{"id":605,"date":"2015-05-01T22:42:15","date_gmt":"2015-05-01T22:42:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/aroadkillopera.com\/test\/?p=605"},"modified":"2015-05-01T22:42:15","modified_gmt":"2015-05-01T22:42:15","slug":"for-immediate-release-may-2-2015%e2%80%a8%e2%80%a8-underground-opera-sensation-a-roadkill-opera-world-premiere-announced-fully-staged-performances-at-the-mead-theatre-lab-at-flashpoint-in-was","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aroadkillopera.com\/test\/2015\/05\/01\/for-immediate-release-may-2-2015%e2%80%a8%e2%80%a8-underground-opera-sensation-a-roadkill-opera-world-premiere-announced-fully-staged-performances-at-the-mead-theatre-lab-at-flashpoint-in-was\/","title":{"rendered":"For Immediate Release, May 2, 2015\u2028\u2028: Underground Opera Sensation “A Roadkill Opera” World Premiere Announced–Fully Staged Performances at the Mead Theatre Lab at Flashpoint in Washington, DC, on January 8-9, 2016"},"content":{"rendered":"

For Immediate Release: May 2, 2015<\/strong>\u2028\u2028<\/strong><\/p>\n

Roadkill Opera:<\/strong>\u00a0Stephan Alexander Parker\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0roadkillopera@icloud.com<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0240.277.6640<\/p>\n

UNDERGROUND OPERA SENSATION \u201cA ROADKILL OPERA\u201d\u00a0WORLD PREMIERE ANNOUNCED<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jeffrey Dokken, Music Director and Conductor for the Symphony Orchestra of Northern Virginia,\u00a0<\/em>Vetted Score and Parts at Artomatic 2012 Workshop and 2013 Studio Recording Sessions, to Return as Music Director and Conductor for January 2016 Performances<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em>See\u00a0A Roadkill Opera<\/strong>\u00a0Librettist Stephan Alexander Parker at the Gaithersburg Book Festival on Saturday, May 16, 2015<\/em><\/p>\n

Nashville, Tennessee\u2014Librettist Stephan Alexander Parker, a 1979 graduate of the University School of Nashville (USN), announced today that A Roadkill Opera<\/em><\/strong> will have its world premiere performances at the Mead Theatre Lab at Flashpoint in Washington, DC, on January 8-9, 2016. Special thanks to the late Jaylee Mead for her generous support of the Mead Theatre Lab.<\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/a>
A Roadkill Opera<\/strong> announced its first fully staged performances for January 8-9, 2016, at the Mead Theatre Lab at Flashpoint <\/a>in Washington, DC<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Parker is in Nashville to help celebrate the USN Centennial, where he is slated to give away 100 CDs in honor of the 100th<\/sup> anniversary of the school. Parker and all 3 of his siblings attended the school; Nina, Aaron, and Stephan entered the school when it was Peabody Demonstration School (PDS), while David entered after the change to USN.<\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/a>
Jeff Goold is shown receiving the first “official” set of A Roadkill Opera DIY<\/strong> <\/a>at USN Music Night on Edgehill at the University School of Nashville <\/a>(successor to Peabody Demonstration School) on February 15, 2015<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

USN Music Night on Edgehill 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cAt Music Night, my wife Debby and I were lucky enough to share a dinner table with Fran & Heber Rogers in the lobby–you couldn’t get any closer to his old office without opening the door.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe show was first rate. We sat next to Janet Carney Schneider and Drew Schneider–which was especially fun since their son John was playing bass for the all-alumni band, which was very, very good. Janet was one of my teachers and a good sport assisting me in a magic trick for the talent portion of the Mr. USN contest my senior year. But that’s a story for another day\u2026<\/p>\n

\u201cDierks Bentley & Friends gave a marvelous performance\u2014funny, moving, personal. When his daughter sang, that really was something\u2014they really know how to recruit talent at USN! And, as a former light and sound man for Opryland USA On The Road in Branson, Missouri<\/em>, I must compliment the crew for the great sound mix. I always liked the auditorium\u2014our class project in 10th grade was to paint it (we found charred remains of curtains from the 1954 fire)\u2014and when Dierks Bentley said that on his first visit to the school he \u2018wondered what a five-string banjo would sound like in here\u2019 I could have told him \u2018great!\u2019 McKim, Meade and White knew what they were doing, and Manual Zeitlin improved on their work.<\/p>\n

\u201cVince was truly engaging and entertaining–and we loved the stage set, too!\u201d said Parker.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Peabody Demonstration School & University School of Nashville Influences<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cMy first year at PDS, Dolores Nicholson made being a stagehand feel like the most exciting part of theatre. When there were trees still on stage from a previous scene and the finale was about to start for the musical Oliver!<\/em><\/strong> and she said \u2018Go!,\u2019 you didn\u2019t hesitate to run across the stage and grab the trees to clear the stage,\u201d said Parker.<\/p>\n

Parker and music director\/conductor Jeffrey Dokken, the creative team behind the Artomatic 2012 workshop performance and 2013 studio recording of A Roadkill Opera<\/em><\/strong>,\u00a0announced a new initiative at the 2015 GRAMMY Awards in February. Parker personally delivered the first Roadkill Opera DIY<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0package to USN at Music Night a week after the GRAMMYs. He returned for the USN Centennial for the 100 CD giveaway at the suggestion of USN Director Vince Durnan. \u201cUSN staff have been so kind and supportive, everyone I spoke with, from Dana Strupp to Britt McCauley, Jeff Goold, and Debra Alberts,\u201d said Parker.<\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/a>
A Roadkill Opera<\/strong>\u2018s librettist Stephan Alexander Parker and music director\/conductor Jeffrey Dokken show their Grammy tickets before the Premiere. The Roadkill entourage also included video director Ben Ganz and merchandizing director DJ Choupin. Composer Ferdinando Paer was not available to attend, as he passed away in 1839.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A Roadkill Opera DIY<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0comprises the complete opera in a box, including the conductor\u2019s score and parts so\u00a0you can perform it yourself with just 5 singers and a 9-piece chamber orchestra. The box is ready to ship with surprise extras.<\/p>\n

\u201cA Roadkill Opera<\/em><\/strong> is thoroughly enjoyable to opera lovers and to non-opera-lovers alike. Parker\u2019s libretto is hysterically funny. The music that was written back in 1804 from Paer fits so beautifully with the things that Parker has done. Your classical music lovers will like it, your opera music lovers will like it, and your random fans who maybe have never heard an opera before will like it as well. It really is the complete package,\u201d said Dokken.<\/p>\n

\"Postcard<\/a>
The studio recording of A Roadkill Opera<\/strong> has received enthusiastic reviews. Meet Parker at the Gaithersburg Book Festival on Saturday, May 16, 2015<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A Roadkill Opera<\/em><\/strong> is a new opera first workshopped at Artomatic 2012, the Washington area\u2019s largest free creative arts event. Set to classical music from 1804 and crossed with a backstage comedy, the 59-minute opera (in English) tells the story of the hour before the lights go up on opening night for a comedy improv troupe in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Parker had presented a prototype mockup at Artomatic 2004 in Washington DC, and recruited production partners at Artomatic 2009 (also in DC) and at the licensed Artomatic@Frederick 2011 in Maryland. A work colleague introduced Parker to Maestro Dokken.<\/p>\n

\u201cMartine Micozzi had been a session musician in Los Angeles, a flautist, prior to moving to the DC area. She asked if she could show the score to the conductor of an orchestra she played with locally, the Symphony Orchestra of Arlington, now the Symphony Orchestra of Northern Virginia (SONOVA). Martine is so talented\u2014her flute in the 2012 workshop and the 2013 studio recording is flawless,\u201d said Parker.<\/p>\n

Parker\u2019s musical training was in Nashville. Prior to entering PDS, he studied piano and composition under Mr. Higgs at Blair Academy (now the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University) and piano in private studies with Jerome Buck. At PDS he learned to play clarinet his first year there.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had a full clarinet section, with 3 clarinets and a bass clarinet, when USN hired a new band director, Rick Palmiter. Mr. P, as we called him, looked around and saw our entire brass section consisted of one lonely trumpet, the very talented Bil Hays. He asked \u2018Who wants to switch instruments and learn to play trombone?\u2019 No one else raised their hand. I was the worst musician in band class, third clarinet. I had only been playing a year or so. Mr. P taught me trombone and put me in the pep band he created to play at basketball games. That was so much fun! Hold That Tiger!\u201d<\/p>\n

Parker was frustrated that as third clarinet he did not have access to practice the melodic lines that were carried by other instruments. \u201cI resolved that, if I ever had the chance to publish sheet music, every musician would know who was playing on each tune, and they would all be able to purchase the sheet music for their private enjoyment\u2014affordably,\u201d said Parker. In 2013 he published the sheet music for A Roadkill Opera<\/em><\/strong> in several volumes; one for wind instruments, one for tympani and strings, a piano\/vocal score for the singers to use in rehearsal, and a conductor\u2019s score that shows every part in a large enough format for use in performances.<\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/a>
A Roadkill Opera<\/strong> librettist Stephan Alexander Parker hits the road–by bus.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

For audience use at performances, Parker published a large print libretto (which includes the vocal melodies in large print) so people can follow the action in low light and without supertitles over the stage. \u201cA Roadkill Opera<\/em><\/strong> is in English. Even so, it is much easier to follow if you know the words,\u201d says Parker.<\/p>\n

Maestro Dokken became involved with the project after long-time Artomatic exhibitor Stephan Alexander Parker completed this new English libretto, begun and roughed-out during Artomatic 2004. A search for interested producing partners was launched at Artomatic 2009, and ended in 2012 when Dokken received a copy of the score through a mutual friend. The Artomatic 2012 workshop performance of A Roadkilll Opera <\/em><\/strong>in Crystal City, Virginia was \u201csprawling room only\u2014every seat was taken and people were sprawled out in all directions,\u201d said Parker.<\/p>\n

Further Washington DC-area performances are planned for the next Artomatic events in 2015 and 2016, once they are officially announced.<\/p>\n

Parker\u2019s next scheduled appearance is at the May 16, 2015, Gaithersburg Book Festival<\/a> in Maryland.<\/p>\n

Music from 1804. Action set in 1988. A new opera (in English, in just 59 minutes)<\/strong><\/p>\n

A Roadkill Opera<\/em><\/strong> tells<\/strong> the story of the hour before the lights go up on opening night for a comedy improv troupe in Jackson Hole, Wyoming\u2014the Roadkill On A Stick Frozen Foods Theatre Company. Based (loosely) on a true story from a fast-developing tourist town, this original English libretto by Parker is set to music by Ferdinando Paer (Napoleon\u2019s ma\u00eetre de chapelle).<\/p>\n

It took 25 years to identify the classical opera Parker recorded off an FM station, and another 5 years to acquire the score. The story of chasing down the obscure score is related in Parker\u2019s 2013 book, If you see roadkill, think opera<\/em><\/strong>. A sequel is in the works.<\/p>\n

The 2012 performance was one of many featured at the month-long arts event. Artomatic 2012 was the largest ever event, featuring work and performances by more than 1300 artists, performers, musicians, filmmakers, fashion designers, and creatives of all kinds in a 380,000 square-foot office building in Crystal City, Va. The 6-week event attracted more than 70,000 attendees\u2014not all at the same time, obviously.<\/p>\n

More information is available at www.roadkillopera.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

A Roadkill Opera at the 57th Grammys https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=4yg2HhV9e9c<\/a><\/p>\n

Blog https:\/\/aroadkillopera.com\/test\/<\/a><\/p>\n

A Roadkill Opera<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Friday, January 8, 2016 & Saturday, January 9, 2016<\/p>\n

Shows at 6:30 and 8:30 p.m.<\/p>\n

Mead Theatre Lab at Flashpoint<\/p>\n

916 G Street, NW<\/p>\n

Washington, DC 20001<\/p>\n

www.culturaldc.org<\/a><\/p>\n

Music Director & Conductor\u2014Jeffrey Dokken<\/p>\n

Music from 1804 by Ferdinando Paer<\/p>\n

Story and English Libretto by Stephan Alexander Parker<\/p>\n

Tickets will go on sale in October 2015. Meanwhile go out and make some music of your own!<\/p>\n

A Roadkill Opera<\/em><\/strong>, the underground opera sensation<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you see roadkill, think opera\u201d<\/p>\n

**MEDIA AVAILABILITY: To schedule an interview with Maestro Jeffrey Dokken or librettist Stephan Alexander Parker, or to arrange a photo opportunity, contact Stephan at 240.277.6640 or roadkillopera@icloud.com.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"CulturalDC<\/a><\/p>\n

About CulturalDC<\/strong><\/p>\n

CulturalDC makes space for art. Each year CulturalDC serves over 1,000 artists and arts groups and 30,000 audience members through the activation of art space and presentation of contemporary visual and performing arts at our two spaces, Flashpoint and Source, and in nontraditional venues across the city. Through our programs and services we work with artists and arts organizations to build the creative infrastructure that fuels the arts and builds community in Washington, DC.<\/p>\n

About Flashpoint<\/strong><\/p>\n

Flashpoint is a dynamic arts space dedicated to nurturing and growing emerging artists and cultural organizations. Flashpoint provides services and training for cultural organizations to help strengthen their management capacity and provide affordable exhibition and performance spaces that enable arts groups to focus on their artistic goals and expand their visibility.<\/p>\n

About Artomatic<\/strong><\/p>\n

Artomatic is a non-profit, volunteer-run 501(c)3 organization that organizes and hosts a large arts festival occurring every 12-18 months\u00a0in the DC metropolitan area, usually in a commercial location slated for demolition. \u00a0The\u00a0event is unjuried (first-come-first-served) and showcases creative work in visual art, music, film, performance, and fashion. The 2012 Artomatic attracted\u00a0about 1700 artists and performers and over 70,000 visitors. We also license other events in other locations, such as Artomatic@Frederick, held in Frederick, MD, and are currently expanding and building our licensing program stateside and internationally. Artomatic\u2019s mission is to create community, build audience and expand economic development by transforming available space into a playground for artistic expression.\u00a0<\/strong> Artomatic is guided by a volunteer\u00a0Board of Directors<\/a>\u00a0and is funded in part by the D.C. Commission on the Arts and Humanities, an agency supported by the National Endowment for the Arts. See more about\u00a0the volunteer teams<\/a>\u00a0that make Artomatic possible.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>Jeffrey Sean Dokken (Music Director and Conductor).<\/strong><\/p>\n

Maestro Jeffrey Sean Dokken is one of today\u2019s most exciting and vibrant conductors, composers and musicians. Northern Virginia Magazine wrote, under Maestro Dokken\u2019s direction \u201cNOVA has a world-class symphony in the Symphony Orchestra of Northern Virginia.\u201d Over the past decade, Dokken has performed all across the United States and in some of America\u2019s greatest venues including The Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, Marie Collier Baker Theater, Parilla Performing Arts and The Kavli Theater. In October 2013, Dokken traveled to Guayaquil, Ecuador to sit on an elite three member international adjudication panel for the Guayaquil Symphony Orchestra, one of South America\u2019s foremost national orchestras. In April of 2014, Dokken will return to Ecuador as guest conductor of the GSO. Over the past three years, Maestro Dokken has had the distinct honor of conducting at the White House in Washington D.C. as part of \u201cHolidays at the White House.\u201d In December 2013, Dokken returned to The Kennedy Center to conduct a combined choir of 250 voices in a performance of Handel\u2019s \u201cMessiah.\u201d<\/p>\n

After earning his degree in vocal performance from the prestigious University of Redlands School of Music, Dokken pursued graduate degrees in music education and conducting at California Lutheran University and Shenandoah Conservatory, respectively. Maestro Dokken has studied conducting with Dr. Steven Cooksey and Jeffrey H. Rickard; euphonium and trombone with Dr. Phil Keen; piano with Dr. Angelica Prodan and voice with Mrs. Patricia Gee and Dr. Anthony Zwerdling. Dokken has had the good fortune of working with some of the world\u2019s greatest conductors, including Valery Gergiev, Christoph Eschenbach, Marvin Hamlisch and Norman Scribner. In addition to being a conductor and composer, Maestro Dokken is in high demand as a vocalist. As a singer, Dokken has performed with innumerable world-class soloists, including Andrea Boccelli, Kelli O\u2019Hara, Brian D\u2019Arcy James and David Archuletta, among others. Dokken recently made his debut in the Bach Cantata #80 with St. Marie\u2019s Musica, and performed a duet recital with renowned opera singer Jeanne Kelly this August 2014 in New York.<\/p>\n

Upon his relocation to the East Coast, Maestro Dokken quickly became the Associate Music Director of Open5ths, then one of the premiere men\u2019s choirs in the Mid-Atlantic region. In 2010, Dokken was hired as Music Director and Conductor of the Symphony Orchestra of Northern Virginia (SONOVA), a position he still proudly holds. Additionally, Maestro Dokken is the Artistic Director of the Symphony Orchestra of Northern Virginia Chorale. Dokken has recently been guest conductor with the Opera Guild of Northern Virginia; American University; The Washington Men\u2019s Camerata; The Reformation Festival Choir and Patrick Lundy and the Ministers of Music.\u00a0\u00a0 Maestro Dokken is also proudly a conductor for the Northern Virginia Area Encore Chorales. He eagerly anticipates numerous exciting opportunities in 2014, including performances with cross-over recording artist Jackson Caesar; international opera stars Laura Wehrmeyer, David Timpane, and Larry Boggs; a week in residence at the Chataqua Institution; his debut conducting appearance with The Metropolitan Chorus; and choral and orchestral guest conducting performances in Ecuador, New York, Cuba, and Colonial Williamsburg as well as a season full of outstanding music with SONOVA, the SONOVA Chorale, and several special guest artists.<\/p>\n

Dokken has composed for, conducted and performed on a number of opera, classical and musical theatre CD\u2019s and DVD\u2019s. Most recently, he conducted and co-produced Stephan Parker\u2019s 2013 adaptation of Ferdinando Paer\u2019s classic opera \u201cLeonora,\u201d released commercially in July 2013. Additionally, Dokken is the Musical Consultant and Composer in Residence for the largest health care corporation in America, Kaiser Permanente, where his duties include composing health related musicals; scoring videos for public and in house use; and providing musical consultation on a wide array of arts projects. Dokken also maintains a thriving private voice and piano studio and is active as an arranger, educator and adjudicator.<\/p>\n

###<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For Immediate Release: May 2, 2015\u2028\u2028 Roadkill Opera:\u00a0Stephan Alexander Parker\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0roadkillopera@icloud.com\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0240.277.6640 UNDERGROUND OPERA SENSATION \u201cA ROADKILL OPERA\u201d\u00a0WORLD PREMIERE ANNOUNCED Jeffrey Dokken, Music Director and Conductor for the Symphony Orchestra of Northern Virginia,\u00a0Vetted Score and Parts at Artomatic 2012 Workshop and 2013 Studio Recording Sessions, to Return as Music Director and Conductor for January 2016 Performances \u00a0See\u00a0A … Continue reading For Immediate Release, May 2, 2015\u2028\u2028: Underground Opera Sensation “A Roadkill Opera” World Premiere Announced–Fully Staged Performances at the Mead Theatre Lab at Flashpoint in Washington, DC, on January 8-9, 2016<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-605","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/aroadkillopera.com\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/605","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/aroadkillopera.com\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/aroadkillopera.com\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aroadkillopera.com\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aroadkillopera.com\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=605"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/aroadkillopera.com\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/605\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":614,"href":"https:\/\/aroadkillopera.com\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/605\/revisions\/614"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/aroadkillopera.com\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=605"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aroadkillopera.com\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=605"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aroadkillopera.com\/test\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=605"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}