Martin Cid's Blog: Martin Cid Magazine, page 160

Daddio, a film starring Dakota Johnson and Sean Penn. Opening on June 28th. Trailer

Daddio is a film directed by Christy Hall. It stars Dakota Johnson and Sean Penn.

Synopsis

The story revolves around a woman taking a taxi ride from JFK airport and engaging in a deep conversation with the driver about the important relationships in their lives.

Distribution and release of the film

Sony Pictures Classics acquired the rights for theatrical release in North and Latin America, along with some territories in Europe and Asia. They are scheduling a release sometime in 2024, with the current set date being June 28, 2024.

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Ricko Leung: Reborn from the Ashes – Galerie j / Paris

In a world of constant destruction and reconstruction, Reborn from the Ashes embodies the quest for resilience and healing in the face of adversity. Born of an intimate exploration of the artist’s personal experience, this solo exhibition, weaving together visual art, poetry, and sound, invites deep reflection on transformation and renewal in the face of destruction.

At the heart of this presentation is a video installation showing books rising from the ashes, accompanied by sculptures and a poem, The Last Words of a Burnt Book. This work symbolizes the power of art to transcend censorship and oblivion, underlining the durability of ideas and knowledge despite attempts to suppress them throughout history.

In a dialogue between rupture and repair, the exhibition also explores the theme of healing. Inspired by the art of kintsugi, which celebrates the beauty of imperfections, a centerpiece reveals how cracks in a ceramic vase can be transformed into lines of gold, a metaphor for our ability to find strength and beauty in our vulnerabilities.

Reborn from the Ashes examines identity and the challenges of diaspora, in particular through The Burden, an installation that questions migration, memories, and the burdens of heritage. The work encourages us to reflect on what we take with us and what we leave behind in life’s movements. This exhibition is an invitation to contemplate how, in the face of adversity, destruction can lead to renewed creation, and how each ordeal can open the way to a new form of healing and beauty.

Ricko Leung

Ricko Leung, Installation view of If We Burn…, 2023

This installation synthesizes two sources of inspiration: firstly, when China’s first emperor ordered the burning of history and philosophy books in 213 BC, and secondly Marta Minujín’s impressive art installation The Parthenon of Books at Documenta 14. Although these two events appear to be more than two thousand years apart, they highlight the continuity of censorship of books throughout human history, because of the ability of books to spread ideas and bring about change, which is often perceived as a threat by the existing authorities.

The artist wrote the poem The Last Words of a Burnt Book from a first-person perspective of the burnt books.

The Last Words of a Burnt Book

Never expected to see such bright sparkles at the end of my life. And it’s much more painful than ever.

The heat is rising up all the way to my mind. I’m being burnt, and my pages are on fire.

My pages are on fire while the words in my vein are freed from desire. And it’s much more painful than ever.

My anger is washing down all the way over my soul. I want to scream to free myself from any control.

But I am forced to remain silent without a mouth.

The crackling sound around me seems to go on eternally, Louder than any screams ever been shouted.

Words on me become blurred as I am soaked in tears internally.

I am being burnt because of your fear.

You are being drown by the fear of my words and my ideas.

You can burn my gorgeous cover,

But you cannot stop my spirit from passing on to the others.

Is the identity of the Hong Kong diaspora becoming a burden? In the context of an increasingly turbulent world, several generations of Hong Kongers have fallen into the void between the colonial era and ideological and cultural conflicts. Not only are they forced to confront the question of their own identity—especially as they integrate with other cultures—but they are also pushed by the wheel of history to act upon it. It seems that the history of migration is closely linked to the destiny of a population. What does it mean to migrate? What do people take with them when they migrate? Memories, hope, goals, or a burden? The Burden is an installation that explores these questions around an emerging diaspora.

On the bag is an archive image of Queen’s Pier in Hong Kong, named in honor of Queen Victoria, was a public wharf and was completely demolished in February 2008 by the government. This cyanotype image has been cut out and woven onto the bag – this process of deconstruction and reconstruction is very interesting to the artist.

This type of bag, with its particular colors and patterns, was commonly used by Hong Kongers, particularly the artist’s parents’ generation, to travel or visit relatives back in China. It has become an iconic and nostalgic object of Hong Kong culture.

Ricko Leung, Shed My Wounded Skin, 2024

‘I shed my wounded skin to be reborn into the original me.’

What is healing? How do we heal ourselves? What if we could simply shed our wounds like other living organisms shed their old skin?

Healing is one of the central questions in the artist’s artistic practice. She experimented with weaving natural materials, such as untreated cotton and raffia, and combining them with ceramics, forming a link between material and text.

Ricko LeungBorn in 1987 in Hong Kong
Lives and works in Paris and Bourges, France

Born and raised in Hong Kong and based in France, Ricko Leung draws on her multicultural identity and daily observations to create works that explore the complexity of the human experience through visual and sculptural language.

Her work explores the relationship between individual experiences and wider social, political, and natural contexts. Focusing on issues such as the interplay of fear and control, cultural identity, post-colonialism, trauma and healing, feminism as well as our relationship with nature.

She uses a variety of media including sculpture, installation, photography, text, video, and performance to provoke dialogues around the crucial questions facing our society.

Education

2023 – 2024 BFA, École Nationale Supérieure d’Art de Bourges, France

2014 – 2016 Master in Arts and Cultural Management (Art Market and Exhibition Management), IESA, Paris, France

Solo exhibitions

2024 Reborn from the Ashes, Galerie j /, Paris, France 2023 L’AiR Arts, Atelier 11, Paris, France

2023 The Burden, La Générale, Paris, France

Group exhibitions

2024

A Glance from the Bridge, JPS Gallery, Hong Kong (June) JPS Gallery Art Central Group Show, Hong Kong

Voix Portées, Maison de la Culture de Bourges [Bourges Cultural Centre],France 2023

HOME, JPS Gallery et The Alter Space, London, United Kingdom Hola Barna Part 1, JPS Gallery, Barcelona, Spain

Artist residencies

2023

L’AiR Arts, Atelier 11, Paris: research on the complex relationship between personal experiences and wider social, political, and natural environments

(http://www.lairarts.com/ricko-leung.html)

La Générale, Paris: research on cultural identity and post-colonialism (https://www.lagenerale.fr/fr/projet/the-burden)

Curatorial projects

2023

Between Plant and Thread, Blue and Purple, Durjoy Bangladesh Foundation, Asia NOW 2023 Special Projects, Paris, France

2022

Commission Series x Dominique White : (Under) studies in Non-Description, DEO Project, Chios, Greece

Deux plus deux font quatre, Hong Kong Film Festival in Paris, L’Épée de Bois, Paris, France

2019

Eau et Cendres pour une (R)Évolution Créatrice, DOC!, Paris (Exhibition of 16 Hong Kong and international artists)

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This Friday is the premiere of “Refuge,” the new film by Renny Harlin. Trailer

Refuge is a film by Renny Harlin (director of Die Hard 2). It stars Jason Flemyng and Sophie Simnett.

Synopsis

The story follows Sergeant Rick Pedroni (Flemyng), who returns home from Afghanistan a changed and dangerous man after suffering an attack by a mysterious force during combat. Officials claim he suffered a heavy brain injury, but his wife Kate (Simnett) knows it is more than PTSD. As Rick undergoes therapy, Kate discovers he has been possessed by a malevolent spirit, and must race against time to unmask the truth and save her husband from the evil force.

Release date

April 19, 2024 (United States)

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Crime Boss: Rockay City Doubles Active Player Base Thanks To Continued Roll Out Of Improvements

April 16, 2024 – Crime Boss: Rockay City, saw the largest spike in user growth since launch in the month of April 24, fuelled by continued updates, constant fan feedback, and swathes of new content. The latest updates to the heisting madness, include…

New progression system across both Single player and Multiplayer game modes. Players will be able to earn XP for completing missions and levelling up, with each level-up leading to new characters, weapons, weapon skins and perks.New customisable loadouts based on what you unlock in the new progression system. Change your weapons, apply skins, adjust your perks to match your play style, apply equipment to increase the success rates of your heists. You can even change your boss screen as you raise your notoriety in the game.New Missions – be sneaky or go all guns blazing in the new missions – Compound, Key Witness and High Security Robbery.Sniper Rifles and a perks overhaulNew equipment – Extra bag, Cluster grenade, Turret – all available in the new progression system.

For more information – Check out the Developer Q&A hosted in the discord HERE 

Fact Sheet

Title: Crime Boss: Rockay CityGenre: First-Person Shooter, Rogue-LitePublisher: 505 GamesDeveloper: INGAME STUDIOSDigital Platforms: PC (Epic Games Store), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|SPhysical Platforms: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|SRating: 18 (PEGI)Release Window: 2023Price: £34.99 / $39.99 

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Saatchi Gallery Presents The Work Of Acclaimed Fashion Photographers From Around The World

LONDON, UK – Saatchi Gallery is pleased to announce Beyond Fashion as the major exhibition for its Summer 2024 season. The exhibition, opening to the public on 31 May 2024, showcases the work of acclaimed fashion photographers from around the world. The works demonstrate how fashion photography has moved past the simple presentation of product lines to reflect on the reality of our lives, to explore our aspirations and to push at the boundaries of creativity. Curated by Nathalie Herschdorfer, Director of Photo Elysée in Lausanne, Switzerland, and produced by the Foundation for the Exhibition of Photography, the exhibition will feature more than 100 photographs from 48 photographers.

Including works by Nick Knight, Peter Lindbergh, Viviane Sassen, Paolo Roversi, Miles Aldridge, and Ellen von Unwerth – as well as an exciting new generation of fashion photographers – Beyond Fashion celebrates the vision and creativity of these artists and image-makers, and documents how fashion photography has become a new and exciting visual language. It is presented during the milestone 40th anniversary year of London Fashion Week, an occasion to honour the entire community that drives innovation in the industry and beyond.

This major exhibition will be organised into four main sections: ALLURE, which brings together celebrations of timeless beauty; FANTASY, which pays homage to the creativity and inventiveness of photographers working in fashion; REALISM, showcasing artists working mostly in the street, playing at fashion’s intersection with the real world; and finally SURREALISM, which features the work of a new generation for whom fashion photography is about transformation, imagination, and magic.

Viewers will travel from the glossy setting of the photography studio to the grassroots of street photography and discover the vast and diverse forms which fashion photography can take. They will see some of the most iconic images, famous faces and dynamic brands in contemporary culture. From classic VOGUE covers to Victoria Beckham’s legs in Marc Jacobs’ shopping bag – this collection of works features supermodels and stars like Naomi Campbell, Kate Moss and Christy Turlington; designers such as Christian Dior, Commes des Garçons, Alexander McQueen and Valentino, and street style legend The Sartorialist.

A special feature of the exhibition will be a section dedicated to moving images – highlighting the importance of film in today’s fashion imagery. This will present the works of SHOWstudio, the website founded and directed by Nick Knight, one of the first and most high-profile image-makers to adopt digital film as a medium for showcasing fashion. Established in November 2000 as ‘the home of fashion film’, SHOWstudio’s innovative and ground-breaking projects have defined how fashion is presented via the internet. Having pioneered fashion film, it is now recognised as the leading force behind this medium, offering a unique platform to nurture and encourage fashion to engage with moving image in the digital age.

The exhibition concludes with an installation entitled Under Your Smell; a project that invites visitors to experience an alternative and dynamic way to engage with fashion imagery. The students of the Bachelor Photography of the ECAL/University of Art and Design Lausanne offer a visual interpretation of Jean Paul Gaultier’s perfumes. In a series of staged images, perfumes become the backdrop for stories of transgression and fantastical projections.

Throughout the exhibition run, Saatchi Gallery will present a number of Saatchi Lates from 6:30pm – 9pm on selected Fridays. Tickets include access to special Beyond Fashion-themed activations and workshops, the main exhibition, and ground-floor shows.

Nathalie Herschdorfer, Exhibition Curator: “At one time, fashion photography was perceived as limited to its commercial use. With the explosion of the internet and social media, the way photography is documented, consumed and shared has undergone a transformation. The emergence of a broader visual language has enabled a blurring of boundaries between editorial work, advertising and artistic expression within fashion photography. Nowadays, it is no longer regarded as a frivolous medium; it is elevated to the status of an art form, capturing the sustained attention of museums and galleries, auction houses and publishers alike. It is the art world’s rising star.”

Paul Foster, Saatchi Gallery Director: “The adornment of our bodies with colours, patterns, shapes, textures and materials has been a constant throughout human history. This exhibition showcases how the presentation of fashion continues to evolve and break new ground in an age of unprecedented image generation and consumption.”

Tickets start at £6 and are available to book now at saatchigallery.com.

Featured Photographers:
Miles Aldridge, Kent Baker, Olivia Bee, Blommers & Schumm, Elaine Constantine, Maisie Cousins, Jack Davison, Jonathan de Villiers, Li Feng, Ben Hassett, Ina Jang, Paul Jung, Nick Knight, Feng Li, Peter Lindbergh, Glen Luchford, Erik Madigan Heck, Hanna Moon, Jean-Baptiste Mondino, Marton Perlaki, Paolo Roversi, Daniel Sannwald, Viviane Sassen, Scheltens & Abbenes, Emma Summerton, Sølve Sundsbø, Inez Van Lamsweerde & Vinoodh Matadin, Willy Vanderperre, Ellen Von Unwerth, Kiki Xue, Yelena Yemchuk.

Beyond Fashion has been produced by the Foundation for the Exhibition of Photography, Minneapolis/Paris/Lausanne, in collaboration with the Saatchi Gallery, London. Previous venues of the exhibition include ArtisTree, Hong Kong; Shanghai Center of Photography, Shanghai; Xie Zilong Photography Museum, Changsha; ALT. 1 Hyundai Seoul, South Korea; and IPFO House of Photography, Olten, Switzerland.

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Season six of “The Circle,” Netflix’s most online reality show on television.

The Circle is a game show on Netflix hosted by Michelle Buteau in which the contestants don’t know each other and will have to lead a totally online life. Even if they live in the same building, they will never meet, and will only be able to relate to each other through the contest app.

Will they lie or tell the truth? Anything goes to win the $100,000 prize.

Flirtations, deceptions, betrayals and surprises in this quiz show about online life that has been a success in previous seasons and promises to repeat.

You can watch it on Netflix starting Wednesday, April 17.

Where to Watch “The Circle“

Netflix

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‘Jimmy Carr: Natural Born Killer’ Netflix Stand-Up Comedy Special: Bridging the Outdated and the Cutting-Edge, An Unabashed Sense of Humor

Jimmy Carr stars in Natural Born Killer, a stand-up comedy special directed by Brian Klein.

From a glorious start, where he shatters all current taboos that say we can’t joke about anything, Jimmy Carr does exactly that. He mocks everything and crosses all those lines that humor supposedly can’t cross. He does this with his old-fashioned demeanor, as if he was plucked straight out of a Lucille Ball sitcom.

Jimmy Carr allows himself to make jokes about drunk driving, adult films, and many other topics that most of us wouldn’t dare to mention. But good old Jimmy does, with charm, boldness, and a lot of nerve. His appearance helps, his boyish face cracking extremely risqué and potentially offensive jokes that stir controversy, but also boost ratings.

Jimmy Carr proves that we’re all a bit fed up with so much censorship. In essence, a joke is just that, a joke – it brings joy, entertains, and it doesn’t harm anyone or trigger international disputes.

The stand-up special constantly plays with mixing “retro” jokes with modern ones, creating an aggressively contemporary show that is also, paradoxically, “retro”. It takes today’s jokes, removes them from their context, and applies them to two different timelines. Combined with a dash of humor, they merge wonderfully into a joke that is simultaneously current, outdated, and ironic and very funny (and daring).

“Jimmy Carr: Natural Born Killer” is a healthy, enjoyable show that knows how to laugh at censorship itself, thanks to the persona and spectacular intonation of the brilliant comedian, Jimmy Carr.

Where to Watch “Jimmy Carr: Natural Born Killer”

Netflix

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Anna Sokolow and the Reimagined Roots of Anti-Fascist Dance at the Library of Congress. Now Available on Demand

Sokolow Theatre/Dance Ensemble announces Anna Sokolow and the Reimagined Roots of Anti-Fascist Dance, which was performed on Friday, January 26, 2024 at 7 pm at the Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building, Coolidge Auditorium, is now available for streaming on demand. To watch the performance, visit https://www.loc.gov/item/webcast-11277/.

When the Library of Congress Music Division made the extraordinary discovery of handwritten scores composed by Alex North for two of Anna Sokolow’s dances, Sokolow Theatre/Dance Ensemble Artistic Director Samantha Géracht reimagined the dances using archival evidence and the music. “Slaughter of the Innocents” is Sokolow’s 1937 lament for Basque women suffering under Nazi aerial bombing. “Ballad in a Popular Style” is a wistful lyrical excursion into jazz, first performed in 1936. Both will be performed by members of the Sokolow Theatre/Dance Ensemble to the original music, for the first time in 80 years, showing that the creative collaboration of Anna Sokolow (1910-2000) and Alex North (1910-1991) remains fresh, compelling, and relevant for today’s audiences. A panel discussion on the revival of the music and dance and the lives of North and Sokolow was followed by an audience Q&A session.

Participants 

Samantha Géracht, Artistic Director, Sokolow Theatre/Dance Ensemble 

James May, Founding Director, Sokolow Theatre/Dance Ensemble 

Eleanor Bunker, Associate Artistic Director, Sokolow Theatre/Dance Ensemble 

Lakey Evans-Peña, Associate Director, Ailey School Horton Pedagogy 

Abby North, Principal of North Music Group LLC

Ilana Ruth Cohen, dancer 

Erin Gottwald, dancer 

Margherita Tisato, dancer 

Dancer/Choreographer Anna Sokolow and Composer Alex North connected as young artists in the midst of the great depression of the 1930’s. Both came from Russian Jewish immigrant families, committed to the social justice issues of the time including workers rights and anti fascism. Their art focused on lifting the spirit of the masses and improving the life of working people. While their careers took off within the atmosphere of New York City modernist movement, they also traveled to Russia and to Mexico expanding both their artistic education and influence.

Anna Sokolow (1910-2000) raised on the Lower East Side of New York City and began her training at the Neighborhood Playhouse with Martha Graham and Louis Horst. In the 1930’s she was a member of the Graham Dance Company and assisted Mr. Horst in his dance composition classes. The first of the Graham dancers to strike out on her own, Sokolow’s collaboration with composer Alex North brought her deeper into socially conscious circles. During this period, her association with the WPA dance made union members her first audiences.

In 1939 Ms. Sokolow began a lifelong association with the dance and theater arts in Mexico. Her work for the Mexican Ministry of Fine Arts grew to become the National Academy of Dance there. In 1953 she was invited by Jerome Robbins to Israel to work with Inbal Dance Company. Following that, she choreographed for the major dance companies in Israel including Batsheva, Kibbutz Dance Company, and Lyric Theatre. She visited Mexico and Israel frequently to teach and to choreograph.

Ms. Sokolow’s interest in humanity led her to create works of dramatic contemporary imagery showing both the lyric and stark aspects of the human experience. Her vast range of repertory includes drama, comedy, and lyricism with her commentaries on humanity and social justice threaded into each of her works. In a 1965 Dance Magazine article she wrote that there were no “final solutions to today’s problems,” but that she “could simply provoke an audience into awareness.”

Ms. Sokolow’s works are performed by the Sokolow Theatre/Dance Ensemble, and are in the repertories of numerous other companies around the world.

Ms. Sokolow also choreographed for the Broadway theater. Her credits include Street Scene, Camino Real, Candide, and the original Hair. In the late 1950’s Ms. Sokolow was the first modern dance choreographer to have her work (Rooms) presented on national television.

She was a longtime faculty member of the Juilliard School in both the dance and drama divisions. She received many honors and awards, including Honorary Doctorate degrees from Ohio State University, Brandeis University and the Boston Conservatory of Music. She received a Fulbright Fellowship to Japan, the Dance Magazine Award, a National Endowment for the Arts’ Choreographic Fellowship, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American/Israel Cultural Foundation, the Samuel H. Scripps Award, and the Encomienda, Aztec Eagle Honor (the highest civilian honor awarded to a foreigner by Mexico).

Anna Sokolow passed away in her home in New York City on March 29, 2000 at the age of 90.

Alex North (1910-1991) was a renowned American composer whose innovative and evocative music left an indelible mark on the world of film scores and concert music. With a career spanning over four decades, North’s diverse body of work included collaborations with esteemed choreographer Anna Sokolow and iconic films such as “Spartacus,” “A Streetcar Named Desire,” “Dragonslayer,” and many others. Notably, he also composed the timeless and beloved song “Unchained Melody.”

Born on December 4, 1910, in Chester, Pennsylvania, Alex North exhibited a deep passion for music from an early age. He began his formal training in music at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, where he won a scholarship to the famed Julliard School of Music. He later continued his music studies in Moscow.

North’s collaboration with choreographer Anna Sokolow was a significant milestone in his career. In the late 1930s, he composed original scores for several of Sokolow’s influential modern dance works. North’s music complemented Sokolow’s choreography, displaying a keen sense of rhythm, emotion, and the expressive possibilities of movement.

However, it was in the realm of film composition that Alex North truly established himself as a master of his craft. Throughout his career, he worked with acclaimed directors and contributed remarkable scores to a wide range of films. One of his most celebrated collaborations was with director Stanley Kubrick on the epic film “Spartacus” (1960). North’s powerful and sweeping score perfectly captured the grandeur and emotional intensity of the story, earning him an Academy Award nomination.

North’s collaboration with director Elia Kazan on “A Streetcar Named Desire” (1951) resulted in one of his most iconic scores. The haunting and atmospheric music he composed for the film, infused with jazz elements, heightened the emotional turmoil and tension of the characters. The score, considered groundbreaking at the time, showcased North’s ability to capture the essence of a story and convey the characters’ emotions and internal drama via his music. In 2015, the Library of Congress added the Original Soundtrack from “A Streetcar Named Desire” to the National Recording Registry.

While North’s film scores brought him widespread acclaim, his work extended beyond the silver screen. He composed numerous concert pieces, including symphonies, chamber music, and vocal works. Among his concert works is “Revue for Clarinet and Orchestra,” commissioned by Benny Goodman.

Among his many compositions, “Unchained Melody” stands as the ultimate evergreen. Originally composed as the Main Title theme for the 1955 prison drama “Unchained,” the haunting melody and poignant lyric captured the hearts of listeners worldwide. Over the years, the song has been performed and recorded by countless artists.

About Sokolow Theatre/Dance Ensemble

SOKOLOW THEATRE/DANCE ENSEMBLE is the living legacy company dedicated to presenting Sokolow’s vast body of emotionally riveting work. Over a 70-year career, Anna Sokolow continuously broke the boundaries of modern dance, focusing on the human experience and accessing any movement genre to fulfill her artistic purpose. Her masterpieces remain relevant to our times and touch the hearts of all people as we struggle with the universal issues of living, regardless of differences in place and culture. The company’s projects include reconstruction, reimagination, deconstruction, historical performance, teaching, lectures, archiving, and partnering with contemporary choreographers—all modes through which we step inside Sokolow’s masterworks and draw from this perspective to better frame our future. ST/DE was founded by Sokolow protégé Jim May and is currently under the artistic direction of Samantha Géracht. For more information, visit sokolowtheatredance.org.

About Dance at The Library of Congress/Coolidge Auditorium

The Music Division’s Concert Events office in the Library of Congress has sponsored performances and commissioned music and dance dating to the early 20th century. Thanks to the generosity of philanthropist Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge and others, Appalachian Spring, with music by Aaron Copland and choreography by Martha Graham, premiered in the Library’s Coolidge Auditorium on October 31, in 1944.

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Ernestas Norvaišas and Team17 Digital to Launch Strategic City Builder ‘Sweet Transit’ on Steam and Epic Games Store on April 22nd

Monday, 15th April 2024 – Ernestas Norvaišas and Team17 Digital have today announced that strategic city builder Sweet Transit will launch out of Steam Early Access on 22nd April. Also arriving on the Epic Games Store on the same day, Sweet Transit combines system automation, city building, and the potential for players to craft an intricate and crucial rail network for their settlements. The 1.0 update will include new Civic Buildings, Production Chains, newspaper stories, and a new population, along with a collection of quality of life changes, and bug fixes.

Throughout it’s time in Steam Early Access, Sweet Transit has received four major updates, with the game introducing new resource chains, buildings, and trains, along with overhauled logistics and planning systems, customisable difficulty and world generation, ‘scenarios’ challenge mode, Steam Deck support, an updated UI, improved tutorials, and countless quality of life changes. For more information on Sweet Transit, including past and future updates, please check out the Steam store page.

Sweet Transit Key Features

·        Systems-led city builder: Starting with a single warehouse, build a thriving interconnected world of villages and cities as you expand your rail network and evolve your society

·        Customisable rail network: Construct platforms and stations linked by intricate railway routes to help connect settlements and ensure a painless transit for both workers and civilians

·        Evolve your industry: From steam to diesel, and beyond, play through distinct eras of the railway and plan the most economical expansions using the technology at your disposal

·        Be a person of the people: Keep a close eye on your citizens and ensure their needs are met as you expand your routes and scale up your settlements

·        Full modding support: Create custom content via Steam Workshop, including structures, locomotives, in-game rules, progression markers, and graphics

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92NY presents the New York premiere of COTTON: Denyce Graves, mezzo-soprano and Justin Austin, baritone

New York, NY — April 15, 2024 — The 92nd Street Y, New York (92NY), one of New York’s leading cultural venues, presents COTTON: Denyce Graves, mezzo-soprano and Justin Austin, baritone on Thursday, April 18, 2024 at 7:30 pm at Kaufmann Concert Hall. Tickets start at $30 and are available at https://www.92ny.org/event/denyce-graves-and-justin-austin.

Celebrated mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves, acclaimed for her riveting performances on the world’s great opera stages, her activism in support of diversity in the arts, and her championing of new music, is featured with exciting rising star baritone Justin Austin and pianist Laura Ward in the New York premiere of this immersive exploration of African American stories through song, poetry, and photography.

A poignant and powerful multidisciplinary work that speaks to the resilience of soul and psyche, COTTON is inspired by photographer John E. Dowell’s haunting images of South Carolina cotton fields – captured in his 2018 exhibit Cotton: The Soft, Dangerous Beauty of the Past. The work comprises a song cycle by acclaimed composer Damien Geter with text from original poems by Nikki Giovanni, Marc Bamuthi Joseph, Afaa Michael Weaver, Lauren Alleyne, Charlotte Blake Alston, Glenis Redmond, Alora Young, and Trapeta Mayson, against the backdrop of Dowell’s evocative photographs. The poetry and music were commissioned by Lyric Fest (Philadelphia) which conceived the project in honor of its 20th Anniversary.

COTTON had its world premiere on February 25, 2023, at the Philadelphia Episcopal Cathedral, quickly followed by its Washington D.C. premiere at the Kennedy Center as part of their first annual Ruth Bader Ginsburg Memorial Recital, presented by Washington Performing Arts.

“The chance to revisit COTTON with these three phenomenal artists is what I’ve been waiting for since the premiere over a year ago,” remarks composer Damien Geter. “And to bring it to New York, the city which provides the backdrop to some of John Dowell’s photos which inspired the song cycle, feels, in a way, cathartic. I hope that audiences walk away with a sense of purpose after experiencing this multidisciplinary event.”

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Denyce Graves, recognized as “an operatic superstar of the 21st century” by USA Today, has garnered unparalleled popular and critical acclaim over the course of the mezzo-soprano’s career. Ms. Graves’ acclaimed appearances as Carmen and Dalila in Samson et Dalila have resounded in the world’s greatest opera houses, and her success has been recognized in notable television appearances, interviews, masterclasses, and magazines. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution exclaims, “If the human voice has the power to move you, you will be touched by Denyce Graves.”

In the 2023-2024 season, Ms. Graves returns to the Metropolitan Opera as Sally in The Hours and makes her Seattle Opera debut in Das Rheingold as Erda. In addition, Ms. Graves will be the director for the world premiere of Loving v. Virginia with Virginia Opera in a co-production with Richmond Symphony for their 2024-2025 season.

In the 2022-2023 season, Ms. Graves returned to Minnesota Opera and The Glimmerglass Festival for her directorial debut in two new productions of Carmen. Minneapolis’ Star Tribune wrote, “…in her first directing job, opera star Denyce Graves delivers a superlative staging.” Ms. Graves also returned to the Metropolitan Opera in Peter Grimes as Auntie and in the world premiere of The Hours as Sally, as well as the title role in Glimmerglass Festival’s production of The Passion of Mary Cardwell Dawson. In recital, Ms. Graves continues to collaborate with Laura Ward, notably presenting her recital program COTTON with Lyric Fest and Washington Performing Arts where she was presented with the Inaugural Ruth Bader Ginsburg Memorial Fund Award.

Her full opera recordings include Gran Vestale in La vestale, recorded live from La Scala with Riccardo Muti for Sony Classical; Queen Gertrude in Thomas’s Hamlet for EMI Classics; Maddalena in Rigoletto with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra under James Levine; and Emilia in Otello with Plácido Domingo and the Opéra de Paris, Bastille Orchestra under Myung-Whun Chung, both for Deutsche Grammophon.

Ms. Graves is a native of Washington, D.C., where she attended the Duke Ellington School for the Performing Arts. She continued her education at Oberlin College Conservatory of Music and the New England Conservatory. She is the Artistic Director and Founder of The Denyce Graves Foundation which aims to promote equity and inclusion in American classical vocal arts through an unprecedented approach: championing the hidden musical figures of the past while uplifting young artists of world-class talent from all backgrounds. The foundation has been featured on Good Morning America and The New York Times Style Magazine for its successful programs. Ms. Graves’ dedication to the singers of the next generation continues to be an important part of her career; she is a member of the voice faculty at the Peabody Institute, and a distinguished visiting faculty member at The Juilliard School.

Possessing a “mighty lyric voice” (The New York Times) and praised as “vocally impressive, verbally elegant” (Opera News), Drama Desk Award-nominated baritone Justin Austin has appeared on concert and operatic stages worldwide since age of four. Born into a musical family, his early career took him to venues such as Teatro Real, Bregenzer Festspiele, Lincoln Center, and The Kennedy Center.

As this year’s Marian Anderson Vocal Award winner, Justin is featured in recital at The Kennedy Center, presented by Washington National Opera. He also gives solo recitals at Carnegie Hall, Pickman Hall with the Celebrity Series of Boston, and Spivey Hall in Atlanta this season. On the operatic stage, he makes a return to Lyric Opera of Chicago, starring as Young Emile in Terence Blanchard’s Champion; Washington National Opera’s production of Romeo and Juliet, portraying Mercutio, at The Kennedy Center; Opera Theatre of Saint Louis in The Barber of Seville, playing Figaro; and the Metropolitan Opera in Jake Heggie’s Dead Man Walking. Justin also joins Des Moines Metro Opera for the world premiere of Damien Geter’s full-length American Apollo; stars in the New York premiere of Lyric Fest’s COTTON, composed by Damien Geter, at the 92nd Street Y; and performs in two renditions of Fire Shut Up In My Bones: Opera Suite in Concert at the Kimmel Center and then with Strathmore and Washington Performing Arts.

Last season, the “standout” (Operawire) baritone appeared as Ned Keene in Peter Grimes at the Metropolitan Opera; sang Carl Nielsen’s third symphony with The Cleveland Orchestra conducted by Alan Gilbert; premiered Damien Geter’s song cycle COTTON alongside Denyce Graves with Lyric Fest in Philadelphia and Washington Performing Arts at The Kennedy Center; and premiered a new edition by Damien Sneed of Scott Joplin’s Treemonisha at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis in the roles of Scott Joplin/Remus. Justin also sang on a concert tour of Our Song, Our Story, a tribute recital to African American operatic pioneers Jessye Norman and Marian Anderson, with music director Damien Sneed, giving performances in Tucson, St. Louis, Washington D.C., Akron, and Aspen.

Favorite highlights of recent seasons also include his house debut at the Metropolitan Opera as Marcellus in the company premiere of Brett Dean’s Hamlet; his house and role debut as Charles in Fire Shut Up In My Bones at Lyric Opera of Chicago; starring as George Armstrong in Lynn Nottage and Ricky Ian Gordon’s Intimate Apparel at Lincoln Center Theater; joining Washington National Opera in his company debut and Des Moines Metro Opera as Thomas McKeller in the chamber version premiere of Damien Geter and Lila Palmer’s American Apollo; starring as Captain Macheath in a film adaptation of Kurt Weill’s The Threepenny Opera produced by City Lyric Opera; and debuting at the Bard SummerScape Festival as Mordred in Chausson’s Le roi Arthus. Justin created the role of Pyarelel Kaul in the critically acclaimed world premiere of Jack Perla and Rajiv Joseph’s Shalimar the Clown at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, and was featured on the commercial recording of the work.

In concert, Justin recently presented a solo recital at the Park Avenue Armory with pianist Howard Watkins. He has appeared at Carnegie Hall in the title role in Mendelssohn’s Elijah with the Oratorio Society of New York and as the baritone soloist in Margaret Bonds’ Ballad of the Brown King with the Cecilia Chorus; and with New York Festival of Song for their debut concert at Little Island in addition to their mainstage series at Kaufman Music Center. He has been featured with the Metropolitan Opera, Los Angeles Opera, Bayerische Staatsoper, Glimmerglass Festival, Opera Maine, Opera Saratoga, Mistral Music, Voices of Ascension, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Copland House, and Strathmore Music Center, plus the Hamburg International, Penn Square, Lakes Area, and Moab Music Festivals. Justin has previously joined IDAGIO for online concerts at the Global Concert Hall.

As a multifaceted musician, Justin enjoys performing a wide range of repertoire, from jazz, R&B, and musical theater, to opera and oratorio. He has collaborated, performed, and recorded with multiple groups and artists such as Aretha Franklin, The Boys Choir of Harlem, Mary J. Blige, Elton John, Lauryn Hill, The Roots, 30 Seconds to Mars, John Cale, Ricky Ian Gordon, Kanye West, Avner Finberg, M. Roger Holland, Jack Perla, Peter Andreacchi, and Odeline de la Martinez, plus jazz legends Reggie Workman, Hugh Masekela, and Wynton Marsalis.

Justin strongly believes in utilizing his artistry to benefit music programs, new music projects, and community services worldwide. He works with organizations such as MEND (Meeting Emergency Needs with Dignity), QSAC (Quality Services for the Autism Community), Holt International, and St. Mary’s Children’s Hospital to construct and perform benefit concerts. The proceeds of these projects supply emergent living essentials to those in need.

Justin has received accolades and awards from The Recording Academy, NAACP, George London Foundation, Washington National Opera, Opera Ebony, Gerda Lissner Foundation, Manhattan School of Music, NANM, Choir Academy of Harlem, and Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. He is the recipient of a 2023 Mabel Dorn Reeder Award from Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, which goes to “the single artist in each season with the greatest potential to make a significant contribution to the art form of opera.” Justin is under the tutelage and mentorship of Catherine Malfitano.

Born in Stuttgart, Germany, Justin Austin is an alumnus of the Choir Academy of Harlem, Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, Heidelberg Lied Akademie, and Manhattan School of Music (M.M. and B.M.). To learn more, visit www.justin-austin.com.

Laura Ward is pianist and co-Artistic Director of Lyric Fest. As a distinguished collaborative pianist she is known for both her technical ability and vast knowledge of repertoire and styles. Concert engagements have taken her to Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Boston’s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, the Spoleto Festival (Italy) and the Colmar International Music Festival and Saint Denis Festival in France. She has served on the faculty of The CoOPERAtive Program at Westminster Choir College, The Academy of Vocal Arts, Temple University, Ravinia Festival Stean’s Institute, Washington Opera, University of Maryland and The Music Academy of the West.

Laura’s discography includes Lineage (with Grammy-nominated baritone Randall Scarlata), In This Blue Room – Lyric Fest performs Songs of Kile Smith, Daron Hagen 21st Century Song Cycles, Hat er mir Rosen Gebracht – Songs of Joseph Marx (with soprano Kendra Colton), Songs of Innocence/ The Raven (with The Raven Consort) and most recently, Spirits in Bondage (songs of Benjamin C.S. Boyle). Laura is also a recording artist and editor of song accompaniments for publisher Hal Leonard having co-edited: Richard Strauss: 40 Songs, Gabriel Fauré: 50 Songs, and Johannes Brahms: 75 Songs and recorded over 2000 song accompaniments for Hal Leonard Publishing. These volumes have helped countless singers and pianists experience, learn and enjoy the art song repertoire and also help introduce a world of art song to many who have had little exposure to classical song.

A native of Texas, Laura received her Bachelor in Music degree from Baylor University, holds a Masters in Collaborative Piano at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and a Doctorate In Collaborative Piano from the University of Michigan where she was a student of Martin Katz.

Damien Geter is an acclaimed composer who infuses classical music with various styles from the Black diaspora to create music that furthers the cause for social justice, as well as a celebrated bass-baritone – “amazing to listen to. Possessed of a rolling, resonant voice even at the lowest register” (Northwest Reverb) – whose varied credits include performances from the operatic stage to the television screen. He is Composer-in-Residence at the Richmond Symphony through the 2024-25 season, and serves as Interim Music Director and Artistic Advisor at Portland Opera, as well as the Artistic Advisor for Resonance Ensemble.

Geter’s rapidly growing body of work includes chamber, vocal, orchestral, and full operatic works, with his compositions being praised for their “Skillful vocal writing” (Wall Street Journal). In the 2023-2024 season, Des Moines Metro Opera presents the full-length world premiere of his opera, American Apollo, while Virginia Opera holds a workshop of Loving v. Virginia, a new major work co-commissioned by Virginia Opera and the Richmond Symphony which will premiere as part of Virginia Opera’s 50th Anniversary Season in May 2025. Geter’s Annunciation is featured on Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s concert Montgomery and the Blacknificent 7, and Richmond Symphony will premiere a brand new work to be conducted by Music Director Valentina Peleggi. Additionally, The Recording Inclusivity Initiative records String Quartet No. 1 “Neo-Soul”.

Future commissions include premieres at Seattle Opera and Emmanuel Music, and world premiere operatic productions in 2024, 2025, and 2026 at the Des Moines Metro, Virginia, InSeries, and Portland Operas. Geter will also have subsequent premieres at Richmond Symphony. Meanwhile, last season, COTTON was given its world premiere in Philadelphia followed by its Washington, D.C. premiere at The Kennedy Center, presented by Washington Performing Arts, and his motet was performed by Emmanuel Music. He also conducted his own piece, An African American Requiem, at Fort Worth Opera, plus led the performance of ABSENCE: Terence Blanchard with Portland Opera.

In 2022 alone, Geter had six premieres as a composer: His large work, An African American Requiem, in partnership with Resonance Ensemble and the Oregon Symphony with subsequent performances at the Kennedy Center; I Said What I Said for Imani Winds, co-commissioned by Anima Mundi Productions, Chamber Music Northwest, and The Oregon Bach Festival; his one-act opera Holy Ground for Glimmerglass Opera; Elegy for the American Guild of Organists; The Bronze Legacy for Chicago Symphony Orchestra; and the chamber version of American Apollo for Des Moines Metro Opera.

Opera Today praises his bass-baritone sound palette, which “is very much his own distinct voice, and invigoratingly fresh”, while The News Tribune calls him “superb”. In the 2023-2024 season, Geter portrays the role of abolitionist and historian William Still in Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Paul Moravec’s oratorio Sanctuary Road, presented by Virginia Opera, and based on the writings of Still, who is credited with helping nearly 800 enslaved African Americans escape to freedom. He also joins Auburn Symphony Orchestra in Ralph Vaughan Williams’ A Sea Symphony and Rembrandt Chamber Musicians in The Wayfarer’s Melodies: A Musical Journey, singing the John Ireland Songs of a Wayfarer cycle.

Last season’s performance credits featured the vocalist as Archibald Craven in The Secret Garden with Hawaii Opera Theatre, plus concert credits entailing Handel’s Messiah with North Carolina Symphony and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Fresno Philharmonic. Favorite recent season highlights include Geter’s Metropolitan Opera debut in the Grammy award-winning production of Porgy and Bess as the Undertaker. He performed the title role of Quamino in the world premiere of Errollyn Wallen’s Quamino’s Map with Chicago Opera Theatre; as Angelotti in Tosca with the Portland and Eugene Operas; and as Sam in Reno Symphony’s Voices of a Nation: Trouble in Tahiti. In concert, Geter performed as the bass soloist in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 with the Richmond Symphony and in the role of William Still in Sanctuary Road with the Oakland Symphony.

On television, Geter made his TV debut in the role of John Sacks on NBC’s Grimm and was seen in Netflix’s Trinkets. Musical theater credits include Kevin Rosario in Lin Manuel-Miranda’s In the Heights and Pontius Pilate in Jesus Christ Superstar.

Geter is an alumnus of the Austrian American Mozart Festival and the Aspen Opera Center, and was a semifinalist for the Irma Cooper Vocal Competition. He also toured with the prestigious American Spiritual Ensemble, a group that helps to promote the preservation of the American art form – the spiritual.

He is the owner of DG Music, Sans Fear Publishing. Music in Context: An Examination of Western European Music Through a Sociopolitical Lens, the book he co-authored, is available on Amazon, or directly from the publisher, Kendall Hunt.Learn more at www.damiengetermusic.com.

About The 92nd Street Y, New York: The 92nd Street Y, New York (92NY) is a world-class center for the arts and innovation, a convener of ideas, and an incubator for creativity. 92NY offers extensive classes, courses and events online including live concerts, talks and master classes; fitness classes for all ages; 250+ art classes, and parenting workshops for new moms and dads. The 92nd Street Y, New York is transforming the way people share ideas and translate them into action all over the world. All of 92NY’s programming is built on a foundation of Jewish values, including the capacity of civil dialogue to change minds; the potential of education and the arts to change lives; and a commitment to welcoming and serving people of all ages, races, religions, and ethnicities. For more information, visit www.92NY.org.

The post 92NY presents the New York premiere of COTTON: Denyce Graves, mezzo-soprano and Justin Austin, baritone appeared first on Martin Cid Magazine.