I found Encompass New Opera Theatre in Brooklyn, New York, an organization that has been developing American opera for
the last 35 years. I submitted my listening companion and CD for Angel of Amazon to them. They really enjoyed the opera and chose it for development
and production in 2010.
So, on February 28th
I was invited to Gramercy Park in NYC for
Encompass’ Season Kick-Off event. Artistic director Nancy Rhodes invited patrons of the arts,
members from the Catholic community, and people from rainforest coalitions to
get a preview of Angel of the Amazon.
The program
consisted of me performing some piano music by American composers, a few arias
from other American operas, a guest speech from Sr. Dorothy Stang’s biographer,
and three arias from Angel of the Amazon.
 |
Nancy Rhodes, Artistic Director of Encompass New Opera Theater |
The venue was this
large, castle-like home of a Hungarian art dealer. Portraits and works of art
filled every inch of the walls. The crowd was huge.
All of the excerpts
were well-received by the crowd and many were willing to donate and spread the
word to get more seed money. They were even more excited to realize that the
opera was completed and simply needs backing to get it off the ground.
 |
Evan Mack discusses Angel of the Amazon with the audience |
The next steps
for production: more seed money, a full in-concert reading, and then a full
staging in New York. Once the opera is produced, the
goal is to get enough funds to take the opera to cities across the country.
I will keep you all
posted as things unfold in real time. Stay tuned for April, when another
group performs the opera in San Francisco.
You can find out more about the opera's progress and get involved by following Angel of the Amazon on Facebook and by checking out the Web sites for Encompass New Opera Theatre and Angel of the Amazon.
Here are some more pictures from the performance in New York: