Internationally acclaimed mezzo Raehann Bryce-Davis (Metropolitan Opera) releases her debut album Stand The Storm, including the work "Unspoken (Erola)" by composer Jake Landau and poet Leslie Andrea Williams.
Stand The Storm also features music by Kamala Sankaram, Rene Orth, Melissa Dunphy, Maria Thompson Corley, Paul Moravec, Tariq Al-Sabir, Timothy Amukele, Peter Ashbourne, Jacqueline Hairston, and more. Featured collaborative artists on the album include South African pianist Jeanne-Minette Cilliers, American violinist Reuben Kebede, South African cellist Thapelo Masita, American Percussionist Christian McGhee, and the Juilliard Ivalas String Quartet. Donations to the album accepted here.
Read more about Landau's piece "Unspoken (Erola)" here.
Following its premiere in Italy (The Narnia Festival), workshop presentation in New York (Opera America), production in Oklahoma in its full orchestration (OKCU), and award-winning documentary, PIETÀ comes to Texas in a new production by Red River Lyric Opera. An original prologue to Puccini's Suor Angelica, PIETÀ dives into the characters of La Zia Principessa and Genovieffa and their relationship to the orphanage, prison, and conservatory known as the Pietà.
Music by Jake Landau
Libretto by Jake Landau and Andrea DelGiudice
For their debut album "In This Short Life", mezzo Devony Smith and pianist Danny Zelibor have commissioned 10 minutes of new music by composer Jake Landau. The two resultant artsongs, "Sew My True Love (Jubilee)" and "The Sake Of You", were recorded in October 2024 for release in 2025. The songs are composed on text by Appalachian folk singer Jean Ritchie for mezzo, drone, and piano.
“In This Short Life” will feature compositions by Mark Adamo, Grammy award-winner Jennifer Higdon, David Lang, Eve Beglarian, B.E. Boykin, Jake Landau, Will Liverman, and Benjamin Wenzelberg. Among the many wonderful poets represented are Maya Angelou, Anne Sexton, Sarah Teasdale, Tennessee Williams, Emily Dickinson, and in two of the pieces, the composers themselves. Devony and Danny are thrilled that all of these works are receiving their first studio recordings - and especially to have the chance to commission brand new music by Jake Landau and Will Liverman specifically for this album.
Soprano Candace Matthews performs "Destiny", Dido's aria from the Dido & Aeneas sequel & Aeterna (music by Jake Landau; libretto by Emily Garber).
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From Opera On Tap NYC:
We are pleased to be making our debut at The Doux Supper Club in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan for Pride 365! A portion of our ticket sales will go to our community partner, The Center. With The Christopher Berg curating, you'll hear pieces by: Stephen Sondheim, Francis Poulenc, Lee Hoiby, and more!
a new musical
Music and lyrics by Jake Landau
Book and additional lyrics by Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton
Book by Sara Gottlieb
This reading of ROSIE is produced by Lauren Weinberger and Off-Brand Opera.
Starring Tony-winner Debbie Gravitte (Jerome Robbins' Broadway), Ginna Claire Mason (Wicked), Pearl Khwezi (The Lion King), and more. For the full cast and crew, see our Press Release (Broadway World).
Playthings Theatre's annual gala fundraiser!
Honoring Jane Clementi Co-Founder and CEO of The Tyler Clementi Foundation.
Hosted by Richard Ridge of Broadway World.
Broadway star Sam Gravitte (Wicked) performs "Wandering" from PSYCHE,
Cathryn Wake (Great Comet) performs "Under Some Other Sky" from PIETÀ,
and more.
PSYCHE holds a 3-week developmental workshop at Clear Space Theatre, culminating in reading performances August 23rd-25th.
Listen to our demo tape here.
Directed by Kimille Howard.
Starring Wren Rivera, Dan Hoy, and Rebecca L. Hargrove.
Produced by Lauren Weinberger and Clear Space Theatre in Rehoboth Beach, DE.
Workshop: August 4th-25th
Performances: August 23rd-25th
The New Voice Festival presents DOMINA, a concert of new works and traditional repertoire.
In partnership with Opera Idaho, The Serenata Orchestra, and Idaho Film Society.
Featuring works by Landau including:
"Ballad Of A Great Man", "I Thought", and "Kill Him"
from the opera & AETERNA (Libretto by Emily Garber);
and
"Under Some Other Sky"
from PIETÀ (Libretto by Jake Landau and Andrea DelGiudice).
The New Voice Festival holds the American premiere of & AETERNA, paired as designed with Purcell's Dido & Aeneas, at the Egyptian Theatre in Boise, Idaho.
Directed and conceived by Andrea DelGiudice
Music directed by Jake Landau
The New Voice Festival Orchestra
Music by Jake Landau
Libretto by Emily Garber
The chamber version of Landau's "Fragment 96 'Atthis'" premieres at New Music On The Bayou's Summer Festival 2024.
"Fragment 96", by Sappho, translated into English by Emily Garber.
Dixie Center for the Arts
212 N Vienna St, Ruston, LA 71270
"The Coin Toss", Music & Lyrics by Jake Landau, will be performed at Theatre Now's "Sound Bites Eleven", a festival of 10-minute plays at Lincoln Center.
SOUND BITES ELEVEN will take place May 6th at 7pm at Merkin Hall at Kaufman Music Center (129 W 67th St, New York, NY, 10023). Pre-Sale tickets for Members begins on Sunday March 24th. Tickets for the general public go on sale Sunday April 7th. Tickets may be purchased at www.tnny.org or by calling 855-254-SHOW (7469).
George Abud, director
Sadie Veach, assistant director
Melody Valdez, music director
Starring Sam Gravitte
"Echo & Narcissus, a lil musical" with music by Jake Landau and book & lyrics by Emily Garber, sees its Boston premiere directed by Shira Gitlin, following productions with Off-Brand Opera (NYC) and The Narnia Festival (Italy).
Starring Sophia Muharram, Jalen Bunch, and Shai Wolf
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Boston Theater Marathon XXVI features ten-minute plays written by New England playwrights presented by New England theatre companies which donate their time (and talent!) to this annual event. Net proceeds are gifted to the Theatre Community Benevolent Fund, which helps area theatre artists and companies in crisis. You can learn more about this annual event here.
Selections from Rosie, a new musical, will be featured at Off-Brand Opera [lab]'s "En Route" concert.
Music & Lyrics by Jake Landau
Book and Additional Lyrics by Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton
Book by Sara Gottlieb
Introducing Off-Brand Opera [lab], a new branch of the company designed to feature works in development and spotlight what’s up-and-coming in musical theater and opera. Our [lab] branch is dedicated to hosting intimate events that create space for experimental work, emerging artists, and new compositions to shine.
En Route is our first [lab] concert and features work from Off-Brand Opera’s resident creative team alongside new material from other up-and-coming composers in NYC.
Jake Landau, composer
a showcase of original musical theater
featuring Luke Bayer (West End: Everybody's Talking About Jamie), Charlotte Kennedy(West End: Les Mis), Dan Hoy (Broadway: Harmony), Michelle Pauker, Beth Graham, Sarah Thorn, and Roza Herwig, with cellist Halcyon Sheen
23 February
14:30
The Crazy Coqs
Newly based jointly in New York and London, composer Jake Landau has gathered friends from Broadway and the West End to present a collection of his work in musical theater.
Music by Jake Landau
Lyrics by Jake Landau; Emily Garber (PSYCHE); and Marion Angus ("Mary's Song")
Directed and produced by Charles Quittner
Produced by Nathaniel Jones
"I Found The Light", a work for high school chorus, orchestra, and band, was commissioned by the Staples High School Music Department in Westport, CT. Featuring a text by Emily Garber, the work will be premiered by the SHS Music Department at their annual Candlelight Concert in December.
"I Found The Light" is a secular piece designed for performance around the winter holidays, about 7-minutes long, following the journey of one walking home through winter snow.
Following 2021's world premiere in Italy, Jake Landau and Andrea DelGiudice's one-act opera "Pietà" holds its American premiere.
"Pietà" was written to pair with Puccini's Suor Angelica, focusing on Puccini's antagonist, "La Zia Principessa" and her early relationships with Angelica, Genovieffa, and Angelica's lost baby boy. The two one-act operas will be presented as intended, together.
Music by Jake Landau
Libretto by Jake Landau and Andrea DelGiudice.
Pietà // Suor Angelica directed and conceived by Andrea DelGiudice.
INTRODUCTION
Venice,the early 1700s. Winter.
Cast against the dark, sinful city, the Ospedale della Pietà glows with hope, humor, and music. The Pietà is an orphanage that takes girls off the street and trains them to sing and play instruments, forming one of Europe’s most elite orchestras. These figlie (“daughters”of the Pietà) only ever perform from behind an impenetrable lattice, hidden from their audiences for propriety’s sake. They are cared for within the walls, but they are kept under strict lock and key by the religious officials who run the institution.
The Pietà’s two wealthy Padroni (masters),Ugo and Editta, have a teenage “grandson” named Giorgio, though their relationship is not quite so simple. Giorgio is in love with a figlia named Genovieffa, but when he takes her home to meet his grandparents, those long-repressed family secrets rush to the surface. His “grandmother” Editta, Suor Angelica’s“La Zia Principessa”, sees a chance through Genovieffa to fight her way out of years of shame and denial over what she did to her young niece Angelica—and to Angelica’s own baby, Giorgio.
Join George Abud & Katrina Lenk for a return engagement of their sold-out Birdland show “Swung”, featuring a sizzling selection of songs from the likes of Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Jordan, Marlene Dietrich, Kay Thompson, Umm Kulthum, and many more.
Jake Landau music-directs a 5-piece band from the piano, featuring Dan Berkery on drums, Sam Sadigursky on reeds, Yuka Tadano on bass, and Harvey Valdes on guitar, this will be a dreamy, madcap soirée of talk and tunes.
November 6th, 2023
Doors 5:30pm; Show 7:00pm
Nine Lyrae's upcoming art exhibition, in partnership with Brunel University London, delves into the world of synaesthesia. In this showcase, international artists will unveil their synesthetic experiences through a variety of art forms. Join us to rediscover the world through a different lens.
Immerse yourself in a world of digital art, mesmerising video projections, thought-provoking discussions, and live performances—all set against a synesthetic backdrop.
Featuring "Distance", a chamber work for clarinet, vibraphone, piano, violin, viola, and cello by Jake Landau.
Oxo Tower Wharf,
Barge House St, London
SE1 9PH,
Playthings Theatre presents:
Playfresh: MOTHER HAS ARRIVED
Honoring: Shequida Hall and Melissa D'Andrea
Including Landau's song cycle "The Coin Toss" and more.
Monday, September 25th
7:00PM
The Church of The Village
201 W13th St
New York, NY 10011
Drag Hosts: Hedie Haux & Ruby Roo!
Performances by: Jonathan Christopher, Kerry Conte, Matt Gordon, Bill Irwin, T.Rex, and more Broadway Stars waiting in the wings!
Works by: Ryan Amador, Jake Landau, Roger Q Mason, Billy Reece, Micah Young, and many more!
Ticket On Sale August 25th
Off-Brand Opera presents: a reading of PIETÀ, by Jake Landau and Andrea DelGiudice
In 2020, the world premiere of Pietà was delayed due to Covid. In response, director Andrea DelGiudice and composer/librettist Jake Landau collaborated with filmmaker Jacob Maximillian Baron to debut the piece in an innovative documentary film format, winning highest laurels from The People's Film Festival, RAGFF New York City, and more. 2021 saw the work's live premiere in Italy at The Narnia Festival, and now, in 2023, the American premiere will be produced by Oklahoma City University's prestigious opera and musical theater program.
In preparation for this production, Andrea and Jake have joined forces with Off-Brand Opera to present the music of Pietà for the first time in NYC this September in a public industry reading that features world-class performers including Devony Smith, Claire Leyden, and Jordan Pitts.
Pietà is an opera in one-act written to pair with Puccini's Suor Angelica.
INTRODUCTION
Venice,the early 1700s. Winter.
Cast against the dark, sinful city, the Ospedale della Pietà glows with hope, humor, and music. The Pietà is an orphanage that takes girls off the street and trains them to sing and play instruments, forming one of Europe’s most elite orchestras. These figlie (“daughters”of the Pietà) only ever perform from behind an impenetrable lattice, hidden from their audiences for propriety’s sake. They are cared for within the walls, but they are kept under strict lock and key by the religious officials who run the institution.
The Pietà’s two wealthy Padroni (masters),Ugo and Editta, have a teenage “grandson” named Giorgio, though their relationship is not quite so simple. Giorgio is in love with a figlia named Genovieffa, but when he takes her home to meet his grandparents, those long-repressed family secrets rush to the surface. His “grandmother” Editta, Suor Angelica’s “La Zia Principessa”, sees a chance through Genovieffa to fight her way out of years of shame and denial over what she did to her young niece Angelica—and to Angelica’s own baby, Giorgio.
Visual art by Scott Rubén LaMarca.
Writer and performer Nathaniel Jones brings his original play "Sing, River" to The Hope Theatre in London and The Pleasance Courtyard at Edinburgh Fringe.
The music of the show's title song, "Sing, River", is by Landau, the lyrics by Jones.
The Hope Theatre, London:
Edinburgh Fringe:
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That feeling, the one in my toes and my skin, the sunrise, the glow… what if that was never right in the first place?
Midsummer comes but once a year. As the seasons shift like clockwork and dawn waits on the horizon, there are secrets lurking on the riverbed. Darkness can cover a great many horrors, but now the river sings.
Weaving together an original folk score and tales from a romance best forgotten, Sing, River invites us into the hidden world of British mythology. Love Song Productions present a new queer solo show that explores the act of severing yourself from dark memories in order to survive… and the sometimes unwanted consequences that come with it.Are you ready to be swallowed into the depths of the Thames?
Content warnings: references to abuse and abusive relationships
As part of Landau's third summer at The Narnia Festival, his works will be heard at the following concerts:
9:30pm Wednesday, July 5th in Terni
9:30pm Saturday, July 8th in Narni ("Favole Sottosopra")
9:30pm Tuesday, July 11th in Amelia
Noon Saturday, July 15th in Narni ("Favole Incantate")
Highlights from his operas "Pietà" and "& Aeterna" will be performed by The Narnia Festival Orchestra conducted by Andrea Alessandrini.
Conceived and musically adapted by Jake Landau, "Riders To The Sea, the musical" is an experimental new work transforming the eponymous opera by Ralph Vaughan Williams into a contemporary musical.
With dramaturgical adaptation and new dialogue by Phoebe Corde, the play by John Millington Synge on which the show is based transforms into something entirely unique.
_ _ _ _ _ _
Off-Brand Opera's production of Riders to the Sea asks a simple question: What is the difference between opera and musical theater? This adaptation by Phoebe Corde and Jake Landau features for the first time a cast of musical theater performers, despite its performance history as an opera. Through reverent dramaturgical and musical transformation, Riders becomes a new musical with its most modern dramatic and musical moments newly illuminated in this profoundly experimental production.
Music by Ralph Vaughan Williams, adapted by Jake Landau
Libretto by John Millington Synge, adapted by Phoebe Corde
Also featuring text by William Shakespeare, Robert Louis Stevenson, and more. Additional music comes from Vaughan Williams's diverse output of song cycles, symphonies, and choral work.
Directed by George Abud
Music directed by Jake Landau
Produced by Off-Brand Opera
Featuring Clarum Sonum conducted by Rider Foster
Cast:
Sydney Kamel as AILBHE
Sam Hoffman as BARTLEY
Camille Umoff as CATHLEEN
Christine Duncan as MAURYA
Michelle Pauker as NORA
Cecilia Carollo as SIOBHAN
Legendary saxophonist and composer John Harle leads Guildhall's Bauhaus Band in the premiere of Landau's song cycle for soloists, choir, and chamber orchestra. "The Broken Rope" is composed on poetry by Bertold Brecht translated into English by leading poets and Brecht scholars Tom Kuhn and David Constantine.
Legendary saxophonist and composer John Harle leads Guildhall's Bauhaus Band in the premiere of Landau's song cycle for soloists, choir, and chamber orchestra. "The Broken Rope" is composed on poetry by Bertold Brecht translated into English by leading poets and Brecht scholars Tom Kuhn and David Constantine.
Legendary saxophonist and composer John Harle leads Guildhall's Bauhaus Band in the premiere of Landau's song cycle for soloists, choir, and chamber orchestra. "The Broken Rope" is composed on poetry by Bertold Brecht translated into English by leading poets and Brecht scholars Tom Kuhn and David Constantine.
The York Theatre Company is excited to launch their GenYork Concert, featuring composers, librettists, and performers under the age of 35. The concert includes Landau's "The Coin Toss" and an excerpt from his and librettist Sara Gottlieb's musical Rosie.
The concert will take place at 7:30 at The Theatre at St. Jean's on Monday evening, April 17, 2023. Tickets here.
An Evening of Arrows and Arias
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Celebrate queerness in theater and archery with this unique event from Off-Brand Opera and Wild Captives at Industry City!
Try your hand at the archery range while Off-Brand Opera artists perform a concert of opera and theater excerpts, featuring Landau's "The Coin Toss" as well as excerpts from the musical Psyche, the opera Pieta, and more. Enjoy an open bar (suggested donation) and come dressed to party as the epic characters and creatures that fill both operatic and fantasy lore!
Off-Brand Opera and Wild Captives share the mission of promoting and celebrating equity and inclusion in their fields. All donations received will be used to further this mission in upcoming projects.
Devony Smith, mezzo, and Danny Zelibor, piano, present an exclusive recital of art song, opera, and musical theatre including "Mary's Song" by Jake Landau.
Tuesday, March 14th
7-9pm
Stars of Broadway and the opera world lead the first 29-hour Equity reading of Psyche, an original musical with music by Landau and libretto & lyrics by Emily Garber. Directed by Eamon Foley and produced by Evan Bernardin Productions.
By invitation only. Reach out for more details or to request an invitation.
Michelle Pauker and a band led by Landau premiere his original song "The Realities of You" at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Norwalk, CT.
The new one-act opera & Aeterna, with music by Jake Landau and libretto by Emily Garber, premieres at The Narnia Festival under the direction of Andrea DelGiudice and Yuri Napoli.
Dan Hoy and a band led by Landau premiere "Ballad of a God" and "Wandering" from the original musical Psyche as part of Hoy's 54 Below debut.
Broadway star Sam Gravitte, last seen as Fiyero in Wicked on Broadway, makes his debut at the legendary Birdland Jazz Club with "Songs That Raised Me". Featuring Solea Pfeiffer and music directed from the keyboard by composer Jake Landau, the show features the world premiere of an original song cycle with words and music by Landau called "The Coin Toss", as well as his work "Come All Ye Fair". The band features guitarist Ravi Campbell, bassist Kanoa Mendenhall, and drummer Zach Mullings.