PROVIDENCE, R.I. Oct.12, 2020 — Pianist and composer Judith Lynn Stillman, won first prize in OperaVision’s #OperaHarmony contest, for her groundbreaking short opera, Essential Business, produced remotely while in COVID-19 lockdown.
The competition was a global initiative to join creatives from around the world to rethink opera in the pandemic era, highlighting themes of connection and community. OperaVision is the online platform for Opera Europa, representing major opera companies including La Scala and The Bolshoi.
Essential Business is a powerful commentary on spirituality and the need for connection during isolation. Set during the 2020 coronavirus quarantine, Essential Business tells the story of a young pastor, as he wrestles with his faith, family, and the loss of his ministry amid the pandemic. In a moment of crisis, he reaches out to God via a Zoom call, for a modern-day confessional.
Stillman composed and performed the score and served as filmmaker/producer. The music incorporates operatic, gospel, blues, and musical theatre influences, around the story themes of religion, race and culture, the social impact of the virus, and creating music in isolation.
“For me, Essential Business captures a microcosm of the societal lockdown dilemma,” said Stillman. “Humans crave connection. Being in isolation can be devastating. To what extent do we take risks to mitigate these challenges? Is there a way to reconcile both faith and science when there can be life and death consequences?”
Stillman teamed up with Metropolitan Opera baritone, Will Liverman, who performed the role of the pastor, and U.K. artists Anna Pool and Elayce Ismail, to write the libretto and produce the 10-minute piece.
Earlier this year, Liverman was the first Black artist to play the role of Papageno in The Magic Flute at the Metropolitan Opera. He will be a lead in the premiere of the first opera by a Black composer to be produced at the Met in 2021.
The award continues a streak of accolades for Stillman, a Juilliard trained performer, composer, filmmaker, and Rhode Island College’s artist-in-residence, whose compositions – even during COVID quarantine – have received awards from Hollywood to Cannes.
April in Paris with Poulenc: Judith Lynn Stillman and Friends from the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra
Monday, April 22, 2019, 1p
Sapinsley Hall, Rhode Island College
Admission is free with a suggested donation of $10
and tickets are available at the door
Saturday, April 27, 2019, 8p RI Philharmonic’s Carter Center for Music Performance & Education
667 Waterman Ave.
East Providence, RI Judith Lynn Stillman, artistic director, and pianist Curt Columbus, Francis Poulenc
RI Philharmonic Orchestra members: Rachel Braude, flute Denise Plaza-Martin, oboe Ian Greitzer, clarinet Kevin Owen, French horn Ronald Haroutunian, bassoonPoulenc: Trio for Piano, Oboe, and Bassoon
Poulenc: Sonata for Flute and Piano
Poulenc: Sextet for Piano and Wind QuintetTickets are $25 for adults, $15 for students 18 and under or with a college ID, $10 for RI Philharmonic Music School students and family members. Tickets can be purchased online at tickets.riphil.org, in person from the RI Philharmonic Orchestra Box Office in East Providence, or by phone 401.248.7000 Mon-Fri, 9a-4:30p Day of concert tickets will be available at the Carter Center starting at 7p Questions and for information email, boxoffice@riphil.org
Judith Lynn Stillman,
Five members of the RI Philharmonic Orchestra, and Trinity Rep’s Curt Columbus team up for April in Paris with Poulenc, April 27
Trinity Rep’s Curt Columbus is featured in Stillman’s new play-within-a-concert
East Providence, RI–The Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra & Music School hosts April in Paris with Poulenc: Judith Lynn Stillman and Friends from the Rhode Island Philharmonic Orchestra with a special appearance by Trinity Repertory Company’s Curt Columbus. Pianist Stillman and Columbus perform with Orchestra members Rachel Braude, flute, Denise Plaza-Martin, oboe, Ian Greitzer, clarinet, Kevin Owen, French horn, Ronald Haroutunian, bassoon.
Together they present the premiere of Stillman’s play-within-a-concert, April in Paris with Poulenc, in which Curt Columbus is featured in the role of French composer and pianist Francis Poulenc (1899–1963). His portrayal is interlaced with the performance of three of Poulenc’s masterworks. The event is at 8 p.m. on Saturday (April 27) at the Carter Center for Music Education & Performance, 667 Waterman Ave., East Providence. (On Monday, April 22, at 1 p.m., an abridged version will be performed at Sapinsley Hall, Rhode Island College.)
“Francis Poulenc epitomizes French culture and the Parisian arts scene, from the literary café to the music hall. With Curt Columbus brilliantly inhabiting the persona of Poulenc, the composer’s extraordinary and oftentimes divergent qualities are brought to life. An eccentric, erudite, witty and colorful character, he was paradoxically both religious and risqué, saucy and serious, sublime and silly,” Stillman noted. “It’s been said that there’s a little bit of Poulenc in each of us.”
About Judith Lynn Stillman, pianist, composer and filmmaker: Judith Lynn Stillman has been hailed as an “artistic visionary,” is the Artist-in-Residence and a Professor of Music at Rhode Island College. She has performed throughout the world, at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Marlboro, Tanglewood, Grand Teton Festival and at the Grammy’s celebration in honor of Rostropovich. She has appeared with Wynton Marsalis, Borromeo, Shanghai, Muir, Cassatt and Lydian string quartets, the Beach Boys, in a BOSE commercial with Herbie Hancock, as visiting guest artist at major conservatories in China, Russia and the Czech Republic, and as music director in Rome and Verona, Italy. Winner of 18 piano competitions, the first Pell Award in the Arts, and the Christiana Carteaux Bannister Award for Civil Service in the Arts, Stillman holds bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from The Juilliard School, where she won the Juilliard concerto competition and the Dethier Prize for Outstanding Pianist. Stillman, as filmmaker-composer-pianist, has garnered awards including Grand Jury Prize: Best Music Video, Best Multimedia Film, Best Music Score and Audience Choice in international film festivals in Los Angeles, Montréal, New York and the United Kingdom. Her iconic duo recording with Wynton Marsalis on Sony Classical was on the Top Ten of the Billboard charts: “Stillman and Marsalis make an impeccable duo. The playing consistently dazzles.”
About Curt Columbus, Artistic Director, Trinity Repertory Company. In January 2006, Curt Columbus became Trinity Repertory Company’s fifth artistic director. He is also the artistic director of the Brown/Trinity MFA programs in acting and directing.
TICKETS ON SALE for the 26th ANNUAL MARDI GRAS BALL
at Rhodes on the Pawtuxet
Lagniappe Productions, creators of the annual Labor Day weekend Rhythm & Roots Festival in Charlestown, R.I., are bringing their well-loved brand of great music, food, dancing and fun to the 26th annual Louisiana Mardi Gras celebration.
Southern New England’s popular Mardi Gras Ball is set for 6:30 p.m. to midnight, Saturday, Feb. 10, at Rhodes on the Pawtuxet in Cranston, R.I. Doors open at 6 p.m. in anticipation of Grammy-winning Cajun band Beausoleil avec Michael Doucet, international performers Nathan & the Zydeco Cha Chas, and New Orleans blues from Rhode Island’s own Knickerbocker All-Stars.
Cajun and Creole cuisine is offered by the renowned Chili Brothers Food Company – arguably the most popular food vendor at the Rhythm & Roots Festival every year, serving up their world-famous, Louisiana-inspired cuisine.
The ball also features a costume contest with cash prizes in a variety of categories including best group, best couple, best individual and a grand prize of $250 for best overall costume.
Tickets are $30 in advance or $40 at the door. Reserve a table for 10 (in advance only) for $325. Tables sell out fast. Tickets may be purchased at http://www.rhythmandroots.com/mardi-gras-ball or by calling 401.783.3926.
Lodging is available at the Rodeway Inn, 1940 Post Road, Warwick. Rooms are $79 per night. Call 401.732.0470 and ask for the Mardi Gras rate.
The event will benefit VSA Arts RI, the nonprofit organization that opens the world of art to children and adults with disabilities.
About the Bands
Lafayette, LA-based Beausoleil avec Michael Doucet has been one of the most esteemed Cajun groups in music since forming in 1975. BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet take the rich Cajun traditions of Louisiana and artfully blend elements of zydeco, New Orleans jazz, Tex-Mex, country, blues and more. From The Grand Ole Opry to Newport Folk, from concert hall to dance floor, the music of BeauSoleil captivates audiences the world over. Michael Doucet sings and plays violin, guitar, accordion and mandolin.
Accordion master Nathan Williams, of Nathan and the Zydeco Cha Chas, was mentored by one of the greats, Buckwheat Zydeco. He has been inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame and has been honored with the Zydeco Music Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Formed in 1985, the band has brought its unique take on regional South Louisiana music around the world. Dennis Paul Williams, Nathan’s brother, brings his jazz-influenced guitar to the band.
The Knickerbocker All-Stars is made up of legends of the blues community who have found their home at the Knickerbocker, the historic venue in Westerly, R.I., that gave rise to Roomful of Blues, which launched the blues revival in the 1970s. Musicians in the All-Stars have included Jimmie Vaughan, Duke Robillard, Al Copley, Monster Mike Welch, Ricky Russell, Willie J Laws, Brian Templeton, Sugaray Rayford, Rich Lataille and more. For the Mardi Gras Ball, The All-Stars will be showcasing a set of New Orleans music classics with a special tribute to recently passed Fats Domino.
Tickets on Sale for the 26th Mardi Gras Ball at Rhodes on the Pawtuxet
Lagniappe Productions, creators of the annual Labor Day weekend Rhythm & Roots Festival in Charlestown, R.I., are bringing their well-loved brand of great music, food, dancing and fun to the 26th annual Louisiana Mardi Gras celebration.
Southern New England’s popular Mardi Gras Ball is set for 6:30 p.m. to midnight, Saturday, Feb. 10, at Rhodes on the Pawtuxet in Cranston, R.I. Doors open at 6 p.m. in anticipation of Grammy-winning Cajun band Beausoleil avec Michael Doucet, international performers Nathan & the Zydeco Cha Chas, and New Orleans blues from Rhode Island’s own Knickerbocker All-Stars.
Cajun and Creole cuisine is offered by the renowned Chili Brothers Food Company – arguably the most popular food vendor at the Rhythm & Roots Festival every year, serving up their world-famous, Louisiana-inspired cuisine.
The ball also features a costume contest with cash prizes in a variety of categories including best group, best couple, best individual and a grand prize of $250 for best overall costume.
Tickets are $30 in advance or $40 at the door. Reserve a table for 10 (in advance only) for $325. Tables sell out fast. Tickets may be purchased at here: http://bit.ly/26thMardiGrasBall or by calling 401.783.3926.
Lodging is available at the Rodeway Inn, 1940 Post Road, Warwick. Rooms are $79 per night. Call 401.732.0470 and ask for the Mardi Gras rate.
The event will benefit VSA Arts RI, the nonprofit organization that opens the world of art to children and adults with disabilities.
About the Bands
Lafayette, La.-based Beausoleil avec Michael Doucet has been one of the most esteemed Cajun groups in music since forming in 1975. BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet take the rich Cajun traditions of Louisiana and artfully blend elements of zydeco, New Orleans jazz, Tex-Mex, country, blues and more. From The Grand Ole Opry to Newport Folk, from concert hall to dance floor, the music of BeauSoleil captivates audiences the world over. Michael Doucet sings and plays violin, guitar, accordion and mandolin.
Accordion master Nathan Williams, of Nathan and the Zydeco Cha Chas, was mentored by one of the greats, Buckwheat Zydeco. He has been inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame and has been honored with the Zydeco Music Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award. Formed in 1985, the band has brought its unique take on regional South Louisiana music around the world. Dennis Paul Williams, Nathan’s brother, brings his jazz-influenced guitar to the band.
The Knickerbocker All-Stars is made up of legends of the blues community who have found their home at the Knickerbocker, the historic venue in Westerly, R.I., that gave rise to Roomful of Blues, which launched the blues revival in the 1970s. Musicians in the All-Stars have included Jimmie Vaughan, Duke Robillard, Al Copley, Monster Mike Welch, Ricky Russell, Willie J Laws, Brian Templeton, Sugaray Rayford, Rich Lataille and more. For the Mardi Gras Ball, The All-Stars will be showcasing a set of New Orleans music classics with a special tribute to recently passed Fats Domino.
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????2017????
Lagniappe Productions regrets to announce that Corey Ledet and his Zydeco Band will not be performing at the 25th Annual Mardi Gras Ball happening on this coming Saturday, February 25 at Rhodes on the Pawtuxet. Corey has sent us the following announcement: “Due to an unforeseen personal family issue, I and my band will be unable to perform at the Mardi Gras Ball this year. I am very sorry to disappoint all of my fans but I need to stick close to home for the time being until matters have been resolved. I do hope to see you all in the near future though.” As a result, we have adjusted the schedule accordingly to have a full night of great music. Both Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys and Roddie Romero & the Hub City All Stars have agreed to each play extended sets with plenty of Zydeco tunes included in their set lists. Be prepared for a lot of interplay between the two bands and an extended jam at the end of the evening. The Hot Tamale Brass Band will kick off the evening’s festivities with a raucous set of high energy New Orleans Mardi Gras music. The evening’s schedule will be as follows:
6:15 – 7:15 Hot Tamale Brass Band
7:15 – 7:30 Costume Judging Parade
7:30 – 9:30 Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys
9:30 – 9:45 Awarding of Costume Prizes & VSA Raffles
9:45 – 12:00 Roddie Romero & theHub City All Stars
Online ticket sales will end at 5:00pm on Friday, February 24th at www.rhythmandroots.com . Tickets are $30 in advance, $40 at the door and a limited number of reserved tables of ten are still available for $325. Cajun and Creole food will be for sale from the beloved Chili Brothers and the bars will be serving when the doors open at 6:00pm. This is a costume optional Ball with prizes awarded to the winning singles, couples and groups. Lodging is still available at the Comfort Inn, 1940 Post Road in Warwick RI for $79 per room per night. Call today and ask for the Mardi Gras rate at 401-732-0470. See y’all on Saturday night!
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Lagniappe Productions, producers of the annual Labor Day weekend Rhythm & Roots Festival in Charlestown, RI, bring back their authentic Louisiana Mardi Gras celebration held annually in southern New England. The Cajun & Zydeco Mardi Gras Ball returns for its 25th year at Rhodes on the Pawtuxet on Saturday, February 25, 2017 from 6:30 pm to midnight. Featured bands include Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys, Roddie Romero and the Hub City All Stars, and Corey Ledet and His Zydeco Band.
EVENT INFO:
Cajun & Zydeco Mardi Gras Ball, Saturday, February 25, 2017
Rhodes on-the-Pawtuxet, 60 Rhodes Pl, Cranston, RI 02905
6:30 pm – midnight
Info: Mardi Gras Info or (401) 783-3926
Featuring: Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys
Roddie Romero and the Hub City All Stars
Corey Ledet and His Zydeco Band
Hot Tamale Brass Band
Tickets: $30 Advance/$40 Door; Table of Ten: $325 (Advance only)
May be purchased online here or Call (401) 783-3926
Lodging available at the Comfort Inn, 1940 Old Post Road, Warwick RI 02886
Rooms are $79 per night. Ask for the Mardi Gras rate.
The ball features a costume contest with cash prizes in a variety of categories including best group, best couple, best individual and a Grand Prize of $250 for best overall costume. There will be a cash bar and Cajun & Creole cuisine by Rhode Island’s renowned Chili Brothers Food Company – arguably the most popular food vendor at the Rhythm & Roots Festival every year, serving up their world-famous, Louisiana-Inspired Cuisine.
Steve Riley and his Mamou Playboys returns to the Mardi Gras Ball by popular demand to make sweet Cajun music together. For 25 years they have played great Cajun music steeped in the French heritage of southwestern Louisiana and driven by accordion and fiddle. Matching their uncompromising respect for tradition with forward-looking vision Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys have set the standard for modern Cajun music. Their musicianship, songwriting skills, harmony vocals and irresistible grooves mark them as one of the best bands to come out of South Louisiana.
Roddie Romero & the Hub City All Stars are nominated for 2 Grammy Awards in 2017. They have been performing worldwide at the most prestigious festivals and venues for over 20 years. This premier Louisiana band is celebrated not only for their authenticity when performing or recording traditional Cajun and Creole music indigenous to South Louisiana, but also for their original songwriting which stays true to Louisiana inspirations. They are notorious “Louisiana-Roots-Rockers” who put on an energetic show which is bound to make everyone get up and dance!
Grammy- nominated Corey Ledet is a brilliant young accordion player who has learned his craft from studying the Creole Masters like Clifton Chenier, John Delafose, Boozoo Chavis and others. Corey has fused the styles of these masters into creating his own unique style of contemporary Creole & Zydeco music which enables him to please any audience. Backed by a full band, Corey remains true to his roots and earnestly searches for ways to include them in his music. He keeps one foot firmly in the tradition while exploring surrounding influences in order to create the best of both worlds, and is able to infuse old and new styles of Zydeco into his own unique sound.
The Hot Tamale Brass Band takes their audience on an exciting excursion into New Orleans jazz, festive Mardi Gras, funky second line parades, traditional Dixieland jazz and reverent New Orleans jazz funeral traditions. The Hot Tamales jam at local Boston MA clubs, perform as a Mardi Gras band at theme parties and as a second line brass band for all types of parades. The Hot Tamale Brass Band plays Dixieland for people of all ages! The Hot Tamale Brass Band takes their audience on an exciting excursion into New Orleans jazz, festive Mardi Gras, funky second line parades, traditional Dixieland jazz and reverent New Orleans jazz funeral traditions.
or Alan Bernstein at 401-500-1243 or alan@communitystringproject.org
COMMUNITY STRING PROJECT TO OFFER CLASSICAL GUITAR ENSEMBLES THIS FALL
Instruction in Classical Guitar will be added to the Community String Project classes for adult students this Fall. The new program, available to adults 18 and older, consists of a Beginning Classical Guitar Ensemble and an Advanced Ensemble. Students must have their own classical guitar.
The Classical Guitar Program will be taught by Virginia “Vicki” Boyle who has been teaching Classical Guitar at Mt. Hope High School for the past 20 years. Ms. Boyle developed the Guitar Program at Mt. Hope – four years of high school guitar culminating in a classical guitar ensemble. Her award-winning ensembles have performed throughout New England as well as New York, Washington, D.C. and Florida.
Ms. Boyle will be demonstrating the Classical Guitar at CSP’s upcoming String Instrument Playgrounds at 6pm on September 10th at the East Providence Library, 6pm on September 12th at the Portsmouth Library, and at 6:30pm on September 13th at the Barrington Library.
CSP, now in it’s 10th year of bringing affordable and accessible string instrument lessons to the East Bay Community, is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization and a member of The Rhode Island State Council on the Arts.
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2017
For release during the week of September 4th
Contact: Robert Arsenault 396-7395
Have you ever been tempted to pluck a string or four on a Double Bass? Do you fancy yourself whipping out the violin at a family gathering and accompanying the chorus of Christmas carols? Does the sound of a viola in the quiet of a summer backyard or beach send shivers up your heartstrings? Is that irrepressible urge to play the elegant cello still alive in your soul? Come to the first annual “String Instrument Playground” presented by Community String Project and let the music begin!
The event will begin at 6:30 pm on Monday, September 11, 2017 in the Gallery Room at the Barrington Public Library. Adult musicians (participants and instructors) from the Community String Project will give a brief performance/demonstration of their own beloved instrument- violin, viola, cello and bass, and explain their own journey to CSP. Some of these folks took the leap and began with no prior musical experience or note reading ability. Others have rekindled an old relationship with their instrument that began in grade school! Following the demonstrations, the audience is invited to put their own “hands on” each instrument to truly get a feel for how it is unique in shape and sound.
Should your hands, heart and ears fall in love with an instrument that evening, CSP registration materials will be available. Anyone who signs up that evening will receive a one time 15% discount off the cost of a semester fee. The Community String Project offers beginner, intermediate and advanced instruction in a group setting, rents instruments at a nominal fee while supply lasts and offers comprehensive support in the procurement, care and use of stringed instruments. Lessons and rehearsals in each of our four Adult Ensembles begin at the end of September and take place at the First Congregational Church (corner of Bradford and High Streets) in Bristol.
The Community String Project is beginning its 9th year, providing affordable and accessible string instrument lessons to children and adults. View our website at www.communitystringproject.org. For further information, contact Alan Bernstein at 401-500-1243 or alan@communitystringproject.org.
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Interested in learning to play a string instrument? Did you play when you were younger and want to regain and improve your musical skills? The Community String Project provides affordable lessons to more than 135 youngsters and adults in Bristol, RI. This non-profit organization has provided after-school lessons and a Youth Orchestra Program for elementary and middle school students. With CSP, students get the opportunity to become involved in a supportive activity that have increased their self-esteem and engagement. Adults travel from as far away as Kingston and Pascoag to join with others to play music each week. CSP offers weekly beginner lessons and lessons for more experienced musicians.
Learn to play a string instrument in a supportive environment-registration is on September 10. A limited number of instruments are available to rent from CSP. Lessons take place at the First Congregational Church in Bristol, RI beginning the week of September 22nd.
🎉Congratulations Aaliyah Fuentes on graduating at Johnson & Wales University! Wishing all the best as she gets ready to leave Mixed Media and graduate with a degree in Media & Communications!🎉 #gradseason🎓 #springintern2024#mixedmedia... See MoreSee Less
🎉Congratulations Aaliyah Fuentes on graduating at Johnson & Wales University! Wishing all the best as she gets ready to leave Mixed Media and graduate with a degree in Media & Communications!🎉 #Gradseason#Springintern2024#mixedmedia... See MoreSee Less
Wishing #JWU’s 2024 Spring Intern Aaliyah Fuentes all the best as she gets ready to leave Mixed Media and graduate with a degree in Media & Communications! linkedin.com/in/aaliyah-fuentes02
Music industry consultant and publicist Ginny Shea has garnered international exposure for her clients through radio and video promotion, print media, and her vast industry network.
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About Judith Lynn Stillman, pianist, composer and filmmaker: Judith Lynn Stillman has been hailed as an “artistic visionary,” is the Artist-in-Residence and a Professor of Music at Rhode Island College. She has performed throughout the world, at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Marlboro, Tanglewood, Grand Teton Festival and at the Grammy’s celebration in honor of Rostropovich. She has appeared with Wynton Marsalis, Borromeo, Shanghai, Muir, Cassatt and Lydian string quartets, the Beach Boys, in a BOSE commercial with Herbie Hancock, as visiting guest artist at major conservatories in China, Russia and the Czech Republic, and as music director in Rome and Verona, Italy. Winner of 18 piano competitions, the first Pell Award in the Arts, and the Christiana Carteaux Bannister Award for Civil Service in the Arts, Stillman holds bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from The Juilliard School, where she won the Juilliard concerto competition and the Dethier Prize for Outstanding Pianist. Stillman, as filmmaker-composer-pianist, has garnered awards including Grand Jury Prize: Best Music Video, Best Multimedia Film, Best Music Score and Audience Choice in international film festivals in Los Angeles, Montréal, New York and the United Kingdom. Her iconic duo recording with Wynton Marsalis on Sony Classical was on the Top Ten of the Billboard charts: “Stillman and Marsalis make an impeccable duo. The playing consistently dazzles.”
About Curt Columbus, Artistic Director, Trinity Repertory Company. In January 2006, Curt Columbus became Trinity Repertory Company’s fifth artistic director. He is also the artistic director of the Brown/Trinity MFA programs in acting and directing.
For release during the week of September 4th 
Music industry consultant and publicist Ginny Shea has garnered international exposure for her clients through radio and video promotion, print media, and her vast industry network.
