Thanks for dropping in to the continuous arts salon
featuring Gertrude Stein and the opera

This new music opera is a collaboration between poet Karren LaLonde Alenier and composer William Banfield. Nancy Rhodes of Encompass New Opera Theatre is the artistic director. Here is what has happened so far:

June 15-18, 2005 Encompass New Opera Theatre presented the world premiere of Gertrude Stein Invents A Jump Early On at Symphony Space Thalia Theatre.
   
June 17, 2005 Gertrude Stein Invents A Jump Early On reviewed by Anthony Tommasini of the New York Times.
   
May 17 & 19, 2005 Excerpts from Gertrude Stein Invents A Jump Early On were presented in a 4 company production entitled "On the Edge" at the Leonard
Nimoy Thalia Theatre at Symphony Space. Pacifica Radio host Janet Coleman interviewed Karren Alenier & Bill Banfield on stage as intro to the Encompass New Opera Theatre performance.
   
March 15, 2005 Alenier, Banfield and Encompass New Opera Theatre mentioned in an article on Gertrude Stein that appeared in the New York Times.
   
March 12, 2005 Tickets went on sale at symphonyspace.org for world premiere of Gertrude Stein Invents A Jump Early On.
   
March 6, 2005 Second performance of music excerpts from Gertrude Stein Invents A Jump Early On at the Manhattan School of Music occurred during
Opera Indexes' New American Opera Previews. Radio impresario Midge Woolsey
moderated the panel discussion that included Nancy Rhodes and singers Eve Gigliotti as Gertrude Stein, Rosalie Sullivan as Alice B. Toklas.
   
Oct. 2004 William Banfield completes orchestration.
   
Jan. 2004 A Washington Opera scout for new operas views the workshop video and expresses favorable interest.
   
Dec. 2003 Gertrude Stein Invents A Jump Early On listed in Sarah Bay-Cheng's Mama Dada: Gertrude Stein's Avant-Garde Theater
   
June 6-7, 2003 Encompass New Opera Theatre produces first entire read-through of all music and text.
   
March 1, 2003
Karren Alenier's monthly opera column begins on scene4.com
 
July 29, 2002
Selected music presented from all three acts at The Cultural Project in the Women Center Stage arts festival In New York City.
 
March 2002
First New York City performance of music from Gertrude Stein Invents A Jump Early On occurred during the National Opera Association and Opera Indexes' New American Opera Previews at the Manhattan School of Music. Media personality Midge Woolsey moderated the panel discussion that featured three composers and three librettists, including William Banfield and Karren Alenier.
 
January 2002
William Banfield provided completed piano and voice score to The Word Works.
 
August 2001
William Banfield provided Karren Alenier with first draft of printed voice and piano score for Acts I, II, and III.
 
 
July 27, 2001
Music critic Joseph McLellan's feature on the July 12 Stein opera workshop was posted to www.redludwig.com.
 
 
July 12, 2001
First public performance of music from Gertrude Stein Invents A Jump Early On occurred during an opera workshop in Chevy Chase, Maryland. Workshop included a panel discussion with Karren Alenier, William Banfield, Nancy Rhodes, and moderator Grace Cavalieri.
 
February 2001
William Banfield provided Karren Alenier and Nancy Rhodes with printed scores of Act I.
 
January 25, 2001
William Banfield, aided by Encompass pianist Peter Freisinger, presented music from Act I of Gertrude Stein Invents A Jump Early On to Karren Alenier and Nancy Rhodes.
 
November 18, 2000
William Banfield sent sample music from Act I of Gertrude Stein Invents A Jump Early On in handwritten scores to Karren Alenier and Nancy Rhodes.
 
October 13, 2000
Public notice of Gertrude Stein Invents A Jump Early On published in the October 2000 Stagebill of Lincoln Center.
 
August 12, 2000
Karren Alenier presented the rewrite of Act III to William Banfield and Nancy Rhodes in NYC.
 
July 6, 2000
Karren Alenier, William Banfield and Nancy Rhodes met in NYC to discuss Acts II and III of the opera. Karren agreed to rewrite Act III.
 
June 17, 2000
Commission agreement signed by Encompass Director Nancy Rhodes, composer William Banfield and writer Karren Alenier in NYC. Rhodes, Banfield and Alenier discussed Act I and initiated strategy planning for the opera.
 
June 15, 2000
www.steinopera.com debuted the web design work of Randy Morgan, Studio IX.
   

June 14, 2000

Commission agreement signed by The Word Works Treasurer Michael Davis. more-->

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