Heartbeat Opera Luigi Society enlists ‘unruly generals’
‘Breathing Free’
Each screening of this visual
album will be followed by
a live panel discussion — different
each day — addressing
a specific theme, including
mass incarceration, prison
choirs, carceral justice and
reparations, Black artistry
and queerness, activism and
allyship.
“ B r e a t h i n g
Free” stars three singers –
Derrell Acon, bass-baritone;
Curtis Bannister, tenor;
and Kelly Griffin, soprano –
and three dancers – Randy
Castillo, Tamrin Goldberg
and Brian “HallowDreamz”
Henry.
In addition, “Breathing
Free” will also highlight
the voices of more than 100
incarcerated singers and 70
volunteers from six prison
choirs:
Oakdale Community
Choir, KUJI Men’s Chorus,
UBUNTU Men’s Chorus,
HOPE Thru Harmony Women’s
Choir, East Hill Singers
and Voices of Hope.
The production will be
directed by Ethan Heard;
co-music directed by Daniel
Schlosberg and Jacob Ashworth;
arrangements by Daniel
Schlosberg and Sean
Mayes; creative production
by Ras Dia; movement direction
by Emma Jaster; and
filmmaking by Anaiis Cisco.
The six performances take
place on Heartbeat’s YouTube
Channel on Friday, Dec. 4 at
8:00 pm; Saturday, Dec. 5 at
8:00 pm; Sunday, Dec. 6 at
3:00 pm; Thursday, Dec. 10
at 8:00 pm; Friday, Dec. 11 at
8:00 pm; and Saturday, Dec.
12 at 3:00 pm.
“In its first six seasons,
Heartbeat Opera has dedicated
Caribbean L 34 ife, November 6-12, 2020
itself to reinterpreting
‘the classics’ to make them
more accessible and relevant
to today’s audiences,” said
Heard, Heartbeat Opera Co-
Artistic Director. “So far,
we have only produced the
work of white composers and
librettists.”
He said “Breathing Free”
is about “expanding our definition
of ‘the canon’ and
celebrating the voices of
Black artists — onstage and
behind the scenes.
“We have assembled a
wonderful team of 30 collaborators,
the majority of
whom are Black, and we
are connecting with dozens
of students, primarily
Black, brown, and people of
color,” Heard said. “Every
day, in rehearsal, the words
and music of the songs in
‘Breathing Free’ remind us
of our problems and our purpose.”
joined Peart from the arts and
culture fraternity include: Ity &
Fancy Cat; Glen “Titus” Campbell,
OD; Christopher “Johnny”
Daley; Fae Ellington CD; Deon
Silvera; Audrey Reid; Volier
Johnson, OD; Rosemary Murray;
Joan Andrea Hutchinson;
Owen “Blakka” Ellis; Ann Marie
Fuller; Michael “Stringbean”
Nicholson; Andrew “Braata”
Clarke; Wally British; Marcia
“Joy” Brown; Letna AllenRowe,
OD; and Kevin “Patrick” Sinclair.
Deh Abroad Corporation is
a non-profit advocacy platform
offering a free online-based
information portal to the Caribbean
Diaspora.
It boasts of being the only
minority-created and Caribbean
focused digital platform
for individuals and organizations
that need information
about business services, cultural
events and educational
development.
Incorporated in 2008, Deh
Abroad has over 500 registered
Caribbean businesses within
its network.
Pure Jamaica, Inc. is an
E-commerce platform that
provides social media branding
for small businesses through
targeted marketing and professional
social media services
to reach new customers and
increase brand awareness.
Continued from Page 33
Continued from Page 33
Ruth Ho Shing; Oliver Samuels and Dennis Titus in the family play “Guilt Trip.”
Mykonic Productions
Continued from Page 33
neur continues to leverage his
event production success both
locally and internationally
into music production.
Luigi Society, who also acts
as manager for recording artist
Munga Honorable, has also
worked with Benzly Hype —
both of whom have played
integral roles at the start of
Luigi Society’s career in 2011.
Credited with a few Billboard
charting productions,
Dane Ray rose to wide acclaim
for his affiliation with 2019
Grammy-award winner Koffee.
Their record-breaking single,
“Lockdown,” is also featured
on the project with a single
titled “Same As Yuh Say.”
“Basically, Luigi send me
the beat, and I was like Jah
know, you know dah riddim
yah bad, love it,” Ray said. “It
has a little aggressive track
vibes, and I just did a song
about how me protect myself
and how we pray day to day in
the street.
“Cause no matter how you
see us in the streets promoting,
we always have one eye
open, cause we a important
asset to dancehall and overall
music and Jamaica culture,”
he added in Jamaican
parlance.
Sikario Riddim – which also
features other acts, such as
Wasp, Teflon, Ratigan, Kyodi,
Frahcess One, Natural Flamez,
Deyes and Thesarus — will be
available for pre-order, with
its official release slated for
Nov. 27.
Oliver Samuels
celebrated
Event promoter, Romaine Brown, more properly known as
Luigi Society. Luigi Society