Friday Musical Moment: Lamentation to Liberation

Lamentation to Liberation: Songs of Despair and Hope from 17th-century Italy opens this Sunday February 28, 2021, 2:00 p.m. EST. The program will feature solos, duets, and ensembles recorded from a distance; 17th-century Italian repertoire coupled with an original composition by bass-baritone, Jonathan Woody, with text compiled by countertenor, Reginald Mobley; and a showcase of Opera Lafayettealums and debuts.

For this Friday Musical Moment we are pleased to give you an amuse-bouche from the concert in the form of a trailer.

Please enjoy the video below as this week's Friday Musical Moment.

Lamentation to Liberation: Songs of Despair and Hope from 17th-century Italy

Friday Musical Moment: Artist Spotlight: Aaron Sheehan

February's Sunday Serenades, which opens on Sunday February 28, 2021, 2:00 p.m. EST represents the meeting of multiple elements, artistic and technical. The program will feature solos, duets, and ensembles recorded from a distance; 17th-century Italian repertoire coupled with an original composition by bass-baritone,Jonathan Woody, with text by countertenor, Reginald Mobley; and a showcase Opera Lafayette alums and debuts.

For this Friday Musical Moment we are pleased to highlight Opera Lafayette alum, Aaron Sheehan in this 2015 performance of "Nigra Sum" from Monteverdi's Vespro della Beata Vergine, 1610 for TENET Vocal Arts as part of their Green Mountain Project. You might recognize Aaron from our 2014 production of Rameau's Les Fêtes de l'Hymen et de l'Amour.

Please enjoy the video below as this week's Friday Musical Moment.

Monteverdi Vespers 1610: "Nigra Sum"

Friday Musical Moment: Artist Spotlight: Reginald Mobley

February's Sunday Serenades concert is Opera Lafayette's most ambitious technological feat this season. This program includes solos, duets, and ensembles, all of which were recorded separately then engineered together. The program includes 17th-century Italian repertoire, and features an original composition by bass-baritone, Jonathan Woody, with text by countertenor, Reginald Mobleyon Sunday February 28, 2021, 2:00 p.m. EST.

We are pleased to highlight a video shared with us by Reginald, who will make his debut with Opera Lafayette in this program. This week's Friday Musical Moment is of Reginald's 2020 performance of Henry Purcell's "Here the Deities Approve" accompanied by Stephen Stubbs on the lute for Pacific MusicWorks.

Please enjoy the video below as this week's Friday Musical Moment.

Henry Purcell: "Here the Deities Approve"

Friday Musical Moment: Handel: Theodora

Opera Lafayette's commitment to providing online programming for all audiences continues in February with the conclusion of our Overtures series; the continuation of our acclaimed family program, Opera starts with Oh! ; and an exciting Sunday Serenades concert. This program includes solos, duets, and ensembles from the 17th-century Italian repertoire, and features an original composition by bass-baritone, Jonathan Woody, with text by countertenor, Reginald Mobley on Sunday February 28, 2021, 2:00 p.m. EST.

We are pleased to highlight a video shared with us by Jonathan Woody, who performed with Opera Lafayette most recently in the opening production of our 25th anniversary season. This week's Friday Musical Moment is of Jonathan's 2018 performance of "Racks, gibbets, sword and fire" from Handel's oratorio Theodora with the Britten–Pears Baroque Orchestra, directed by Christian Curnyn at Snape Maltings Concert Hall.

Please enjoy the video below as this week's Friday Musical Moment.

Handel: Theodora "Racks, gibbets, sword and fire"