Organization

Pianist

Yinjia Lin

cello

Julia Kost

Singer

Kristin Renee Young

Carol

Abby Powell

Julia

David Guzman

Pedro

Jeremy Brauner

Aruanan

Martin Bakari

Andrew Wallace and Massacre

Chorus master

Néviton Barros

Lighting designer

John-Philip Faienza

Stage director

Mariana Pinto da Costa

Costume designer

Asa B Thornton

International Brazilian Opera Company

Portuguese

English

Tamanduá

New York City

United States

Baruch Performing Arts Center

Tamanduá: Concert

Public

Concert

Approved

Brazilian Opera Debut Concerts
www.brazilianopera.com

Tamanduá

Music and Libretto: João MacDowell  

Piano: Yinjia Lin
Cello: Julia Kost
Flute: Richard Paratley 
Percussion: Uka Gameiro
Percussion: Rachel Sacarpati


Carol: Kristin Young
Julia: Abby Powell
Pedro: David Guzman
Aruanan: Jeremy Brauner
Andrew Wallace and Massacre: Martin Bakari

Concert Recording: March 8th, 2014. New York City
Baruch's Engelman Recital Hall

Chorus Director: Néviton Barros
Casting Director: Alexandra Filipe

Visual Director: Athena Azevedo
Publicist and Master of Ceremonies: Christina Morgan
Costume Coordinator: Asa Thornton
Projectionist: Verinica Avanic
Light Design: John-Philip Faienza
Stage Director: Mariana da Costa Pinto

Production assistants: 
Nick Melotti
Teresa Pinto

Sound Recording: Lucas Mortimer
Mixing Engineer: Luigi Porto

Cameras:

Fernando Natalice
Athena Azevedo
Teresa Pinto

an iBoc production

Program Notes by Prof. Jeffrey Gall:
(for the Performance by the Montclair State University Opera Workshop, Alexander Kasser Theater, Peak Performances – December 2009)

Tamanduá is conceived as a meeting place, whose physical symbol is water: the frontier between land and sea, the boundary separating New York from Rio, the mysterious source of life and (as blood) death. The opera’s protagonists bring their hopes and desires, fears and prejudices to a series of encounters, as their fates cross at the water’s edge. A larger spiritual context surrounds their experience, relating the plot to the African Brazilian religion of Candomblé and the native shamanic rituals of Pajelança. The role of the chorus oscillates between the realistic (dance-hall crowd) and the hieratic (the witches).

Deriving archetypes from the indigenous animism, the opera assigns an animal soul to each of the characters. These spirits are not merely symbols, like the Orishas, or patron deities of Candomblé, they lend the protagonists special characteristics and guide their fates. Carol is perpetually in flight. Julia is a mother as well as a lover. Pedro is a quicksilver and predatory figure; Aruanan, earthly and direct.

Aesthetically speaking, Tamanduá is a trans-cultural hybrid. It is sung in English, Brazilian Portuguese and various indigenous tongues. The libretto employs a wide range of tone from slang to soaring lyricism. The music embraces elements of classical modernist compositional techniques, Western pop, Brazilian popular styles (samba, bossa nova, baiao) and indigenous chant.

Performance credits (Cast & Crew )

Cast

Crew