HOT presents the digital world premiere of Laura Kaminsky and Kimberly Reed’s Hometown to the World
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, April 20, 2021 (Honolulu, Hawai’i) – The HOT Digital season closes with its largest undertaking yet – the Digital World-Premiere of Laura Kaminsky and Kimberly Reed’s newest opera, Hometown to the World. Commissioned by The Santa Fe Opera and Co-Commissioned by Hawai’i Opera Theatre, the production premieres on HOT Digital on May 21, 2021 (1:00pm HST).
Andrew Morgan, HOT General Director shares, “Hawaiʻi Opera Theatre is proud to be a commissioning partner with The Santa Fe Opera in their Opera for All Voices program. When I first heard about Hometown to the World, I was immediately taken by the humanity of the characters. I knew it would be a good fit for HOT as we serve a diverse community that has a history with immigration. Our original plan was for live performances at the Orvis Auditorium on the campus of the University of Hawaiʻi-Manoa, but I felt this was a work that could be told powerfully in the digital platform we pivoted to during the current pandemic. Although the impetus for the story is an act of violence, Laura and Kimberly’s opera focuses on the humanity of just three individuals – each representing distinct aspects of the larger community – and how they come to terms with their grief and loss, ultimately envisioning a path to healing. It is a powerful work that does not shy from the politics of immigration but also tells a universal story of humanity in the face of crisis.”
We are not that far removed in history from the events of Hometown to the World, and immigrant rights remains a painful point of division for many countries. On May 12, 2008, Postville, Iowa was the site of the single largest workplace raid in US history at the time. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency (ICE) agents arrested 398 employees at the largest Kosher slaughterhouse and meat packing plant in the country, for suspected undocumented immigrants, aggravated identity theft, and child labor law violations. Those numbers represented 25% of the population at the time, and another 25% left the town in the days and weeks following the raid, devastating the town’s economy which had seen a resurgence with the establishment of the meatpacking plant.
Local favorites Sarah Lambert Connelly and Maya Hoover are joined by newcomer Ian McGuffin as three individuals whose lives are turned upside down yet find a path for healing. Karen Tiller returns to direct and Benjamin Makino makes his HOT debut as conductor, leading six musicians from the Hawai’i Symphony Orchestra. While the pair share connections to Memphis Opera and HOT, this is their first time working together. The production was filmed by Dave Hunt of Sky Legend Films, who has brought to life all of the HOT Digital productions this season
Hometown to the World premieres on HOT Digital on May 21, 2021 (1:00pm HST) and will be available thereafter for purchase. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased online at HOTDigital.VHX.TV. For any questions or help with tickets, contact the HOT Box Office via email at hottickets@hawaiiopera.org or call 808.596.7858. Subscribe to the HOT Digital Season with the HOT Digital Pass for just $60 and see all five productions of the Season.
MEDIA CONTACT
Jason Walter / Hawaiʻi Opera Theatre / j_walter@hawaiiopera.org
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Credits
Hometown to the World
Music by Laura Kaminsky
Libretto by Kimberly Reed
Commissioned by The Santa Fe Opera through Opera for All Voices
Co-Commissioned by Hawai’i Opera Theatre
By arrangement with Bill Holab Music
Online Broadcast – Available Worldwide
Watch on your computer, mobile device or TV*
View anytime on-demand starting this Friday, May 21, 2021.
World Premiere on HOT Digital
Enjoy this groundbreaking concert in the comfort of your home.
Friday, May 21, 2021
1:00pm HST / 7:00pm EST
Available On-Demand Thereafter
Tickets – $25
Single Tix – https://hotdigital.vhx.tv/products/hometown-to-the-world-a-digital-world-premiere
HOT Digital Pass Subscription – https://hotdigital.vhx.tv/products/hot-digital-pass-1
HOT Digital – Free App
Download HOT Digital’s free app today and watch on the go or cast to your television from your Apple or Android mobile devices. To view on your TV, you must have a casting device (Apple TV, Chromecast, Fire, Roku, etc.) or Smart TV.
Apple App: http://apple.co/3cabX2R
Android App: http://bit.ly/2NAPOk5
About Hawai’i Opera Theatre
Opera has been part of island culture for more than a century. Its history in Hawaiʻi, which dates back to the 1850s, includes stories of Queen Emma singing in the chorus of Verdi’s Il Trovatore while her husband, King Kamehameha IV served as the stage manager! Today, Hawai’i Opera Theatre is known for its vibrant and creative productions and award-winning education programs.
Since 1961, Hawai’i Opera Theatre (HOT), founded as a division of the Honolulu Symphony Society and incorporated in 1980, has served to enhance the quality of life in Hawaiʻi by presenting opera performances and education programs of the highest standards. With its upcoming commemoration of 60 years as the only professional opera company in Hawaiʻi, HOT is one of the largest performing arts organizations in the state with performances and education presentations on all of the major islands. In May, 2019, General Director Andrew Morgan became the company’s fifth executive leader, bringing over 25 years of experience as a non-profit leader, singer and stage director.
HOT’s year-round educational programs serve as both catalyst and active participant in the artistic education of Hawai’i’s youth, serving over 20,000 students, parents and teachers each year. Opera for Everyone provides access to a dress rehearsal for each of HOT’s mainstage productions for a large and enthusiastic audience of students. Opera Express takes opera into elementary and middle schools with special tours to all neighbor islands of an engaging and age-appropriate production. HOT’s Opera Residency program brings our education and production staff members into an elementary school to work with students and teachers to compose an opera production centered on curriculum components. Adult education offerings include Opera Highlights, a non-credit course at the University of Hawaii; Opera Previews, a lecture and Q&A with artists at the Honolulu Museum of Art; pre-performance Lanai Lectures on the Neal S. Blaisdell Concert Hall lanai; and other presentations at venues throughout the state. For the 2020-2021 Season, the company has adapted all of its artistic and education programs for online distribution through HOT Digital.