By Kelly Skinner
NEWS RELEASE
Contact:
Kelly Skinner, director of public relations
732-247-7200, ext. 542
[email protected]
Renu Verma, marketing & pr coordinator
732-247-7200, ext. 517
[email protected]
East Village Opera Company
Friday, April 3, 2009, 8pm; $40, $30, $25, $20
Ticket Office: 732-246-SHOW (7469)
New Brunswick, NJ (March 11, 2009)—State Theatre presents the Grammy® nominated rock/opera group East Village Opera Company (EVOC) on Friday, April 3 at 8pm. EVOC—a powerhouse rock band, string quartet, and two phenomenal vocalists—brings the towering emotion and timeless musicality of opera into the 21st century with inventive, hard-hitting rock arrangements of opera’s greatest hits including “La donna è mobile” from Rigoletto, “Habanera” from Carmen, and “Nessun dorma” from Turandot —performed at full length and in the original languages. EVOC is sponsored by Rutgers Student Life and underwritten by Andy Chen and Heidi Mass. Tickets range from $20-40(student and group discounts apply).
Other songs in the program include: “King Of The Night” from the opera Die Zauberflöte; “Soldiers” from the opera Faust; “Flower Duet” from the opera Lakmé; “Brindisi Libera” from the opera la Traviata; the “Butterfly Duet” from the opera Madama ButterflyPeterKiesewalter (co-founder and multi-instrumentalist)Tyley Ross (co-founder and lead vocalist)Anne-Marie Milazzo (vocalist)MarcCopely (guitarist)Thad DeBrock (guitarist)Jeff Lipstein (drummer)Richard Hammond (bassist)Stuart Watkins (bassist)Ben Butler (guitarist).
The concept of the EVOC is totally fresh—an integrated, eleven-strong working band dedicated to rocking the opera and electrifying the classics, as the ensemble has been doing to spectacular effect ever since its New York stage debut in the spring of 2004.
The East Village Opera Company was co-founded by lead singer Tyley Ross and arranger/multi-instrumentalist Peter Kiesewalter. They assembled a full-on rock band, adding two guitars, bass, and drums to Peter’s keyboards, then synched it to a string quartet. For their major label debut, female vocalist AnnMarie Milazzo was recruited for impassioned duets with Tyley Ross.
EVOC comes from a fresh, new direction by being one of the only bands to have fans follow them from eclectic rock clubs to classical concert halls. “With modern recording technology and a wide variety of musical styles at our disposal, our goal has been to approach these songs the way we feel the composers would were they alive today,” says EVOC vocalist Tyley Ross.
By embracing what Peter Kiesewalter calls “the pomposity of rock and the pomposity of opera” without demeaning or satirizing either form, the East Village Opera Company flies where count less other “classical-crossover” efforts have failed.
“We have a profound love and respect for the opera,” Peter insists. “But it’s so dramatic, so over the top by today’s standards, that it cannot be delivered with a straight face. You need a little bit of irreverence in it.”
Some of their notable performances include the Sundance Film Festival, the Miss USA pageant, and the world-premiere of the Da Vinci Code. The ensemble has released three CDs. Most recently they received a Grammy® nomination for “Best Classical Crossover Album” for their latest record Olde School.
For tickets (or a brochure), call the State Theatre ticket office at 732-246-SHOW (7469), or visit us online at www.StateTheatreNJ.org. The State Theatre ticket office, located at 15 Livingston Ave, New Brunswick NJ, is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday 10am to 6pm; Wednesday 11am to 7pm and at least one hour prior to curtain on performance dates. For information on group outings and discounts, call 732-247-7200, ext. 536.
The State Theatre, a premier nonprofit venue for the performing arts and entertainment. The theater exists to enrich people’s lives, contribute to a vital urban environment, and build future audiences by presenting the finest performing artists and entertainers and fostering lifetime appreciation for the performing arts through education. The State Theatre’s programs are made possible, in part, by funding from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, and contributions from numerous corporations, foundations, and individuals. Continental Airlines is the official airline of the State Theatre. The Heldrich is the official hotel of the State Theatre. The Star-Ledger is the official newspaper of the State Theatre. William Grant & Sons, our season spirits’ sponsor.
East Village Opera Company
Fri, April 3 at 8pm
$40, $30, $25, $20
Sponsored by Rutgers Student Life and underwritten by Andy Chen and Heidi Mass
STATE THEATRE
15 Livingston Ave
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
Ticket Office – 732-246-SHOW (7469)
Online – www.StateTheatreNJ.org
PHOTOS AND INTERVIEWS FURNISHED UPON REQUEST
Please contact Kelly Skinner at
732-247-7200, ext. 542 or by email at [email protected].
Information in this release is current as of March 11, 2009.
For up-to-the-minute information on events and State Theatre news,
visit the State Theatre online at www.StateTheatreNJ.org.

