Here's an insightful article about Tod Machover in the October issue of Opera News. Written by Philip Kennicott, Pulitzer prize-winning critic for the Washington Post, the article delves into the evolution of the music and gets to the heart of what the operas are about. Refreshing! Some great quotes: "…Machover, voluble and friendly in person, confounds expectations. Valis, …
David Almond on BBC’s Desert Island Discs
Check out this wonderful interview with David Almond on the BBC's Desert Island Discs series. David discusses children's literature and the music he'd want if he were a castaway. Thirty minutes into the interview he talks about the opera version of Skellig, on which he collaborated with composer Tod Machover. Here's what BBC program says about …
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Tod Machover at Computer History Museum Tomorrow
This just in from Tod: Sorry for the late notice, but I thought you might be interested in a talk I am giving tomorrow evening, June 27, at the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, CA. I'll be interviewed by John Hollar, Director of the museum, and we'll cover a range of topics from Hyperinstruments, …
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Project Toronto – Genesis (Interview with Gary Kulesha)
Interview by Jennifer Green, Project Manager for the 2013 New Creation’s Festival A Toronto Symphony project. Every March the Toronto Symphony Orchestra presents the New Creations Festival. Season curator and composer, Tod Machover, will create a new work that will be premiered by the orchestra in Roy Thomson Hall on March 9, 2013. The work will be …
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Meet the Digital Composer: Tod Machover
Whether he’s creating genre-breaking compositions for the concert hall, “robotic” operas for worldwide stages, software that allows anyone to compose original music, or musical activities that can diagnose illness and restore health, Tod Machover’s unique vision is shaping the future of music. Join us as Tod discusses his new opera "Death and the Powers" and …
Interview with James Maddalena (Simon Powers)
Baritone James Maddalena chats about his role as Simon Powers in the new opera Death and the Powers. He describes the character of Powers. At the end of Scene Two, "he goes completely digital. He leaves his body behind and goes into the system." Maddalena vanishes from the set and sings from an off-stage location …
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Meet the Artists: Sara Heaton (understudy for Miranda)
Soprano Sara Heaton is a semi-finalist in this year’s Competizione dell’opera in Dresden, was a finalist in the 2010 Giulio Gari competition, and a regional finalist in the Metropolitan Opera competition in 2008. She had her professional opera debut as Despina in Così fan tutte with the Boston Baroque orchestra, led by conductor Martin Pearlman. …
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Meet the Artists – Karole Armitage (Choreographer)
Choreographer Karole Armitage's role in Death and the Powers was to create the human and technologic gestures and movements that would embody the story and emotion of the opera. Although Karole has worked with as diverse a range of performers as any choreographer - from elite classical ballet dancers to pop stars like Madonna and …
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Meet the Artists – Alex McDowell (Production Designer)
Alex McDowell is one of the most innovative and influential designers working in narrative media, with the impact of his ideas extending far beyond his background in cinema. Alex advocates an immersive design process that acknowledges the key world-building role of design in storytelling. He currently serves as adjunct professor at the Interactive Media Department/School …
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Meet the Artists – Joélle Harvey (Miranda)
Joélle Harvey shines in the demanding role of Miranda, the daughter of Simon Powers. Miranda is in her late teens, a young woman of intelligence and sensitivity, special and prescient. She is Antigone, Cordelia. Here she performs a duet with her stepmother Evvy, from Scene 1. Recorded during rehearsals at the Cutler Majestic Theater, Boston, …
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Opera of the Future 