HÔTEL
An event that explores how aural aesthetic affects visual creation.
Location: The Wall House, Ojai, California
Date/Time: Saturday, September 14th at 2:00 PM
Artists:
Zoe Johnson, Soprano
Christopher Allen, Piano
TBD, visual artist
TBD, visual artist
Description: Two visual artists will be commissioned to create three
contrasting works directly inspired by Poulenc’s “Banalités,” Berg’s
“Sieben Fruhe Lieder,” and Larsen’s “Try Me Good King.”
contact: Zoe.johnson89@gmail.com
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Musical Compositions:
Poulenc: Banalités (1940)
Text: Guillaume Apollinaire
Alban Berg: Sieben Fruhe Lieder (1905-1908)
Text: various poets
*** Pause ***
Libby Larsen: Try Me Good King (Five Wives of Henry VIII) (2001)
True texts drawn from the final letters and gallow speeches of Katherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, and Katherine Howard
Itinerary:
Six paintings will be placed along the wall and covered by white sheets. Zoe Johnson and Christopher Allen will perform works by Poulenc, Berg, and Larsen. After the concert, the two visual artists will speak about how they were inspired by the musical compositions the audience just heard. The six pieces of art will be unveiled. Wine and light fare will be served, giving the audience time to experience
the art. The work will be available for purchase with a portion of the proceeds going to the Ojai Music Festival.
Artists’ Bios:
Zoe Johnson (Soprano)
Hailed for her “dazzling coloratura soprano,” (The Aspen Times) Zoe Johnson is an avid performer of opera, theater and contemporary music. Recent appearances include Virginia Opera’s Street Scene and Don Giovanni, Candide with The Knights at Tanglewood, as Lena in Ana Sokolovic’s Svadba at the Bard Fisher Center, Le Feu in L’enfant et les Sortileges at the Aspen Music Festival, as Queen of the Night with The Albany Symphony and as Chava in Fiddler on the Roof with Charlottesville Opera. Zoe originated the role of Michelle in the world premiere of Intruder- The Musical at the New York Theater Festival, and will debut at the Ravinia Festival in Chicago this summer.
Christopher Allen (Piano)
The recipient of The 2017 Sir Georg Solti Conducting Award, Christopher Allen has been featured in Opera News magazine as “one of the fastest-rising podium stars in North America.” His conducting career was launched by the Bruno Walter Conducting Award. He was fostered by Plácido Domingo and James Conlon, who brought him to Los Angeles Opera as an Associate Conductor. Featured in Musical America’s “25 Stars Still Rising,” Mo. Allen most recently has made debuts with English National Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Washington National Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Opera Theatre St. Louis, Michigan Opera Theatre, Opera Philadelphia, Florida Grand Opera, Aspen Music Festival and the Atlanta Symphony. He was nominated for the International Opera Awards in the UK.