Studio Company
“I believe that no matter what one is creating, the quality of the process determines the quality of the result.”
…Tom Diamond, director
Developed with assistance from the
Tapestry mounts one mainstage production and one co-production per year, yet we are busy year-round in the Ernest Balmer Studio, guiding artists through the collaborative process of new opera creation.
Led by Studio Company Resident Director Tom Diamond (Opera to Go 2006, Iron Road), Tapestry’s new Studio Company addresses the need for regular and ongoing collaboration between composers, writers, singers, directors, dramaturges and répétiteurs throughout the life cycle of each new work.
PHOTO: Opera to Go 2006 workshop
In addition to providing a nurturing environment for creative artists (composers and writers), Tapestry is evolving a vocabulary for the performance of new opera, a liberating approach to dramatic singing that in turn feeds the creative process. Building upon traditional classical training, we welcome singers into the process as creative partners, not merely interpreters. They are encouraged to participate in collaborative exploration and fully engage their artistic instincts in the discovery of new music drama.
“To be an active part of the dramaturgical/developmental process…was invaluable to me as a singing actor. Being able to safely express my opinions and ideas while experimenting vocally and dramatically is an opportunity afforded too infrequently. I felt I was given the time and the possibility to personally discover details in the music and text that are not as likely to be touched upon in a normally tight rehearsal schedule. Uncovering the qualities that are required of the composer and librettist when writing for the voice was as much a learning experience for me as it was for them.”
.…Jessica Lloyd, mezzo soprano