The News - JacobTV, Photo: Courtesy of the artist
Friday, April 27, 2012 at 9:00PM
Byham Theater – Pittsburgh, PA
Friday, May 4, 2012 at 6:00PM and 9:00PM
Park West – Chicago, IL
Presented in collaboration with The Andy Warhol Museum’s Off The Wall performance series
Classical music outlaw and avantpop composer, Jacob Ter Veldhuis a.k.a. JacobTV has created his newest opus, The News. In an orchestrated video-opera of talking heads and political pundits, JacobTV has sampled speeches and sound bites from news media to create everything from a militant staccato for the angry evangelist to a lyrical adagio for elegant presidential rhetoric. This unique synthesis of speech, music and video is performed by JacobTV and the intrepid Chicago-based chamber ensemble, Fulcrum Point.
The News is a non narrative music theater work about our times. A reality opera, based on authentic footage from the international media. An antimoralistic portrait of our world and the human condition about the people and their leaders, involving freedom and democracy, war and peace, religion and politics,the economy and the environment, showbiz and entertainment. Starring Obama, Putin, Mubarak, Berlusconi, the Pope, Dutch Queen Beatrix, Lady Gaga, Michael Moore, Paris Hilton, Sarah Palin, Sarkozy and many others, involved in the financial crisis, the Arab Spring, Occupy Wall Street, global warming, etc. The melody of original speech builds the leitmotifs and the libretto for the opera. Hence it is a ‘reality opera’. The synthesis of language, image and music in The News is a new form of Gesammtkunstwerk.
Kristien Kerstens – videos
Jan Boiten – stage design, lighting, videos
JacobTV – concept, music, lyrics, direction
Josefien Stoppelenbrug – soprano
Lori Cotler – alto
Fulcrumpoint New Music Project
Stephen Burns – conductor
For trailer
