sourdough: Rise Up

Commissioned by Resonance Works
Music and Libretto by Gilda Lyons
Illustrations by Chris Lyons

Everyday life in the spring of COVID-19 is refracted through a graphic-novel lens as three friends—Shazam, Rockstar, and Boss—wrestle with the changing world around them and their place in it. Linked by a shared sourdough starter, these normal-person superheroes consider their fears and the small, ordinary acts of courage that define them. Together, they reach toward hope, celebrating resilience, change, honesty, and the boundless possibility of freshly baked deliciousness.

 
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Episode 4: So Noble a Heart

Tales from a Safe Distance

Streaming In THE IDAGIO Global Concert Hall

 

Cast

Shazam: Joanna Latini
Rockstar: Tess Altiveros
Boss: Brittany Renee

Creative Team

Composer and Librettist: Gilda Lyons
Illustrator: Chris Lyons
Producer/ Music Director: Maria Sensi Sellner
Piano: James Lesniak
Violin: Sandro Leal-Santiesteban
Bass: Jesica Sharp Crewe
Recording Engineer: Kristian Tchetchko

Gilda Lyons

She/Her

Gilda Lyons, composer, vocalist, and visual artist, combines elements of renaissance, neo-baroque, spectral, folk, agitprop Music Theater, and extended vocalism to create works of uncompromising emotional honesty and melodic beauty. A fierce advocate of contemporary music, Lyons has commissioned, premiered, and workshopped new vocal works by dozens of composers. Her works and performances are available on the Clarion, GPR, Naxos, New Dynamic, New Focus, and Roven Records labels. Lyons’ vocal collaboration with Laura Ward (Lyric Fest/Naxos) was described by Opera News as “winning delivery, full of character.” “Gilda Lyons's clear soprano compels admiration” writes David Shengold of Opera, UK of her performance in Hagen’s “Shining Brow” (Buffalo Philharmonic/Falletta/Naxos). Recent recording projects as composer include the release of Lyons’ works by Quince (Motherland); and entelechron (The Folk Tune Project); Lindsey Goodman's tour de force performance of Lyons' Chrysalis (reach through the sky); and Sing for Hope’s release of Lyons' Hold On (An AIDS Quilt Songbook). Lyons currently serves as Co-Chair of the Composition Program at Wintergreen Summer Music Academy and as Assistant Professor of Composition at The Hartt School. She is Artistic and Executive Director of The Phoenix Concerts, New York's "intrepid Upper West Side new-music series" (The New Yorker), and serves on the Board of Advisors of Composers Now, the Steven R. Gerber Trust, and Sparks & Wiry Cries. Lyons served as Composer-in-Residence of Chautauqua Opera in the 2019 season. In 2020, she returns as composition faculty for Connecticut Summerfest. Lyons’ music is published by Schott, E.C. Schirmer, and Burning Sled. www.gildalyons.com

Chris Lyons

He/Him

Growing up with parents who were artists, Chris Lyons was always surrounded by art, music, and “creative magic.” His artistic childhood inspired him to study communication design and illustration at the University of Buffalo, where he graduated with a B.F.A. in Illustration and Design. He gained his first professional experience as an intern for iconic graphic designer Milton Glaser in New York City. From there he launched a career in freelance illustration, working with clients such as The United States Postal Service, Pentagram, Trader Joe's, The Smithsonian, Sports Illustrated, and The New York Times. Chris Lyons is an adjunct professor in the College of Art + Design at the Rochester Institute of Technology. In his spare time, Lyons shovels snow, skates on the Erie Canal, and plays pick-up basketball, which fuels his competitive spirit. He lives in Rochester, NY with his wife Anne and their 2 interesting cats, Indy and Skinny.

Maria Sensi Sellner

She/Her

Conductor Maria Sensi Sellner’s artistry, versatility, and fresh approach to programming are making her an increasingly coveted collaborator and an impresario for the 21st century. Praised as “mightily impressive”, she was the first three-time winner of the American Prize for Opera Conducting and in 2018 was one of six international conductors selected for the Hart Institute for Women Conductors, making her debut with the Dallas Opera. Her programming with Resonance Works has been praised for its “innovative streak” and the “welcome infusion of sophistication and diversity” it brings to Pittsburgh’s cultural landscape. Maria is a cover conductor for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and is Artistic Administrator for the Blackburn Music Academy at Festival Napa Valley. Recent conducting highlights include the world premiere of “I am a Dreamer Who No Longer Dreams” (Sosa) for White Snake Projects, the US premiere of James MacMillan’s Gloria, and numerous regional premieres, including Dvorak’s Rusalka. Maria holds masters degrees in conducting, composition, and mechanical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University.

Joanna Latini

She/Her

Soprano Joanna Latini, a New Jersey native, is quickly making a name for herself for her informed and passionate performances. Opera News hailed Ms. Latini “a generous performer [with] winning personality and a sound both luscious and supple, exuding charm[.]” Her professional experience ranges from Baroque to contemporary new works and musical theatre. In 2018, she was named a National Semi-Finalist in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. The 2019-2020 season brought numerous company and role debuts including her Canadian debut as Musetta in La Boheme with Calgary Opera, her European debut in Corigliano’s The Ghosts of Versailles at the Château de Versailles Spectacles in France, and role debut as Adina in L’Elisir d’amore with Permian Basin Opera. Beginning in the fall of 2020, Ms. Latini will be a First Year Resident Artist with the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia.

Tess Altiveros

She/Her

Hailed by ​Opera News​ for "a ripe, sensual lyric soprano", Tess Altiveros’s work has been described as a “tour de force" by the Pioneer Press and “particularly soulful” by the L.A. Times. Known for her versatility, recent credits span repertoire from the 17th century to the 21st, including ​The Falling and the Rising​ (Seattle Opera),​ Le Nozze di Figaro​ (Kentucky Opera), ​Die Zauberflote ​(Pacific Symphony) ​West Side Story​ (Boulder Philharmonic & Central City Opera), the West Coast tour of Monteverdi’s ​L’Orfeo ​under Maestro Stephen Stubbs (Pacific MusicWorks), ​St Matthew Passion ​(fully staged with the Colorado Symphony), and the world premiere of Muehleisen’s ​Borders ​at Carnegie Hall. Upcoming engagements include ​L’Elisir d’Amore ​(Seattle Opera), ​The Falling and the Rising ​(Opera on the James), ​Mozart C Minor Mass ​(Seattle Pro Musica), ​Wayward Sisters ​(Pacific MusicWorks), and ​Rodas Recordada (Music of Remembrance).​ A​ native Seattleite, Ms. Altiveros has been a regular anthem singer for the Seattle Mariners for over a decade.

Sandro Leal-Santiesteban

He/Him

Cuban-born violinist Sandro Leal-Santiesteban made his professional debut at age thirteen as a member of the Grand Theatre of Havana’s Orchestra, conducted by his mother Lourdes Santiesteban. An alumnus of the Sphinx Competition, Sandro has toured numerous U.S. cities with the Sphinx Virtuosi, including Carnegie Hall in New York City. He is a two-time winner of the Pittsburgh Concert Society: both as soloist, and as a member of the Beo String Quartet. During his time in Beo, Sandro participated in residencies, recording projects, and performances including the Dakota Chamber Music, Virginia Tech University, the Charleston Ballet in WV, the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, the Charlotte New Music Festival, and the Franz Schubert and Modern Music festival in Graz, Austria. Sandro has worked with such conductors and artists as Claudio Abbado, Kent Nagano, Josh Groban, Evanescence, and Bruce Springsteen. He currently holds the concertmaster position for the Resonance Works | Pittsburgh Chamber Orchestra and the associate concertmaster position in the Erie Philharmonic.

James Lesniak

He/Him

A native of Kenosha, Wisconsin, James Lesniak joined the Pittsburgh Opera music staff in 2006. He has served on the coaching staff of the Brevard Music Center, Glimmerglass Opera, Washington National Opera at the Kennedy Center, and the National Symphony, and has been an official pianist for the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions. He made his conducting debut in 2017 with Pittsburgh Opera’s production of Laura Kaminsky’s As One and more recently conducted their production of Tom Cipullo’s Glory Denied. For the summer months, he frequently returns to the music staff of the Santa Fe Opera, where he has served as Musical Director for their Winter Concert Tour and was on the music staff for the Grammy Award winning production of The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs. He received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at Indiana University, and was an apprentice with the Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program at Washington National Opera for two seasons.

Brittany Renee

She/Her

Hailed by the South Florida Classical for her “luminous tones” and “lush voice,” Metropolitan Opera soprano Brittany Renee amazes audiences with her finesse and shimmering stage presence. This past season Brittany traveled to Turin, Italy to reprise the role of Bess in Gershwin’s Porgy & Bess at the Teatro Regio Torino and at the Magnetic Opera Festival in Elba, Italy. She was also honored to join the 2019-2020 season as a company member/featured soloist at The Metropolitan Opera in their historic production of Porgy & Bess. She returned to Opera Orlando to debut the role of the Countess in Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, and to Lincoln Center at David Geffen Hall in New York City as the Soprano soloist in Handel’s Messiah. Her international debuts have included performances at the Semperoper Dresden, the Deutsches Theater München, The Charles Bronfman Auditorium in Tel Aviv, Israel, the Teatro Petruzzelli in Bari, Italy, and Opera on the Avalon in Canada.

Jesica Sharp CreweShe/HerJesica Sharp Crewe plays with the Sarasota Opera Orchestra, West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra, and she has enjoyed playing with Resonance Works Pittsburgh since 2014. She traveled from her hom…

Jesica Sharp Crewe

She/Her

Jesica Sharp Crewe plays with the Sarasota Opera Orchestra, West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra, and she has enjoyed playing with Resonance Works Pittsburgh since 2014. She traveled from her hometown of Sebastopol, CA to New York for an undergraduate degree at Juilliard, and then to Pittsburgh to get her master’s degree and performance residency certificate from Carnegie Mellon University. She started her musical studies on flute at the age of 8 and then took up bass at the age of 13. Many people have spontaneously asked her the same question when they see her transporting her bass: “Don’t you wish you played the flute?” She doesn’t. Though sometimes she wishes she played the viola. This September, she began a three-year training course to become a teacher in the Alexander Technique.