For immediate release:
5 October 2008
WSKG-TV presents the world premiere showing of:
Opera Cowpokes Alive!
Opera Stars Sing Classic Western and Country Western Songs
Special Guests Galumpha
Thursday, October 23, 2008
10:00 pm
WSKG-TV - public television, Binghamton, NY
Whoa, there! Can it be true? The Opera Cowpokes are riding
the airwaves into town with that special blend of horseplay, vengeance,
lost (and found) love. Catch the world premiere telecast of Opera
Cowpokes Alive! on WSKG Public Television, Thursday, October 23
at 10 pm.. This professionally filmed video features stars from
Tri-Cities Opera, a hot western swing band and a cast of
cowgirl dancers, with a special appearance by Binghamton's
globetrotting dance troupe, Galumpha. Grab your boots and hang on to
your hat, Lucia di Lammermoor meets Lucille in Opera Cowpokes Alive!
Filmed on an organic vegetable farm overlooking Cayuga Lake,
Opera Cowpokes Alive! features opera stars performing western and
country/western songs , traditional folk tunes and operatic
favorites. Producers baritone Steven Stull and choreographer
Jeanne Goddard break down the barriers between "classical" and
"popular" music and bring together an impressive collection of
performers from both worlds. They have also crafted new cowboy and
cowgirl song lyrics, a series of mythical letters between cowpokes and
their gals, and a new form of sometimes outrageous cowboy poetry - the
“Opera Cowpoke Haiku”.
Well known to audiences throughout Central New York and the
Southern Tier from their performances with Tri-Cities Opera,
Glimmerglass Opera, and Syracuse Opera, the nationally known singers
include: Steven Stull, Timothy LeFebvre, Peter Sicilian, Todd Geer,
Melisse Weber and Linda Larson. The Opera Cowpokes Orchestra features
some of Ithaca's best loved players: bassist and music director Peter
Chwazik, guitarist Dave Davies, mandolin and fiddle players Rick
Manning and Max Buckholtz, pianist Molly MacMillan . Dancers in the
production represent the entire Finger Lakes region and include: Donna
Davenport, Ariel Fajardo, Jeanne Goddard, Karen Koyanagi, Mary Ellen
Lagana, Shelly Ray, Claire Webster and Cadence Whittier. Popular
Binghamton dancers, Greg O’Brien, Andy Horowitz and Marlon Torres of
Galumpha perform their comic trio to the classic “Ragtime Cowboy Joe”.
Opera Cowpokes Alive! was directed and edited by the late
filmmaker, Daniel Booth, then director of Cornell University's
Educational Television Center. Eric Gasteiger, who served as primary
cameraman for the eight camera shoot, took over as finishing editor
after Booth's untimely death. Filming before a live audience, Booth and
his crew capture the excitement of the performance as it moves from
Grand Opera to Grand Ol' Opry in a spectacular setting overlooking
Cayuga Lake.
Opera Cowpokes Alive! can also be seen on a DVD with "behind
the scenes" extras and additional footage not seen on the broadcast.
The DVD and CD of the production, as well as the original CD, "Opera
Cowpokes", are available from the CRS Barn Studio and other retail
outlets. For more information visit http://www.operacowpokes.com
OPERA COWPOKES AUDIENCE REVIEWS:
"We attended last year, and had a rip-roar'n, dirt-kick'n
time!"
>From an country and western fan
"you blew my socks off - boots and all"
>From an opera fan:
"I've never considered myself either a country or a western
fan, but was mighty taken by
the renditions ... It's a fun change from lust,
vengeance, dying consumptives and so on."
CONTACT: STEVEN STULL, CRS Barn Studio
607-257-2043 voice,
607-257-2195 fax, crsbarn@lightlink.com
www.operacowpokes.com
WHAT: OPERA COWPOKES ALIVE! world premiere
broadcast
WHERE: WSKG-TV, public television,
Binghamton, NY
WHEN: THURSDAY, OCTOBER 23, 10:00 PM
The CRS Barn Studio is an offshoot of CRS Growers, an organic
vegetable farm, and is in its eighteenth season of presenting an
eclectic series of music and dance performances. The studio overlooks
Cayuga Lake. The original Opera Cowpokes recording and other CRS Barn
studio recordings are available in compact disc format at many retail
locations throughout Tompkins County or directly from CRS Barn Studio.