Transtromer as opera: Sweden/USA collaboration

Dear Friends,

We are excited to tell you that New Music USA has just given our project, Tranströmer as opera, a grant for the upcoming performance at the Gateway Playhouse in January, 2017.
And THANK YOU for your ongoing support, it has helped us design the set, costumes, video and lighting and it has kept the energy flowing.

In November of this year, composer Ellen Lindquist is being honored with a concert by Trondheim Sinfonietta in Norway. Kathleen Flynn, Soprano and I have been invited to sing two of the numbers from 

drömseminarium/dream seminar - Flygblad (Leaflet) and Romanska Bågar (Romanesque Arches). We are excited to make some new artistic connections in Norway and to have an opportunity to sing these two pieces in preparation for January at the Gateway. I’ve included the sketches from set designer Henny Linn Kjellberg for these two songs.

We are depending on your continued support to make the performances in January a reality.

I close with one of Tranströmer's poems which inspires us and the process of our work.

Det gör ont att gå genom väggar, man blir sjuk av det men det är nödvändigt.
Världen är en. Men väggar…
Och väggen är en del av dig själv-
man vet det eller vet det inte men det är så för alla utom för små barn.
För dem ingen vägg.
-- Tomas Tranströmer, Vermeer

It hurts to walk through walls, you get sick of it but it is necessary.
The world is one. But the walls ...
And the wall is a part of you yourself -
whether you know it or not, it is so for everyone except small children.
For them, no wall. "

May we all continue to break through walls like children!

Happy spring,

Michael

Dear Donors, 

We have had a wonderful year and we are looking forward to what comes this year for dream seminar/drömseminarium.  As reported in October we are including a filmmaker for the documentation of the process which created this piece and which continues to inform it's life and fulfillment of its potential. We are currently scheduling artists for the January 2017 completion of this project.

The picture in today's report is from one of our development workshops at Västerås Concert house in 2009. 

We hope you will continue your support of this project as we reach the final stages. 

Thank you for your support, certainly could not do this without that support.