New Mexico Performing Arts Society
conducted by Franz Vote

2020 Addison Street / Berkeley, CA 94704 / (510) 644-2020

La Llorona (concert excerpts of the opera)

Canticum Novum, Santa Fe, NM

Deborah Domanski, mezzo
Javier Gonzalez, tenor
April 27-28, 2013

Malinche's Aria / Captain's Aria

Production Photo 1 / Production Photo 2 / Production Photo 3 / Production Photo 4 / Production Photo 5

Too Much Coffee Man Opera: The Refill (complete two-act version)
April 4-20, 2008, Portland Center for the Performing Arts, Portland, OR.

Fanfare Overture: Red or Green?
commissioned by the New Mexico Symphony Orchestra
to celebrate its 75th anniversary. Popejoy Hall, Albuquerque, September 14-16, 2007

Too Much Coffee Man Opera was performed in concert for five performances at the Horton Grand Theatre (444 4th Ave, San Diego, CA) on July 27th and July 28, 2007. Three performances were free for attendees of Comic-Con 2007 while the remaining two performances were open to the public.

Too Much Coffee Man Opera Premiere -- 2006 Brunish Hall, Portland Center for the Performing Arts, September 22-30. Run was extended through October 7, 2006. Based on the comic strip character by Shannon Wheeler
Article: The Opera (Arrant)
Review: Fun 'Coffee Man' brews up some laughs
Production Photo 1 / Production Photo 2

Designing a Virtual Reality for a Landscape that Never Was
A work for Bassoon and Orchestra recorded by the Kiev Philharmonic for inclusion in the CD series, Masterworks of the New Era, released by ERMMedia (distributed by Naxos). Available in October.

Jerry Hadley

NATIONAL BROADCAST OF "THE SONG & THE SLOGAN"
During the summer of 2004 "The Song & the Slogan" video was broadcast on the PBS network. October 18, 2003
EMMY AWARDED FOR BEST MUSIC

The Song & the Slogan, a setting of poetry by Carl Sandburg, which was subsequently made into a PBS video, has been awarded the Emmy for Best Music from the Mid-America Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. The video was also nominated for in three other categories, Best Direction, Best Photography, and Best Editing.

The premiere of the PBS video The Song & the Slogan, featuring the composer's setting of poetry by Carl Sandburg performed and commissioned by Jerry Hadley, took place on January 27, 2002 in the Tryon Festival Theatre in the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of the University of Illinois. The program was hosted by David Hartman, former host of ABC's Good Morning America. Tenor Jerry Hadley and the composer were in attendance.

The film features the 33-minute work for tenor, piano, cello and small ensemble, The Song & the Slogan, which was premiered in 2000. It explores the prairie as a living entity, constantly changing yet unwilling to be tamed. Producer Tim Hartin melds lush prairie visuals, Sandburg's poetry and Crafts' music into a moving tribute to Carl Sandburg. Read more about the making of the video.

April 8, 2003, San Francisco State University A concert of excerpts from the new opera La Llorona, with a libretto and original story by acclaimed novelist Rudolfo Anaya.

Mezzo-soprano Deborah Benedict singing the roles of Malinche, Motheront>
Soprano Alissa Deeter -- the Spanish princessnt>
Tenor William Gorton -- the Captain
Baritone Jere Torkelson -- Abuelo / the Guard
Pianist Charles Worth.

Prairie Mother Suite for cello and piano (written for Barbara Hedlund). Broadcast Premiere 2002 WILL-FM Radio "Second Sunday" two hour live Broadcast, Krannert Art Museum, Urbana, IL, Barbara Hedlund, Cellist with Eric Dalheim, piano. Recorded on CD.

Live performances

Tarbel Arts Center, Charleston, IL October 3, 2002, 3pm Allerton Park, Monticello, IL 40th Annual UI Conference, with Thomas Schleis, Piano.

May 10, 2002, 7pm Solo Recital Urbana Country Club with Thomas H. Schleis, Piano.

April 26, 2002, noon Springer Cultural Center "Bach's Lunch" Recital Series, Champaign, IL.

March 13, 20, 2002, 12:15PM "Brown Bag Recital Series", First Presbyterian Church of Springfield, (Abraham Lincoln's church), Springfield, Illinois.

Feb 2, 2002, 4:30PM Recital Prairie Village, Rantoul, IL.

October 13th, 2001 - World Premiere of Entrance to the City of Proud Fancy

The Northwest Symphony of Chicago under the baton of maestro Paul Vermel celebrates its 50th anniversary this season. The Orchestra commissioned Daniel Steven Crafts to write an orchestral work commemorating the occasion. DSC wrote "Entrance to the City of Proud Fancy." The work was performed at the opening concert of the 2001-2002 season. Program notes.

February 13th, 2001, San Francisco State University, Music Building Auditorium, 1pm. Soprano Deborah Benedict, and Baritone Jere Torkelson from the San Francisco Opera accompanied by pianist Inara Morgenstern sing a selection of new works by Daniel Steven Crafts including excerpts from The Pig Opera, and the song-cycle Who's Who.

November 14, 2000, The World Premiere of The Song and the Slogan. The Great Hall, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, 8PM featuring:

Jerry Hadley, tenor - three time Grammy Award Winner, star of the New York City Opera, Vienna State Opera, Metropolitan Opera, Milan's Teatro della Scala, London's Royal Opera at Covent Garden, the Deutsche Oper Berlin, the Deutsche Staatsoper, the Paris Opera Bastille, the San Francisco Opera, the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence, and the Salzburg Festival... accompanied by Paul Vermel, Conductor, Eric Dalheim, Piano, Barbara Hedlund, Violoncello, James Scott, Flute, Alison Robuck, Oboe, Solomon Baer, Clarinet, Kazimierz Machala, French horn, Jordan Kaye, Banjo, & Ricardo Flores, Percussion.

David Hartman (former host of ABC's Good Morning America) was the Special Guest narrator/reader for the film and concert. To learn more about the Song and the Slogan read the program notes.