Emerging Voices Project

Elisabeth Halliday and Zach Herchen have created the Emerging Voices Project to commission, perform, and record music for voice and saxophone. The project was inspired by Lori Laitman's "I Never Saw Another Butterfly," a musical setting of poetry written by Jewish children who lived in the concentration camp Theresienstadt. Elisabeth and Zach selected composers Kathleen Bader, Adam Knauss, and George Lam to write pieces based on the themes of childhood and loss of innocence. They premiered the works in recital throughout 2011 and the CD was recently released (purchase).

For more information please visit: http://emergingvoicesproject.blogspot.com/.

Five Lovers Update

In December 2010, soprano/poet Jama Jandrokovic and pianist Andrew Rosenblum recorded Lori’s “Five Lovers.” The upcoming CD will include other settings of Jama’s poetry, by composers Paul Moravec and Luna Pearl Woolf. Details about the release will be forthcoming, and for more information, please visit http://www.jamajandrokovic.com/

From Muse to Music: Exploring the Craft of the American Song

A video from the November 14, 2010 panel on American Song at the Philoctetes Center in NYC is now up on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vb9ZZdueGf0

The presentation includes a performance and discussion with violinist Stephanie Chase, soprano Hope Hudson, and composers Tom Cipullo, Richard Pearson Thomas and Lori Laitman.

Lori's Music on the Opera America "Salon Series" in New York City

The NY premiere of excerpts from The Scarlet Letter took place on September 15, 2010, when Lori's music was showcased on Opera America's "Salon Series: Exploring American Voices" with Sari Gruber, Vale Rideout and Randall Scarlata. Click here to view the video. The Scarlet Letter excerpts start at 18:33 in this video.

Recital of Lori's Music at the Cosmos Club

On May 23, 2010, there was a recital of Lori’s music at The Cosmos Club in Washington, DC. The concert was part of the “America Sings in the Nation’s Capitol 2010: A Festival of American Music for Voice.” Selections included the premiere of Lori’s cycle The Blood Jet (poetry by Sylvia Plath), songs setting the poetry of Dana Gioia, and excerpts from Lori’s opera The Scarlet Letter, to a new libretto by poet David Mason. Renowned vocalists Sari Gruber and Randall Scarlata were accompanied by the composer.