Music as the Message: My Sister, My Friend

Sous le dôme épais (The Flower Duet), from Lakmé
by Léo Delibes, Edmond Gondinet and Philippe Gille
Adrienne Danrich, soprano
Phyllis-Lewis Hale, soprano
Shane Schag, piano

Translation:
Under the thick dome where the white jasmine
With the roses entwined together
On the riverbank covered with flowers laughing in the morning
Let us descend together!

Gently floating on its charming risings,
On the river’s current
On the shining waves,
One hand reaches,
Reaches for the bank,
Where the spring sleeps,
And the bird, the bird sings.

Under the thick dome where the white jasmine
Ah! calling us
Together!

(Lakmé)
I don’t know what overcame me, to fill my heart full of fear.
When my father goes down alone to the doomed city I tremble, my dear.

(Mallika)
Ganesha will watch over his protege.
Up til the pond where the merry do play with wings of snow.
Swans are swimming. Come let us pick the lotus blue.

(Lakmé)
Oh yes, let’s go where white swans are swimming. 
And let us pick the lotus blue

(Together)
Under the thick dome where white jasmine
With the roses entwined together
On the riverbank covered with flowers laughing in the morning
Let us descend together!

Gently floating on its charming risings,
On the river’s current
On the shining waves,
One hand reaches,
Reaches for the bank,
Where the spring sleeps,
And the bird, the bird sings.

Under the thick dome where the white jasmine
Ah! calling us
Together!

ARTISTS

Hosted by Adrienne Danrich, and featuring a stellar cast of artists:

Guest Artists:
Deirdre Chadwick, vocals and electric bass
Adrienne Danrich, soprano
Ovya Diwakaran, vocals & composition (pre-recorded)
Anu French, vocals & harmonium (pre-recorded)
Phyllis Lewis-Hale, soprano
Annie Hiatt, soprano
Shane Schag, piano
Chris Shelton, Paster BPC

[Show slideshow]

Artistic Team:
Adrienne Danrich, creator, host & executive producer
Drew Hemenger, composer of MaM original theme song

Creative Team:
Meagan Brus, lead creative content producer

Production Team:
Opera on Tap and Anne Hiatt
Patrick Mahaney, technical director
Jascha Narveson, audio engineer
Jack Meister-Lopez, stage manager
Mark Gilbert, production assistant
Joey Tabasco, social media manager
Kayleigh Butcher, Zoom moderator

Videographer:
Anne Hiatt

Broadway Presbyterian Church:
Chris Shelton, Pastor
Stephanie Cooke, Executive Administrator

The Music as the Message series is produced by Opera On Tap, in association with Broadway Presbyterian Church. Free to the public, goodwill offerings accepted.

ABOUT MUSIC AS THE MESSAGE

Music as the Message (MaM) was created in 2020 by Emmy Award-winning soprano Adrienne Danrich, in response to the need for communal sharing and healing, despite our physical isolation, in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. MaM’s mission is to create shared musical experiences, celebrating the unifying power of music to inspire healing, joy, laughter, love and most importantly, community.

Beginning solely as an online experience, Music as the Message has now grown into a vibrant, interactive, hybrid performance series held LIVE at the beautiful Broadway Presbyterian Church in NYC and simultaneously streamed via Zoom. The hybrid model fosters a greater global presence, reaching audience members from the US and abroad.

Adrienne serves as host, inviting various guest artists from a wide range of backgrounds, genres, and experiences to offer performances of uplifting songs, dance, and spoken word. Music as the Message provides a safe space for Attendees to quietly enjoy or, when invited, to participate and lift their voices in tandem with the performers.  Each episode also sees the premiere of newly commissioned works, as well as partnerships with charity organizations, who share in the musical offerings and proceeds.

We believe the arts should be free and available to all. Please consider donating today, no matter the amount, to ensure that Music as the Message can continue our mission.  All donations are greatly appreciated.

ABOUT ADRIENNE DANRICH

As an award-winning singer, writer, composer, and educator, Adrienne Danrich is redefining what it means to be a creative performer. The voice of EMMY® award winning soprano Adrienne Danrich has been described as “fresh liquid-silver”, “radiant”, and having a “sensual timbre and dramatic truth” by Opera News. She has performed at major opera houses and art centers around the United States as well as appearing in the NBC broadcast of The Sound of Music, Live! In addition to singing operas, concerts and recitals around the country, Danrich performs her one-woman show, This Little Light of Mine: The Stories of Marian Anderson and Leontyne Price, which she wrote under a commission from Cincinnati Opera. This Little Light of Mine was nominated for an EMMY®, and, additionally, Ms. Danrich was personally nominated and subsequently won an EMMY® for on-camera talent as performer and narrator. Recently, Ms. Danrich debuted her new concert From Aretha to Aida, An Autobiographical Musical Journey. Distinctive in her talent and charisma, Adrienne is known for going places other artists have not yet ventured.
www.adriennedanrich.com

ABOUT OPERA ON TAP

Opera on Tap (OOT) was born in 2005 in Brooklyn and operates with the vision of making the drama, beauty and exhilaration of opera truly accessible to new communities everywhere. What began as a small monthly gathering of ambitious, classically trained singers looking for more performance opportunities, has grown into a producing and community-based organization that has gained a broad audience base and national recognition as an innovative force on the classical music scene. Through its Chapter program, which now has twenty-eight vibrant national (and international) chapters, OOT has created a large network of performers, creators, and supporters. A predominantly women-led organization, OOT’s mission is to engage and enrich communities through culture and the arts, and to empower singers, instrumentalists, composers and other artists through opportunities for paid performance, commissions, leadership, and safe creative practices.  

Opera on Tap continues to be headquartered as a national organization in Brooklyn and in NYC presents four programs intended to adhere to our practice of community engagement through opera: PLAYGROUND OPERA/OPERATRONICS, BAR SHOWS/ NEW BREW, OPERACADES, and THE IMMERSIVE OPERA PROJECT (IOP).
www.operaontap.org

ABOUT BROADWAY PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

Broadway Presbyterian Church is a progressive community that welcomes all people regardless of ethnic heritage, national origin, age, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, or socio-economic standing. Though we may read the Bible with different eyes than our ancestors, we continue to believe that it is the foundation of our faith. Guided by the Spirit, our encounter with Scripture calls us to be people of justice, loving-kindness, humility, and joy in all that we do. We are a part of “the Church reformed, always reforming” – and we look forward to all the ways God will continue to lead the Broadway Presbyterian Church.
www.bpcnyc.org

The Music as the Message series was previously produced and presented by The American Opera Project and Opera On Tap, in association with Broadway Presbyterian Church.