Songstresses from the Edge are singers, composers, & instrumentalists who are performing original art songs by themselves as well as premieres by leading New York composers. Spearheaded by cellist, composer and vocalist Jody Redhage, their next venture is this coming Saturday, Aug. 29 at 8:00 at the First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn.

Jody will be playing a solo set of new compositions she’s commissioned for voice, cello & electronics, including:

• Christian Carey- “Song” and “Otherwise” (words Jane Kenyon)
• Lainie Fefferman- “Slash Plus” for voice, cello, & clarinet
• Daniel Felsenfeld- “From Sleepless Nights” (words Elizabeth Hardwick)
• Missy Mazzoli- “A Thousand Tongues” (words Stephen Crane)
• Molly Thompson- “Rhapsody’ (words Cynthia Huntington)

Also on the program is a set of original duo compositions by Daisy Press & Jody (duos for voices, cello & electronics), sets by Molly Thompson and Kamala Sankaram, and a guest appearance by clarinetist Eileen Mack.

Saturday, Aug. 29, 2009
8:00 pm
First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn
124 Henry Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201
www.fpcbrooklyn.org
2/3 to Clark St. is the closest train

$10

With performers Jody Redhage, Daisy Press, Molly Thompson, Kamala Sankaram & Eileen Mack

Music by Redhage, Press, Thompson, Sankaram, Christian Carey, Lainie Fefferman, Daniel Felsenfeld, & Missy Mazzoli.

From the first moment of the arresting vocals by Christine Correa on pianist/composer Frank Carlberg‘s opening track “We get crazy” from The American Dream, his newest CD release, you know you’re in for something unusual, energetic, quirky yet… deep.

One of Carlberg’s signature talents is masterfully setting poetry to music. Richard Kamins of the Hartford Courant found that Carlberg did “…a masterful job blending the music and words, the results sounding so organic. The melodies wrap around the words with ease and the solos never seem obligatory. His music is melodic, challenging, intelligent, and fiercely original. Many projects that attempt to blend poetry with creative music sound stilted but, over his career, Carlberg has proven that one can take these two art forms and make something quite special.”

Frank’s just been touring in Europe and Maine and is back in Brooklyn for an appearance of The Frank Carlberg Quintet (Frank Carlberg, Mike Formanek, Devin Grey Trio) on August 1st at 8:00 PM at the Douglass Street Music Collective, 295 Douglass St., in Brooklyn.

Read more about Frank here – bio PDF and check out some of his great press here – press PDF.

Chicago-based soprano Michelle Areyzaga is a revelation – pure beautiful tone, lovely stage presence, wonderful acting and just a pleasure to behold and to be around. She was my “muse” when I was in Chicago and she starred in three summer operas that I produced in 2002, 2003, and 2006.

Two performances remain of Donizetti’s Elixir of Love at DuPage opera on July 24 and 26. Michelle recently wrote: “I’m currently in rehearsals for a really great production of Elixir of Love at DuPage Opera Theatre. This is romantic comedy paired with glorious music. My leading man is John Sumners whom you may remember as my Rodolfo in La Boheme a couple of summers ago. And Michael La Tour (my favorite!) is directing. we are really enjoying our work and I think you will love the finished product! I hope you will join me if you can.”