our store and performing! I was strongly hoping that more of our customers would have stayed. I apologize that our anniversary came at a time when I was unable to advertise to the extent of normal. (It was the first week of teaching school for me..) But I will leave a gift certificate in your name at the store for you as a small token of our appreciation!
Thank you again for sharing your remarkable command of orchestral music!
Call for talented musicians to enter into monthly competition and win $5,000 In a perfect world, good music and film find its own audience. This is the world OurStage is building.
