Jun 2, 2023 7:30 pm

On Friday, June 2nd at 7:30pm, ALT presents a concert reading of WORKING FOR THE MACBETHS by Johanny Navarro and Marcus Yi. Shakespeare meets Monty Python in WORKING FOR THE MACBETHS, a riotous look behind the tragedy we think we all know. After three witches prophesize the downfall of Macbeth, Florinda – Lady Macbeth’s Lady-in-Waiting – is determined to fight fate and give the Macbeths the happy ending they deserve. Can destiny be changed, or is the play doomed to repeat itself? ALT’s Associate Artistic Director Kelly Kuo conducts a cast featuring Daniel Belcher, David Blalock, Kara Dugan, Aundi Marie Moore, Laura Soto-Bayomi, Kimberly Sogioka (MM ’05), Tyler Putnamm, and Jennifer Zetlan; with pianist Justina Lee (MM ’00).

InsightALT events were created to give the public an intimate, insiders look behind the scenes of American Lyric Theater’s process of creating new operas. Each event features a concert reading of a new opera in development at American Lyric Theater, with guest singers from the world’s leading opera houses, followed an interactive discussion between the audience and the writers behind each work. These conversations, moderated by ALT’s founder, Lawrence Edelson, use Liz Lerman’s Critical Response Process to engage with those experiencing the opera for the first time to help the writers on their journeys.

American Lyric Theater’s programs are made possible by generous lead funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, with additional support from the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, the New York State Council on the Arts, the Howard Gilman Foundation, the Howard & Sarah D. Solomon Foundation, The Dubose and Dorothy Heyward Memorial Fund, OPERA America’s Innovation Grants / The Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation, New Music USA, the Amphion Foundation, the Aaron Copland Fund for Music, and the Alice M. Ditson Fund of Columbia University

Great Operas Don’t Just Happen. American Lyric Theater (ALT) was founded in 2005 by Lawrence Edelson to build a new body of operatic repertoire by nurturing composers and librettists, providing an incubator for their collaborations, and contributing new works to the national canon. Many opera companies commission and perform new works; but ALT is the only company in the United States that offers extensive, full-time mentorship for emerging operatic writers. While the traditional company model focuses on producing a season, ALT’s focus is on serving the needs of composers and librettists, developing new works, and collaborating with larger producing companies to help usher those works into the repertoire.

In 2012, ALT was the first company dedicated to artist mentorship rather than operatic production to be recognized by OPERA America as a Professional Company Member – a testament to ALT’s service to the field. In 2020, ALT reinforced its commitment to racial justice and equity through the creation of the Opera Writers Diversity and Representation Initiative (OWDARI), the goal of which is to increase participation in the CLDP by BIPOC artists; and ultimately, increase BIPOC artists’ contributions to the national canon of new operas. Through discussions catalyzed by the OWDARI, ALT has transitioned to a shared leadership model through which ALT’s founder Lawrence Edelson now shares artistic and curatorial responsibilities with the company’s recently appointed Associate Artistic Director, conductor Kelly Kuo. Working together with ALT’s board of directors and artistic staff, Lawrence and Kelly are leading the company’s efforts to create more equitable opportunities for BIPOC artists through all of the company’s programs.

ALT is home to the Composer Librettist Development Program, the only full-time, multi-year program in the country for emerging opera composers, librettists, and dramaturgs, with a proven track record for developing the skills of gifted artists, incubating successful operas, and fostering lasting collaborations. Prominent alumni of the CLDP include composers Clarice Assad, Jeremy Howard Beck, Christopher Cerrone, Justine F. Chen, Theo Popov, Kamala Sankaram, Jorge Sosa, and Aleksandra Vrebalov; and librettists Tony Asaro, Deborah Brevoort, Stephanie Fleischmann, David Johnston, E.M. Lewis, Lila Palmer, David Simpatico, and Royce Vavrek. Audiences around the country are enjoying operas developed through the CLDP and by CLDP alumni at a wide variety of venues, including Lyric Opera of Chicago, Houston Grand Opera, Washington National Opera, Fort Worth Opera, Opera Philadelphia, Opera Saratoga, Utah Opera, The PROTOTYPE Festival, and many more.

For more information about American Lyric Theater, please visit www.altnyc.org

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