New Musical Discoveries from the Era of Madame Pompadour (1745-1764)

Library of Congress
Thomas Jefferson Building, Room 119

The Library of Congress in collaboration with Opera Lafayette present French and American scholars involved with the rediscovery, completion and premieres of two significant 18th-century Opéra-ballets: Jean-Philippe Rameau’s Io and Pierre de la Garde’s Léandre et Héro. The panelists will discuss issues regarding research and editing for performance editions of operas from this period, and examine the role of great national libraries in acquiring and preserving artifacts of cultural patrimony. 

Speakers:

• Susan H. Vita, chief, Music Division, Library of Congress

• Mathias Auclair, director, Music Department, Bibliothèque Nationale de France

• Sylvie Bouissou, director of research, National Center of Scientific Research (CHRS)

• Ryan Brown, artistic director and founder, Opera Lafayette

An Evening with Machine Dazzle, Meredith Martin, Jonathan Woody, Avi Stein, and Oliver Mercer         

Moderated by Ryan Brown, founder and artistic director of Opera Lafayette

FIAF and Opera Lafayette present a musical evening delving into the striking parallels between the classic extravagance of French Rococo style and the over-the-top aesthetic of Queer Maximalism.

Join costume designer Machine Dazzle, art historian Meredith Martin, musicians Jonathan Woody, Avi Stein, and Oliver Mercer, along with moderator Ryan Brown, founder and artistic director of Opera Lafayette, for music and lively conversation. The topic of contemporary resonance will be debated, while musicians perform excerpts from Opera Lafayette’s upcoming spring production of Rameau’s comedy ballet Io, premiering in New York at the Museo del Barrio on May 9.

Please note that the event has been moved from the FIAF Skyroom to FIAF Florence Gould Hall.

Ticket Information

FIAF Members: $25
Non-Members: $30
Students with ID: $25

Venue

FIAF Florence Gould Hall
55 East 59th Street,
New York, NY 10022

Photo on left above: Taylor Mac in a work by Machine Dazzle created for A 24-Decade History of Popular Music (Photo by Little Fang courtesy of Pomegranate Arts)

Thursday, September 9, 2021
Doors: 6:30 p.m.
Curtain: 7:30 p.m.
The Barns at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts
1635 Trap Road
Vienna, VA 22182

This performance will observe the COVID-19 policies and guidelines as determined by Wolf Trap. Please review current guidelines here before purchasing your tickets.

Attire matching the event's theme (Denim & Diamonds) is strongly encouraged.

Join us for a celebration, Denim & Diamonds: The Blacksmith at Wolf Trap! The evening will boast a performance of La Maréchal ferrant / The Blacksmith , pre-show cocktails, a special opening performance by Grammy and Emmy-winning banjo artist Dom Flemons, and a post-show champagne and dessert celebration where we will unveil our 2022 season.

Presenting

Le Maréchal Ferrant / The Blacksmith (1761)

François-André Danican Philidor, Composer
English Translation By Nick Olcott
Adaptation By Nick Olcott and Ryan Brown

From the French Libretto By François-Antoine Quétant

Recapturing the humor and immediacy of the original, Nick Olcott and Ryan Brown have adapted Philidor’s opéra comique Le marechal ferrant into the late 19th-century American West. Opéra comique originally integrated French vaudeville songs, allowing for audience sing-alongs. Honoring this, Brown has woven in popular American folk songs of the time. This fully-staged production bridges country and city, celebrates rural themes, and invites the audience to participate by joining in singing familiar folk songs. Do not miss what Opera Canada dubbed, “Ninety welcome minutes of charm and cheer.”

The production features the return of Joshua Conyers, Dominique Côté, Pascale Beaudin, Arnold Livingston Geis, and Frank Kelley each of whom will reprise their roles for this Washington, DC premiere. New to the cast and making her Opera Lafayette main stage debut is Ashley Marie Robillard. The orchestra features Ryan Brown on his fiddle, Grammy-winner Dom Flemons, guitar, Denver native Dylan Kober, guitar, and Doug Balliett, contrabass, previously heard with Opera Lafayette in An Evening of Monteverdi.   This performance is like “…nothing you have ever seen from Opera Lafayette, or anyone else for that matter,” writes Mike Rogers of Opera Gene. 

Tickets for the event are being sold through Wolf Trap’s Box Office, or you may support us directly by purchasing a benefit ticket here:

Pre and Post-Show Celebrations

Featuring

The Critics Have Spoken