World premiere performances of The Refuge – a new work at the heart of Houston Grand Opera's Song of Houston project – will be presented on November 10, 2007 at the Wortham Theater Center.
With music by Prix de Rome–winning composer Christopher Theofanidis and libretto by poet Leah Lax, both native Houstonians, The Refuge tells the stories of extraordinary journeys by people from Houston's African, Central American, Indian, Mexican, Pakistani, Soviet-era Jewish and Vietnamese communities. Created to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Wortham Theater Center, The Refuge celebrates all those who have chosen to call the city of Houston their home.
The work will be performed by soloists from the Houston Grand Opera Studio including sopranos Albina Shagimuratova and Rebekah Camm, mezzo–sopranos Faith Sherman and Jamie Barton, tenor Beau Gibson, baritone Liam Bonner and bass-baritone Ryan McKinny, as well as the Chorus, Children's Chorus and Orchestra of Houston Grand Opera, united onstage with local performers from the participant communities. These include the Mukule Family vocal ensemble, dan bau player Julie Trinh Dang, sitar player Chandrakantha Courtney, tabla player David Courtney and bayan player Vadim Angerov. Houston Grand Opera Music Director Patrick Summers conducts; Elise Sandell is the stage director, and Richard Bado is the Chorus master.
There are two performances at the Wortham Center on November 10, at 2 PM and 7:30 PM. Tickets for the evening performance start at $15. The free afternoon performance for community and school audiences has already sold out.
"The Refuge is an extraordinary portrait in words and music not only of Houston, but of contemporary America," said Houston Grand Opera General Director Anthony Freud. "It's a universal subject – the story of a handful of individuals and their extraordinary experiences, how they came to Houston in very different ways, under very different circumstances and with very different consequences. It's a grand celebration of a city that derives its richness from the diversity of its inhabitants, and it is also a celebration of the 20th anniversary of the opening of our home, the Wortham Theater Center."
The Refuge was commissioned by Houston Grand Opera under the auspices of Song of Houston, the lead project for Houston Grand Opera, a unique initiative designed to connect a great opera company to its community through collaboration. Poet Leah Lax, a graduate of the University of Houston's acclaimed writing program, interviewed hundreds of people to gather their stories of coming to Houston. She noted, "We were as moved by the humor as the drama. Someone would be telling us a story of very, very extreme circumstances, and yet they could laugh. You could see the joy in them–the joy of having survived, the joy of having come to a safe place. It was also a joy of having integrated their past into their present."
From these telephone and personal interviews, Lax created poetic fragments that together formed the basis for the libretto. The number of stories in each movement of The Refuge varies from community to community but all capture the full range of emotion and experience inherent in these epic journeys.
Theofanidis provided the opportunity for significant community involvement by integrating instruments, vocal styles and musical material from each culture in his score. "The scope of the piece is large," he noted, "but the involvement of so many different communities, each having a distinct and very strong musical tradition of its own, offers the chance for moments of real connection and intimacy in the musical storytelling." His score calls for a bayan (a Russian accordion-like instrument), tabla and sitar (percussion and stringed instruments from India and Pakistan) as well as vocal traditions from Latin America, Pakistan and Africa, and a dan bau (a stringed instrument from Vietnam).
The process was documented by local photographer Janice Rubin, whose photos will serve as a visual backdrop for the performances.
Houston Grand Opera Music Director Patrick Summers noted, "With the exception of Native Americans, everyone in the United States is an immigrant, or our ancestors were. So often, the issue of immigration in this country is talked about in terms of 'them' and 'us.' This piece explores the meaning of home without drawing those distinctions."
In the weeks leading up the world premiere of The Refuge, a number of Song of Houston events will be held in various local venues, including the Jewish Community Center, Lawndale Art Center, the Russian Cultural Center, Talento Bilingüe de Houston and others. -- www.houstongrandopera.org
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