Lori Laitman, Composer-in-Residence
Lecture and Concert on Holocaust Themed Compositions
Lori Laitman
Described by Fanfare Magazine as “one of the most talented and intriguing of living composers,” Lori Laitman has composed multiple operas and choral works, and over 250 songs, setting texts by classical and contemporary poets (including those who perished in the Holocaust). Her music has generated substantial critical acclaim. The Journal of Singing wrote “It is difficult to think of anyone before the public today who equals her exceptional gifts for embracing a poetic text and giving it new and deeper life through music.”
In May 2016, Opera Colorado presented the World Premiere of Laitman’s opera The Scarlet Letter, with a libretto by David Mason. Of the CD, released by Naxos in August 2017, Gramophone Magazine wrote: “The first thing that leaps into one’s ears is the sheer beauty of the music. Laitman has devoted much of her career to the art song, and her ability to meld words with lyrical, often soaring lines is on abundant display in her…impressive and fervent opera.” The Three Feathers, Laitman’s children’s opera with librettist Dana Gioia, is based on a Grimm’s fairy tale and was commissioned by the Center for the Arts at Virginia Tech, where it premiered in October 2015. An abridged version of the work was commissioned by Seattle Opera and toured Washington State in 2018. The Hartt School will present the orchestral abridged premiere in January/February 2019 when Laitman will be Composer in Residence. Uncovered, Laitman’s opera in progress with librettist Leah Lax, based on her memoir, was a finalist for the 2018 Pellicciotti Opera Prize.
Laitman continues to receive prestigious commissions, including from Opera America, Opera Colorado, Seattle Opera, Music of Remembrance and The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. She is a magna cum laude Yale graduate and received her MM from The Yale School of Music. In May 2018, Laitman was the recipient of The Yale School of Music’s Ian Mininberg Alumni Award for Distinguished Service. For more information, please visit www.artsongs.com.
Sponsored by the Nazareth College Music Department
Tuesday's lecture is co-sponsored by Nazareth Hillel, The March: Bearing Witness to Hope and the Center for Spirituality.
For more information please contact:
Dr. Katie Hannigan
Assistant Professor of Voice
Coordinator of Vocal Studies
585-389-2178
khannig6@naz.edu