3 Paderewskis by composer Jenni Brandon and playwright Oliver Mayer is performed on Wednesday, November 20, 7:30pm at the Kennedy Center, Terrace Theater, 2700 F Street, NW Washington, DC 20566. 3 Paderewskis, a new opera by Jenni Brandon, explores the life and work of composer and founder of the Polish nation, Ignace Jan Paderewski.
With book by University of Southern California professor and playwright Oliver Mayer and music by award-winning composer Jenni Brandon, this work is commissioned by The Adam Mickiewicz Institute and Co-financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland as part of the multi-annual program NIEPODLEGŁA 2017-2022.
This one act opera (originally a 40-minute version premiered in 2018) looks at three versions of the great Paderewski (one of them female) as they sift through a lifetime of memories far too large for any one person. Ignace the pianist/composer, Jan the visionary statesman, and Paderewski the viticulturist assesses a lifetime of love and loss, exile, war and wine. But when the ghost of Antonina, their long-departed wife, rejoins them, memories become immediate with a vibrancy that sheds light on the depths of their endless love.
Cast and Musicians:
Antonina (Soprano): Katherine Powers
Ignace (Mezzo-Soprano): Maria Dominique Lopez
Jan (Tenor): Todd Strange
Paderewski (Baritone): Steve Pence
SATB Chorus: Ariel Pisturino, Courtney Taylor, Omar Crook, E. Scott Levin
Piano Quartet (Violin, Viola, Cello, Piano): Central4 Piano Quartet
Director: David Bridel
Stage Manger: Seira Murakami
Music Director and Conductor: Jenni Brandon
Producers:
Kosciuszko Foundation
Line Producers: Mark Seldis, Ian Julian-Williams
This presentation is commissioned by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute and presented in collaboration with the Kosciuszko Foundation. Co-financing is provided by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland as part of the multi-annual program NIEPODLEGŁA 2017-2022. This project was originally commissioned in cooperation with the Adam Mickiewicz Institute as part of the international cultural program POLSKA 100 accompanying Poland’s centenary of regaining independence.
Event Partners:
Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Los Angeles
Helen Modjeska Art and Culture Club
