Resonance Works Now Offering Reduced Price Subscriptions

Resonance Works Pittsburgh is pleased to announce that season subscriptions for its 2018-19 season, On the Shoulders of Giants, are now on sale!

Why become a subscriber, you might ask? A season subscription to Resonance Works gives you access to all four of our mainstage productions at a 20% discount off the individual ticket price!  Enjoy all of the exciting performances that next season has to offer, with first choice for assigned-seating events, all for incredibly reasonable prices starting at just $80!

This year, for the first time, we are also offering a mini-subscription for our two performances that occur at Westminster Presbyterian Church in the South Hills - A Joyous Sound and Bach's St. John Passion.

Click the link below for more information and to purchase your subscription!  Res Works  can't wait to share with you all of the exciting things that its 2018-19 season has in store!

Become a Subscriber!

Contact Info
Resonance Works Pittsburgh
PO Box 81118
Pittsburgh, 15217
info@resworks.org

Author to Tell Story of Idlewild Park

Program: History and Memories of Idlewild Park and Ice Cream Social
Speaker:  Jennifer Sopko
Location:  Westmoreland County Historical Society, Calvin E. Pollins LibraryAddress:  362 Sand Hill Road, Greensburg, PA 15601
Date:  Tuesday, July 31, 2018
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Program fee:  WCHS members $2, $7 for others Reservation:  724-532-1935 ext. 210

Program Description: What would summer be without a trip to Idlewild Park?  The music from Idlewild’s graceful carousel, The Old Woman Who Lived  in the Shoe in Storybook Forest, and the invigorating mountain water of the SoakZone, have provided fond summertime memories for generations of southwestern Pennsylvanians.

Jennifer Sopko, author of Idlewild, History and Memories of Pennsylvania’s Oldest Amusement Park, will discuss the origins of the park when the Mellon family developed the stop on the Ligonier Valley Rail Road into a destination in 1878.  City-dwellers flocked to the lush picnic groves to “take time to be ‘idle’ and enjoy the ‘wild’ scenery” of the Ligonier Valley.

Ms. Sopko will discuss the picnic grounds expansion into an amusement park in 1931 under the leadership of C.C. Macdonald, and some of the popular features added in the 1980s - like Mr. Rogers Neighborhood, and the SoakZone - when it became part of the Kennywood Park Corporation.

The Ice Cream Social is another important part of the ‘Good Old Summertime.’  Attendees will be invited torefresh themselves with some ice cream and all the fixings after the program. Idlewild, History and Memories of Pennsylvania’s Oldest Amusement Park will be available for sale,and Ms. Sopko will be delighted to sign copies of her book.Please visit www.westmorelandhistory.org and follow our activities on the Westmoreland County HistoricalS ociety Facebook page, and on Twitter @WCHistory.

One O'Clock Monday to Perrform in Carnegie

One O’Clock Monday will have you singing along! 
This ensemble features original harmonic arrangements to classic rock favorites from the Beatles to the Beach Boys - fun for all ages.  

Last time they performed in the Studio at the Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall in Carnegie,
a spontaneous conga line broke out! The venue is located at 300 Beechwood Avenue in Carnegie. 

Join them for happy hour and unwind mid-week. 
Complimentary snacks and drinks by donation.

Doors open at 6:00 pm || Concert begins at 6:30 pm

For Tickets CLICK HERE

Listen Locally Downstairs is made possible through the generous
support of the Opportunity Fund

Theatre Factory Opens "Big Fish" This Evening Now Through July 22

The Theatre Factory in Trafford is proud to  present “ Big Fish ” music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa, based on the book by John August from July 12 through July 22  In this whopper of a tall tail, Edward Bloom entertains friends and family with incredible stories. But when his son Will learns he has limited time with his father, he embarks on a journey through fantastical riverbanks, circuses, and battlefields to find out the truth behind the tales — and to learn who Edward truly is beneath the fiction.  

The Theatre Factory's production of Big Fish is an amazing romp through the imagination of an old man remembering his life exactly how he would like to remember it. Audiences young and old, will be dazzled by the magical town and colorful circus, enthralled by the gentle giant and spellbound with the breathtaking witch. Bring the entire family to this magical tale!

Rob Jessup of Murrysville, plays the inveterate tale teller, Edward Bloom first as a teen, then a middle aged man and finally a senior citizen.

Cast of Big Fish Credit: Courtesy Photo

Come see this heartwarming tale directed by Scott Calhoon musically directed by Michael Rozell and choreographed by Laura Wurzell.

 Performances are Thursdays through Saturdays  at 8 p. m. and Sunday matinees are at 2 p.m.   Tickets are $20 for adults and $18 for seniors and students.  All tickets for Thursday performances are $15. Please call 412 374 9200 or email theatrefactoryboxoffice@gmail.com for reservations and visit thetheatrefactory.org for more information.

Take the Challenge of Seeing "Jaws" on a Really Big Screen

You’re going to need a bigger boat, but you won’t need a bigger screen. Jaws, the epic summer blockbuster that catapulted Steven Spielberg’s career and terrified moviegoers in 1975, is coming to The Rangos Giant Cinema, Aug. 9–12. The recently restored classic will feel more real than ever before on Pittsburgh’s largest screen.

“Most theaters can only show Jaws in 2K resolution, but The Rangos Giant Cinema is equipped to show it properly at full 4K resolution," said The Rangos Giant Cinema Senior Director Chad Hunter. “The difference is truly remarkable. The audience will feel as though they’re on Amity Island, waiting in suspense for the shark’s next strike.”

Based on the novel by Peter Benchley, Jaws takes audiences to Amity Island, a resort town scared by the presence of a man-eating great white shark. Determined to end the animal’s vicious spree, a local sheriff, a marine biologist, and an old seafarer team up in a pursuit to hunt down the sea creature. The movie is widely regarded as one of the greatest films in cinematic history.

The 2012 restoration of Jaws was part of a larger project Universal Pictures launched for their centennial celebration. Out of the company’s many classics, Jaws was one of the few that was chosen for a 4K re-scan of the film’s original negatives.

Jaws is rated PG. Tickets cost $7.95 for Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh members and $9.95 for nonmembers. For show times, visit CarnegieScienceCenter.org. 

About Carnegie Science Center
Carnegie Science Center is dedicated to inspiring learning and curiosity by connecting science and technology with everyday life. By making science both relevant and fun, the Science Center’s goal is to increase science literacy in the region and motivate young people to seek careers in science and technology. One of the four Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, the Science Center is Pittsburgh’s premier science exploration destination, reaching more than 700,000 people annually through its hands-on exhibits, camps, classes, and off-site education programs.

Accessibility: Features for All
Carnegie Science Center welcomes all visitors. We work to assist visitors with disabilities in obtaining reasonable and appropriate accommodations, and in supporting equal access to services, programs, and activities. We welcome visitors in wheelchairs on the deck of our USS Requin (SS 481) submarine. Below-deck visits require full mobility. Hearing assistance devices are available for The Rangos Giant Cinema. Please ask when you buy your ticket.

Please note that requests for accommodations should be made at least two weeks prior to your visit. For specific questions about wheelchairs, strollers, or other programmatic or equipment needs, see the ticket counter located on the first floor of the main building or contact Customer Service at 412.237.1641 or info@carnegiesciencecenter.org. Please contact Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh’s Accessibility Coordinator with concerns regarding accessibility for visitors with disabilities at the museums. On weekdays, call 412.622.6578 or email accessibility@carnegiemuseums.org.

Pasta Festival at Casbah Next Week

Summer Festa di Pasta, Casbah, 229 S. Highland Ave, Shadyside (Pittsburgh)

Monday-Thursday, July 16-19

Casbah Chef Dustin Gardner presents a menu resplendent with flavorful midsummer vegetables and unique sauces. The variety of small plates encourages sampling and sharing. Try one dish as an appetizer, combine two or three as an entree, or bring friends and order the baker's dozen. Reservations are encouraged. 412.661.5656

Menu
Gnudi, jumbo lump crab, sugar snap peas, meyer lemon, pink peppercorn
Fettuccini, rock shrimp, spicy mixed summer bean salad, coriander, chervil
Sweet Corn Agnolotti, chanterelle mushroom, patty pan squash, basil pesto
Baked Rigatoni, cherry tomato, béchamel, basil, mozzarella
Campanelle, corn, heirloom tomato, charred rapini, oregano
Canestri, heirloom tomato, roasted sweet onions, corn, sheep milk ricotta
Bucatini, English peas, squash blossom, trumpet mushroom, egg, Parmigiano Reggiano, crostini
Cappelletti, chicken sofrito, asparagus, lemon, celery, poppy seed
Torchetti, duck lucanica sausage, peaches, Swiss chard, parsley, bread crumb
Pappardelle, rabbit sausage, sun gold tomato, Malabar spinach, benne seed tuile
Mafaldine, lamb merguez, sweet peppers, fennel, feta, oregano
Potato Gnocchi, pancetta, summer beans, corn veloute, orange, hazelnut
Ricotta Tortoloni, raclette, crispy prosciutto, arugula, spicy honey

Firday the 13th or Not - You'll Be in Luck with a Ticket to "Rhinegold"

Richard Wagner - Composer of Rhinegold

Rhinegold
FRIDAY 13 JULY AT 7:30 PM
Sunday 15 July at 2:00 pm
Saturday 21 July at 7:30 pm

Witness the doom of a universe and the dawn of a new era, and share in a pilgrimage that millions have taken, as Pittsburgh Festival Opera transports you to Valhalla for its acclaimed Pittsburgh Ring Cycle.

Before Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones, there was The Ring, an epic legend of Norse mythology set to music—one of the crowning achievements of Western civilization.

Pittsburgh Festival Opera's Ring is based on the internationally acclaimed version by composer Jonathan Dove which slightly condenses the orchestration and length of the works (none last longer than three hours) while retaining the authenticity of the original. It presents the entire scope of Wagner’s great dramas, making it the perfect version for newcomers as well as Wagner lovers.

Join us for a Wagner weekend from July 13-15 for lectures relating to Rhinegold, a Wagner scenes program, and parties to meet the artists.

Join the cast at the Opening Night Party with light fare immediately following the performance on Friday 13 July.

Pittsburgh’s first Ring… achieved Wagner’s ideal of ‘total theater’, thanks to Jonathan Eaton’s brilliant direction… a triumph… a thrilling experience, the best operatic staging seen in Pittsburgh in a long time…”
PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW

“It was Eaton’s direction that bridged the gap from mini to major Ring… he worked magic of his own with the fantastic set and costumes… an excellent introduction to one of the monuments of Western civilization.”
 PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE


ABOUT THE OPERA
Sung in English with projected titles in English.

This production of Rhinegold is made possible through the generous support of the Ring Leaders.

This production of Rhinegold was originally commissioned by Birmingham Opera Company, and prepared by Jonathan Dove, John McMurray, and Graham Vick

Running time: 2 hours with no intermission. 

PRODUCTION CREDITS
Music and Libretto Richard Wagner
English Translation Andrew Porter
Director Jonathan Eaton
Conductor Walter Morales
Pianist and Assistant Conductor Stephen Variames
Pianist Richard Masters
Scenic Design Danila Korogodsky
Costume Design Danila Korogodsky
Lighting Design Bob Steineck 
Hair and Makeup Design Jina Pounds
Assistant Director Colter Schoenfish
Stage Manager Katy Click
Assistant Stage Managers Louise Brownsberger 
  Claire Durr 


CAST
Wotan Kenneth Shaw
Loge Robert Frankenberry
Alberich Barrington Lee
Fricka Mary Phillips
Erda Demareus Cooper
Fasolt Adam Cioffari
Fafner Andrew Potter
Donner Alexander Boyd
Freia Brooke Dircks
Woglinde Hanna Brammer Dillon
Wellgunde Emily Hopkins
Flosshilde Kathleen Shelton
Supernumeraries Randi Daffner
  Jehlad Hickson
  Becky Merbler
  Jay Rockwell
  Dennis Sen
  Montaja Simmons
  Carolyn Smith3
  Elizabeth Stamerra
  Peter Stamerra
  Russell Wilner


THE STORY
Scene One—The Riverbed of the Rhine
Albrerich the Nibelung lustily chases the Rhinemaidens, guardians of the Rhinegold. They tell Alberich that if someone should forswear all love, he would be able to forge a ring from the Rhinegold which would make him master of the world. They think Alberich would never forswear love, but they are mistaken. Mad with despair because he has been rejected by the Rhinemaidens, Alberich forswears love, steals the Rhinegold and flees.

Scene Two—An Open Space On a Mountain Top
Wotan (Chief of the Gods) has hired two giants—Fasolt and Fafner—to build him a fortress. He has promised the giants the Goddess of Youth, Freia, as payment. The giants appear; the fortress has been completed and they demand their payment. Freia tries to flee the giants and seeks Wotan for protection.

At that moment, Loge, the God of Fire, appears. He states that Alberich has stolen the Rhinegold and that through the power of the Ring he has acquired vast treasure. The two giants declare that they will accept Alberich’s treasure in exchange for Freia. Meanwhile, they take Freia as a hostage. Loge suggests that Wotan steal the Ring and leads him to Nibelheim, Alberich’s abode.

Scene Three—Nibelheim, Alberich’s Subterranean Realm
In Nibelheim, Alberich has forced his brother, Mime, to forge a magic helmet called the Tarnhelm, which enables its wearer to change shape and become invisible. When Loge and Wotan arrive, Alberich boasts of his great treasure with which he will dominate the world. Loge pretends disbelief in the Tarnhelm’s powers. To prove its might, Alberich dons the Tarnhelm and turns into a huge dragon. Loge pretends to be frightened and asks next whether Alberich could turn into something tiny to evade his enemies. Alberich turns himself into a toad. Loge and Wotan capture the toad, seize the Tarnhelm and leave Nibelheim with Alberich as their captive.

Scene Four—An Open Space On a Mountain Top
Wotan demands that Alberich turn over his entire hoard to pay his ransom. Alberich summons the Nibelungs who pile all his treasures before Wotan. Wotan demands the Ring as well. Crushed, Alberich places a powerful curse on it. Whoever possesses it shall be its slave and ultimately doomed. Alberich is set free as the giants return with Freia. They insist that the treasure fully cover Freia before they release her. When Fasolt claims he can still see Freia’s eyes, Fafner demands that the golden Ring on Wotan’s finger be added to the pile. When Wotan refuses to give up the Ring, the giants refuse to return Freia. At that moment Erda, Mother Earth, appears and warns Wotan to surrender it. She warns of a dark day dawning for the gods. Reluctantly, Wotan follows her advice and gives the Ring to the giants. Immediately, the giants begin to quarrel over dividing the treasure. In rage, Fafner kills his brother Fasolt and takes the treasure. As Wotan leads the gods into Valhalla, the Rhinemaidens’ lamentation over their lost gold can be heard in the distance.

PROGRAM NOTES
Wagner’s The Ring of the Nibelung was originally conceived as a single opera detailing the death of the Germanic hero Siegfried. However, it became apparent that background was needed, since much of the source material was obscure even for Germans. Thus came into existence Siegfried, known originally as The Boy Who Set Out to Learn Fear. Then, ever expanding his vision, Wagner followed with Rhinegold and The Valkyrie.

The Ring was a work in progress for well over thirty years, during which time Wagner immersed himself not only in German and Norse mythology (including the Middle High German Song of the Nibelung, an elaboration of the saga), but also in the philosophy of Hegel, Feuerbach, and especially Schopenhauer. The conclusion of The Ring is dominated by Schopenhauer’s notion of the negation of the will, where Brünnhilde, enlightened by love, redeems herself from the endless succession of life—birth, anguish, death, and rebirth.

Wagner was equally engrossed in Greek drama, and sought to mold The Ring into a tripartite drama similar to Greek models. Although Rhinegold appears as the first of four operas in Wagner’s mammoth creation, Wagner persisted in calling The Ring of the Nibelung a trilogy with Rhinegold serving as a prologue.

Bayreuth Festspielhaus
At the insistence of King Ludwig II of Bavaria, Wagner’s headstrong but devoted patron, Rhinegold was performed for the first time in Munich’s National Theater on September 22, 1869, disjoined from Wagner’s yet-to-be-completed Ring of the Nibelung. Wagner’s intention had been to withhold it from the stage until the opening of a festival theater constructed for the production of his works in the town of Bayreuth. As might be anticipated, patronage outweighed aesthetic concerns, and Rhinegold finally made its intended debut at Bayreuth on August 13, 1876.

A word about Pittsburgh Festival Opera’s revival of The Ring. Seen here first in the 2005 and 2006 seasons, it is based on a Ring cycle created by Jonathan Dove for the City of Birmingham Touring Opera (now Birmingham Opera Company). The translation is by Andrew Porter. The present version will clock in at about nine hours rather than the sixteen which a full scale Ring demands, and the orchestra has been reduced, allowing the production to be presented in smaller venues. We hope that such an undertaking will introduce non-Wagnerians to the glorious music of The Ring, while devotees will be delighted to revel in its most glorious moments.

—Jerry Clack


MEET THE COMPOSER
Richard Wagner [22 May 1813–13 February 1883] was a German composer, theatre director, polemicist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his later works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most opera composers, Wagner wrote both the libretto and the music for each of his stage works. Initially establishing his reputation as a composer of works in the romantic vein of Carl Maria von Weber and Giacomo Meyerbeer, Wagner revolutionised opera through his concept of the Gesamtkunstwerk ("total work of art"), by which he sought to synthesise the poetic, visual, musical, and dramatic arts, with music subsidiary to drama. He described this vision in a series of essays published between 1849 and 1852. Wagner realised these ideas most fully in the first half of the four-opera cycle Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung).

Richard Wagner
His compositions, particularly those of his later period, are notable for their complex textures, rich harmonies and orchestration, and the elaborate use of leitmotifs—musical phrases associated with individual characters, places, ideas, or plot elements. His advances in musical language, such as extreme chromaticism and quickly shifting tonal centres, greatly influenced the development of classical music. His Tristan und Isolde is sometimes described as marking the start of modern music.

Wagner had his own opera house built, the Bayreuth Festspielhaus, which embodied many novel design features. The Ring and Parsifal were premiered here and his most important stage works continue to be performed at the annual Bayreuth Festival, run by his descendants. His thoughts on the relative contributions of music and drama in opera were to change again, and he reintroduced some traditional forms into his last few stage works, including Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (The Mastersingers of Nuremberg).

Until his final years, Wagner's life was characterised by political exile, turbulent love affairs, poverty and repeated flight from his creditors. His controversial writings on music, drama and politics have attracted extensive comment, notably, since the late 20th century, where they express antisemitic sentiments. The effect of his ideas can be traced in many of the arts throughout the 20th century; his influence spread beyond composition into conducting, philosophy, literature, the visual arts, and theater.

PERFORMANCES

Friday 13 July at 7:30 pm
Sunday 15 July at 2:00 pm
Saturday 21 July at 7:30 pm
Tickets
$25–$65

PURCHASE TICKETS

Venue
Falk Auditorium
Winchester Thurston School
555 Morewood Ave
Pittsburgh PA 15213
(Entrance on Ellsworth Avenue)

OPENING NIGHT PARTY

Friday 13 July at 9:30 pm
Celebrate the opening night and meet the cast of Rhinegold over a glass of wine and some delectable nibbles.

Tickets
$25

PURCHASE TICKETS

Venue
Cabaret Lounge
Winchester Thurston School
555 Morewood Ave
Pittsburgh  PA  15213

(Entrance on Ellsworth Ave)