I had a the privilege of ringing in the new year as the featured artist in Boston Baroque’s New Year’s Celebration performance of Vivaldi’s motet Nulla in Mundo Pax Sincera.
Video clips to come!
Portrait of the performance by an audience member.
I am honored to be performing in Lee Mingwei’s performance piece Sonic Blossom at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. Sonic Blossom has been a transformative experience for me: The act of GIVING has become a meditation, and as I move through the gallery I can see in each person the possibility of connection and understanding. Each song performance is as unique as the person receiving the gift of song, and I am grateful to share what feels like a moment of perfection.
I will be performing the following dates/times: Please stop by to receive the gift of song :)
Wednesday, October 16th | 6:15-8:45pm
Saturday, October 19th | 12:15-4:15pm
Wednesday, October 23rd | 12:30-4:100pm
Friday, October 25 | 12:30-4:00pm
Sunday, October 27th | 12:00pm-3:30pm
Thursday, October 31st | 12:30-4:00pm
Thursday, November 7th | 12:00pm -3:30pm
Saturday, November 9th | 12:30-4:00pm
Thursday, November 14th | 12:00pm-3:30pm
Saturday, November 16th | 12:30-4:00pm
Sunday, November 24th | 12:00pm-3:30pm
Wednesday, November 27th | 12:00pm-3:30pm
Saturday, November 30th | 12:00pm-3:30pm
A word from Lee Mingwei:
Sonic Blossom came into existence while I was caring for my mother as she recuperated from surgery recently. We found great comfort in listening to Franz Schubert's Lieder. These songs came as an unexpected gift to us, one that soothed us both and clearly helped with her healing. At another level, seeing my own mother weak and ill made her (and my) mortality suddenly very real; aging, disease and death were no longer abstractions to me, but immediate and present. One day she--and I--will be gone. Like Schubert's Lieder, our own lives are brief, but all the more beautiful because of this.
Last month I had the privilege of being a part of the premiere of a fantastic new opera based on the Spanish play En La Ardiente Oscuridad. The beautiful and haunting music was written by Omar Najmi and Brendon Shapiro and Katy Early teamed up to music and stage direct the piece. It was a fantastic experience and I can’t wait to see where this show goes next.
For the past two weeks I had the privilege of reviving the Center of Contemporary Opera’s production of Louis Andriessen’s Odysseus’ Women + Anais Nin. We rehearsed our show in Amsterdam and opened at the Operadagen festival in Rotterdam. Our next two shows were at Amsterdam’s Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ as a part of Andriessen-fest, celebrating the composer’s 80th birthday. I had the honor of working again with director Jorinde Keesmaat and making new friends with the members of the Nieuw Amsterdams Peil ensemble. From exploring the gorgeous city of Amsterdam to diving into this incredible piece again, this trip was a dream come true.
Our fearless leader, Jorinde Keesmaat
I had an amazing time exploring Amsterdam. Highlights included ALL THE CHEESE, open air markets, stroopwaffles, a canal boat cruise, and living on a house boat!
This news is more personal than professional, but I am just too excited not to share that about a month ago, I welcomed Henry Jones Jr. into my home! He is an adult male ghost motley corn snake and I adopted him from Jabberwock Reptiles in Winchester, MA. Because I’m already totally obsessed with him, you can follow him on his very own instagram account @HenryJonesJrHiss. If you’re an Indiana Jones enthusiast like I am, you may have already connected the dogs, but he is named after the title character who is famously afraid of snakes :) Please follow Henry to keep up with his antics (corn snakes are famously adventurous and sneaky).
I’m thrilled to share my first Opera News review of a lead role. Endless thanks to Daniela Candillari, Dan Visconti, Cerise Jacobs, Nick Netos and the whole Permadeath team!
“As Sonny, soprano Maggie Finnegan had the evening’s most taxing role, both vocally and dramatically… but Finnegan’s clear, poised and defiant soprano executed Visconti’s challenges with panache, winning a good measure of sympathy for her character.”
[Opera News]
Photo: Kathy Wittman
Last weekend I had the honor to premiere Scott Gendel’s new song cycle Grandma’s Kitchen with pianist Dan Overly. I shared the evening with Stephanie Blythe and Alan Louis Smith who premiered Of That So Sweet Imprisonment by Juliana Hall. I was thrilled to have some of my favorite people in the audience, including my amazing mom, my friend Steffanie, my partner Derek and my best friend Rachel. It’s weekends like this that renew my commitment and enthusiasm for the art of Song. I’m going to be glowing from this experience for a long time to come.
Rehearsing with Scott Overly at the DiMenna Center, Cary Hall
