Award-winning dramatic soprano Takesha Meshé Kizart-Thomas to sing Maternità, a new Motherhood-themed recital featuring world premieres by women composers of color
Livestream broadcast on Sunday, March 20 at 3:00 pm Pacific / 6:00 pm Eastern
Anima Mundi Productions, an Oregon-based nonprofit that produces and presents concerts and operatic works that address urgent social themes through new music, proudly presents Maternità, a unique a unique recital featuring dramatic soprano Takesha Meshé Kizart-Thomas with concert pianist Artina McCain. This program explores the theme of motherhood through classical operatic heroines and world premieres by Black, First Nations/Indigenous, and Latina female composers. This mother-oriented program includes works by Puccini, Bellini, Strauss, Verdi, and Wagner alongside newly commissioned world premieres by composers Jasmine Barnes, Regina Harris Baiocchi, Barbara Assiginaak, and Carolina Calvache.
Commissions, co-presenters, and live-stream production
Anima Mundi Productions is the commissioner and lead producer. In addition to the livestream on March 20, the recital will be co-presented by Seattle Opera and Portland State University in collaboration with the Northwest African American Museum and Opera in the Park Portland. The livestream broadcast is produced by Valhalla Media, a Chicago-based film company specializing in opera and operated by Nikolas Wenzel and Alexandra LoBianco.
About the performers
Takesha Meshé Kizart-Thomas made her Metropolitan Opera debut in 2010 and went on to perform leading roles with major companies, including Deutsche Oper Berlin, Oper Frankfurt, Oper Köln, Opera Australia, and Opera North-UK. The New York Times praised her “impressive ease and elegant control,” and Opera Magazine called her “worthy of all superlatives.” She has since won numerous international awards, headlined international recording projects, made appearances with Yo-Yo Ma and Wynton Marsalis, and appeared on HBO, NPR, PBS, and other international broadcasts and documentaries.
Ms. Kizart-Thomas is joined by Artina McCain, a concert pianist who recently made her Wigmore Hall debut in London. Dr. McCain is dedicated to promoting the works of Black and other underrepresented composers and curates Black Composers Concerts for multiple arts organizations and is an American Prize winner for her solo piano recordings of these works. She has won a Gold Global Music Award for her recent album project Heritage.
Tickets are available online at www.HumanityTickets.com
For further inquiries: Please contact executive director Ethan Gans-Morse at 541-778-1211.
Click on the button below to read the article and listen to the interview by JPR Radio Jefferson Exchange with soprano Takesha Meshé Kizart-Thomas, pianist Dr. Artina McCain, and Anima Mundi Productions' Executive Director Ethan Gans-Morse.
