Thank you to Givonna Joseph for this terrific interview!

http://www.examiner.com/article/dan-shore-a-composer-of-vision

Baritone Ivan Griffin, who made his debut this past weekend with New Orleans Opera, is the subject of a terrific interview in Examiner.com by Givonna Joseph.

Here’s what Ivan had to say about us:

In Freedom Ride I played the role of Clayton, a young activist, who recruits other young people to participate in the “rides.” It is one of the most emotionally challenging roles that I’ve sung in quite some time. It was difficult to not get caught up. The work is powerful, poignant, and significant. It’s a story of which we need to be reminded. It’s a show of which I am honored to be a part.

http://www.examiner.com/article/ivan-griffin-makes-a-masterful-debut-new-orleans-opera-s-madama-butterfly

Thank you, Ivan, and thank you, Givonna!

I am very pleased to announce that our April showcase of Freedom Ride at the French Quarter Festival has been nominated for a Big Easy Award under the category of “Best Performance of New Classical Music.”  Part of that nomination was for our performance on that same program of my (still unfinished) song cycle Catharine Cole’s Correspondence, when I was thrilled to share the stage with two of my favorite people, Dara Rahming and Meredeth Rouse.

The awards banquet will take place on Monday, January 7 at 11:00am at the Hotel Monteleone in New Orleans.  This annual “Tribute to the Classical Arts” will feature selections from a number of the nominees, and yes, Dara will be singing something from Freedom Ride, too!

I am, as always, grateful to Longue Vue House and Gardens for their support of this project, and honored to represent the music department at Xavier University of Louisiana, especially all of my students and colleagues who worked so hard and performed so brilliantly at the French Quarter Festival.

http://www.bestofneworleans.com/gambit/the-2013-big-easy-classical-arts-awards/Content?oid=2113487

Media Coverage for Freedom Ride

Thanks to Longue Vue House and Garden’s brilliant publicists, Charlotte LeCorgne and Shira Pinsker, Freedom Ride has been getting a lot of press in New Orleans!  Below are links to some television clips from WGNO (ABC) with the lovely Chriss Knight, as well as articles in the New Orleans Times-Picayune, the Louisiana Weekly, and the NOLA Defender.

http://www.abc26.com/news/local/wgno-news-freedom-ride,0,3275821.story

http://www.abc26.com/news/newswithatwist/snapshot-new-orleans/wgno-freedome-riders-march-anniversary-20111019,0,4842919.story

http://www.nola.com/arts/index.ssf/2011/10/xavier_prof_pens_opera_set_in.html

http://www.nola.com/society/index.ssf/2011/10/nell_nolans_social_scene_trio.html

http://www.louisianaweekly.com/short-run-opera-showcases-civil-rights-movement-activists/

http://noladefender.com/content/freedom-ride-civil-rights-opera-debuts-tonight-longue-vue-gardens