Elizabeth Clark’s “Seeds Under Nuclear Winter: An Earth Opera” returns to the Widow Jane Mine August 26 and 27th, Rosendale, NY

~A community of 31 Hudson Valley Artists come together to recreate lucid dreams and spiritual visions through performance art and music~

Elizabeth Clark’s “Seeds Under Nuclear Winter: An Earth Opera” returns to the Widow Jane Mine Theater, on August 26 and 27, at 3 PM both days.

 

The Widow Jane Mine is at 668 Route 213, Rosendale, NY. The venue phone is 845-658-9900.  The website is CenturyHouse.org. Tickets can be purchased at www.centuryhouse.org/events-2023/

 

Composer, producer, harpist/vocalist Elizabeth Clark says “‘The Earth Opera’ has evolved quite a bit since it premiered last summer. We are deepening the story this year with an incredibly talented and expanded cast and elaborating upon the work with additional scenes, songs, and dreams.” 

 

“Seeds Under Nuclear Winter: An Earth Opera” is a recreation of spiritual visions, dreams, and stories through world and sacred music, performance art, movement, and light experiments, shared within an immersive and multi-sensory community experience. The theme centers on “finding light and beauty in the darkest times, remembering how connected we all are to each other” says Elizabeth Clark, who wrote the opera while living in a tiny artists cottage in the forest at Byrdcliffe Arts Colony, Woodstock NY from 2019-2022.

 

Using world and modern sacred music, “Seeds Under Nuclear Winter” offers sounds and visions of otherworldly realms that unfold in a non-linear and timeless path, similar to the way we dream. Ms. Clark's “Earth Opera” combines an immersive experience from many creative disciplines including music, performance art, and movement, as well as experiments with light and audience interaction.

 

The “Earth Opera” includes an ensemble of 31 incredibly diverse Hudson Valley musicians, dancers, choreographers, actors, visual and performance artists. Elizabeth orchestrated the score for a world music “pit” orchestra of harps, piano, ethereal choral voices, Native American/Andean flutes and traditional instruments, Indonesian gamelan, chamber strings, drones and harmoniums, hammered dulcimer, French horn, waterphone, gongs, and frame drums.

 

Over 500 people attended performances of “Seeds Under Nuclear Winter: An Earth Opera” in 2022. Clark wrote the opera to be performed site-specifically within the Widow Jane Mine and describes the space as “ ….A pre-built post-apocalyptic set, complete with its own microclimate. It’s like being in an earth womb.”

 

Audiences praised: “So beautiful, transcendent, and healing" and “Sacred moments of pain and hope for the light....a celebration of our universal humanity. You took us on a journey."  

Noted author, playwright/director, and poet IONE (creative partner/spouse of composer Pauline Oliveros) writes: “A gifted harpist and vocalist, Elizabeth has created a rich, mythic tableau that brings forth potent musical stories, revealing the needs and longings of an entire community.” Woodstock-area Renaissance man (musician, archivist, writer) Robert Burke Warren said the show was “Breathtaking... Truly transcendent, moving, like a very intense dream from which I did not wish to awaken. It put me directly in touch with that part of me: the dreaming part, the deeper, truer part.”

 

 Financial support comes from a Community Arts Grant through Arts Mid-Hudson, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, in community partnership/fiscally-sponsored by the Ministry of Maat.   

 

ELIZABETH CLARK is a composer, harpist, pianist, vocalist, healing artist and humanitarian native to the Hudson Valley region. Bringing together elements of early, sacred, and world music with contemporary minimalism, she creates modern-day sacred music for world instruments and voices. Performing solo as well as with her ever-evolving world music project ‘Mamalama’, she employs interdisciplinary art forms in performance, exploring music as a form of sung prayer and a way of healing.  An artist-in-residence at Byrdcliffe Artists Colony from 2019-2022 where she composed and developed "Seeds Under Nuclear Winter: An Earth Opera", she also performs at many theaters, festivals, retreat centers,  and sanctuaries throughout North America including The Omega Institute, Chapel of Sacred Mirrors (CoSM), Kripalu Center for Yoga, Deep Listening Space, and at the United Nations. She has composed music for film, dance, and puppet theater. Elizabeth is also a composer/songwriter with the Hudson Valley non-profit organization Sagearts, collaborating on many original, life-reflective songs with local elders. Her musical work with elderly Holocaust survivors is part of the 2022 documentary PBS Special “We Remember: Songs of Survivors.”   www.mamalamamusic.com

The We Remembers to Stream Caffe Lena Concert Sept. 22 through Sept. 29

“When Holocaust Memories Result in Deep Friendships and Beautiful Music”   On Thursday September 22nd at 7pm EST the songwriters behind the music of "We Remember: Songs of Survivors" will be streaming live from the historic venue Caffe Lena in Saratoga Springs, NY! Caffe Lena broadcasts with three dynamic HD cameras and studio quality live audio mixed by 7-time GRAMMY winner Joel Moss. Tickets are available for $10 on their new live stream platform CaffeLena.tv and include archive access for one week after broadcast.  100% of all live stream ticket sales directly support the We Remembers!    Here's the link to your live stream: https://caffelena.tv/programs/live-songs-of-survivors   “We Remember: Songs of Survivors,” is a PBS Documentary that shares the stories of Holocaust survivors through songs written in collaboration with singer-songwriters. These songs, filled with joy and healing, celebrate the extraordinary lives of this resilient generation. Now it’s a concert with stories, songs, and video. From Sept. 22 at 7 PM till Sept. 29, the concert will be available to view.   About The We Remembers:   Composer, harpist/pianist, vocalist, and performance artist Elizabeth Clark’s major works include her interdisciplinary project "Seeds Under Nuclear Winter: An Earth Opera" which premiered in 2021, and the 2015 live-recorded album “Live at the Old Dutch Church.” She has performed with her world music ensemble 'Mamalama' at retreat centers and sanctuaries including the Omega Institute, Kripalu, and Chapel of Sacred Mirrors.   Jude Roberts has combined contemporary music with roots of English, Irish and Appalachian folk music and touches of baroque and Romantic-era classical pieces and European folk/pop. He’s performed at Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, and has toured throughout Europe.   Kelleigh McKenzie is a winner of NPR’s Mountain Stage NewSong Contest, her song "Gin" won the Independent Music Award for Best Americana Song in 2009 and was featured on her critically acclaimed album "Chances."   Michael Veitch’s song “Veteran’s Day” has been covered by Judy Collins. His latest album, “Wachtraum” (“wake dream” in German) broke the top 20 on the Folk Radio Charts with “Valentine’s Day” hitting number one. Previously his song, “Pledging Allegiance” reached #10 on the 2017 Folk/Americana charts. He’s played the Newport Folk Music Festival and Kerrville.

Live and Online Performances by Songwriters from PBS’s “We Remember Songs of Survivors” Live Performances in NYC and Albany

 

“When Holocaust Memories Result in Deep Friendships and Beautiful Music”

 

Learn the stories of Holocaust survivors through original songs written in collaboration with singer-songwriters.

  

The We Remembers, who are the Singer-Songwriters from the PBS Special “We Remember: Songs of Survivors,” will be sharing songs and telling stories of writing with Holocaust Survivors at two performances this September.

 

On September 18, at 7 PM, the group will be at The Cutting Room,44 E 32nd St., in New York, NY 10016.  

Ticket info: www.eventbrite.com/e/we-remember-songs-of-survivors-tickets-388261820557?aff=ebdsoporgprofile

 

On September 22, at 7 PM, they’ll be at Caffe Lena is at 47 Phila Street, in Saratoga Springs, NY 12866. 

Ticket info: www.eventbrite.com/e/we-remember-songs-of-survivors-tickets-387738164287

 

The Caffe Lena performance can, also, be viewed online during the Sept. 22, 7 PM show, and then any time through the 29^th of September.  Get your ticket in advance for the online event at caffelena.tv/programs/live-songs-of-survivors. (All donations go straight to our singer-songwriters.)

 

The We Remembers are: Elizabeth Clark, Jude Roberts, Kelleigh McKenzie, and Michael Veitch.

Full Hudson Valley Performances of Elizabeth Clark’s “Seeds Under Nuclear Winter: An Earth Opera” August 27 & 28, September 23, 24, 25 Multi-Hyphenate World & Sacred Music Composer AKA Mamalama

The first performances of "Seeds Under Nuclear Winter: An Earth Opera," in its entirety, takes place this summer and early fall in New York State's beautiful Hudson Valley.   

 

Confirmed performance dates are

August 27 & 28 at the Widow Jane Mine Theater, Rosendale, NY 

September 23, 24, 25 at the Byrdcliff Theater, Woodstock, NY  

"Seeds Under Nuclear Winter: An Earth Opera" shows stories of rebirth in a post-apocalyptic atmosphere. The theme centers on “finding light and beauty in the darkest times, and remembering how connected we all are to each other,” says Elizabeth Clark, composer/producer/performer of this immersive theater/performance art. 

Using world and modern sacred music, “Seeds Under Nuclear Winter” offers sounds and visions of otherworldly realms that unfold in a non-linear and timeless path similar to the way we dream.  Ms. Clark's 'Earth Opera' combines an immersive experience from many creative disciplines including music, performance art, and movement, as well as experiments with light and audience interaction. 

The 'Earth Opera' includes an ensemble of 25 incredibly diverse Hudson Valley musicians, dancers, choreographers, actors, visual and performance artists.  Elizabeth orchestrated the Earth Opera's score for a world music 'pit' orchestra of harps, piano, ethereal choral voices, Native American/Andean flutes and traditional instruments, Indonesian gamelan, chamber strings, droning harmoniums, hammered dulcimer, French horn, wind chimes, and frame drums. 
 

Over 500 people came to the two 2021 performances of excerpts from “Seeds Under Nuclear Winter: An Earth Opera” at Rosendale, NY’s Widow Jane Mine Theater. Ms. Clark describes that venue like “an earth womb.” Audiences praised: ”So beautiful, and healing" and “Sacred moments of pain and hope for the light....a celebration of our universal humanity. You took us on a journey." 

 

Elizabeth Clark is a composer, harpist, pianist, vocalist, poet, performing artist, and humanitarian, native to the Hudson Valley region. Her ever-evolving sacred and world music project is called “Mamalama” and manifests itself with interdisciplinary art forms in performance. “I see my exploration of music as a form of sung prayer and a way of healing,” she says. 

 

She has performed a variety of solo and group performances and special presentations at many theaters, festivals, retreat centers, listening rooms, and sanctuaries throughout the Northeast including The Omega Institute, Chapel of Sacred Mirrors, Kripalu Center for Yoga, Deep Listening Space Dream Festival, Bearsville Theater, The Colony, Levon Helm Studios (with Elizabeth Mitchell and Friends), at the United Nations, and others. She has spent many years offering live harp/vocal music at the bedside for those on hospice care. Elizabeth is also a composer/songwriter with the Hudson Valley non-profit organization Sagearts, collaborating on many original, life-reflective songs with local elders. Her work is part of the 2022 documentary PBS Special “We Remember: Songs of Survivors.”   

 

August 27 & 28 at the Widow Jane Mine Theater, 668 Route 213, Rosendale, NY, 3 pm,  845-658-9900  CenturyHouse.org

September 23, 24, 25 at the Byrdcliffe Theater, 34 Tinker Street, Woodstock, NY   845-679-2079  WoodstockGuild.org

The We Remembers – Songwriters from PBS Documentary, “We Remember: Songs of Survivors” to Share Stories and Sing On the Road

Learn the stories of Holocaust survivors through original songs written in collaboration with singer-songwriters.

 

“When Holocaust Memories Result in Deep Friendships and Beautiful Music”

 

The We Remembers, who are the Singer-Songwriters from the PBS Special “We Remember: Songs of Survivors” will be sharing songs and telling stories of writing with Holocaust Survivors at two performances this September.

 

On September 18, the group will be at The Cutting Room,44 E 32nd St., in New York, NY 10016.

 

On September 22 they’ll be at Caffe Lena is at 47 Phila Street, in Saratoga Springs, NY 12866.  That performance can, also, be viewed online during the show and a week afterwards.  Get your ticket in advance for the online event at caffelena.tv/programs/live-songs-of-survivors. (All donations go straight to our singer-songwriters.)

 

“We Remember: Songs of Survivors,” is a recent PBS Documentary that shares the stories of Holocaust survivors through songs written in collaboration with singer-songwriters. These songs, filled with joy and healing, celebrate the extraordinary lives of this resilient generation.

 

The We Remembers are four musicians who participated in this project to the stage to perform their original music along with the music from the film. Featuring Elizabeth Clark, Jude Roberts, Kelleigh McKenzie, and Michael Veitch, performances will include clips and stories from their life-changing collaborations with the Holocaust Survivors.

 

About The We Remembers:

Composer, harpist/pianist, vocalist, and performance artist Elizabeth Clark’s major works include her interdisciplinary project "Seeds Under Nuclear Winter: An Earth Opera" which premiered in 2021, and the 2015 live-recorded album “Live at the Old Dutch Church.” She has performed with her world music ensemble 'Mamalama' at retreat centers and sanctuaries including the Omega Institute, Kripalu, and Chapel of Sacred Mirrors.

 

Jude Roberts has combined contemporary music with roots of English, Irish and Appalachian folk music and touches of baroque and Romantic-era classical pieces and European folk/pop. He’s performed at Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, and has toured throughout Europe.

 

Kelleigh McKenzie is a winner of NPR’s Mountain Stage NewSong Contest, her song "Gin" won the Independent Music Award for Best Americana Song in 2009 and was featured on her critically acclaimed album "Chances."

 

Michael Veitch’s song “Veteran’s Day” has been covered by Judy Collins. His latest album, “Wachtraum” (“wake dream” in German) broke the top 20 on the Folk Radio Charts with “Valentine’s Day” hitting number one. Previously his song, “Pledging Allegiance” reached #10 on the 2017 Folk/Americana charts. He’s played the Newport Folk Music Festival and Kerrville.

 

 

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Meet the Singer Songwriters Starring in PBS Special with Holocaust Survivors April 26-May 24

WE REMEMBER: SONGS OF SURVIVORS  

Musicians and Filmmakers Available for Interviews

Witness the healing powers of Music and Friendship as Holocaust survivors share their stories with songwriters on 450 PBS Stations. The hour-long documentary will broadcast between April 26-May 24, and then in the fall. 

WE REMEMBER: SONGS OF SURVIVORS will premiere the week of Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day, on Tuesday, April 26, at 8:00 p.m. ET on PBS, PBS.org and the PBS Video app.

WE REMEMBER: SONGS OF SURVIVORS follows four working singer-songwriters (Michael Veitch, Elizabeth Clark, Kelleigh McKenzie, Jude Roberts) hired by the community arts organization SageArts in New York’s Hudson Valley. Through a program offered by Jewish Family Service of Orange County, they visit local Holocaust survivors to create original songs based on their conversations. The film documents the relationships that develop and the songwriting process over many months, culminating in an emotional live concert where the survivors and songwriters are celebrated by friends, family and the community. 

“At a time when the world is faced with the horrors of war and hatred, we wanted to tell this hopeful story of perseverance and love,” said Ilene Cutler, co-producer of WE REMEMBER: SONGS OF SURVIVORS.

In-depth interviews with the survivors — Rita, Tibor, Tommy and Freide — and access to rare personal archives lead to revealing stories, many of which have been deeply buried in their memories for decades. At the same time, the songwriters — Michael, Jude, Kelleigh and Elizabeth — create video diaries to document their own thoughts and feelings about the experience of telling a Holocaust survivor’s story through song.  Michael reflects, "Working with Rita was a life changing experience for me and I know every artist in this project received a similar gift songwriting with their Holocaust survivor."

“Many documentaries exist about the Holocaust. However, few have taken such a unique approach to telling these horrific stories. We wanted to shed light on the devastating experiences of Holocaust survivors while celebrating the possibilities of healing through the power of music,” said Tim Miller, co-producer of WE REMEMBER: SONGS OF SURVIVORS. “Little did we know this film, with its powerful message, would change the lives of both the survivors and songwriters.”

“PBS is honored to shed light on this moving and powerful project, which illuminates the ways in which music can uniquely memorialize these stories of resiliency,” said Zara Frankel, Director of Programming and Development at PBS.  

Produced by Tim Miller and Ilene Cutler, WE REMEMBER: SONGS OF SURVIVORS was written and edited by Timothy Guetterman.    

WE REMEMBER: SONGS OF SURVIVORS will be available for streaming concurrent with broadcast on all station-branded PBS platforms, including PBS.org and the PBS Video App, available on iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Samsung Smart TV, Chromecast and VIZIO. PBS station members can view many series, documentaries and specials via PBS Passport.  

Visit www.weremembersongsofsurvivors.com

Michael Veitch on PBS This Month, New Song & Lyric Video, Number 1 on Folk Radio

 

­ ­ photo of Michael and Rita Schwartz, born Rita Tepper in Vienna, Austria Photo courtesy of PBS   (Veitch is pronounced “Veech)    Michael Veitch has lots to be thankful for this season.  He’s going to be on over 400 TV PBS stations this April, is promoting a new folk radio single/lyric video “April Fools,” and is celebrating a number 1 placement on Folk radio with the song “Valentine’s Day” this past February.      Michael’s new song “April Fools” is making its way to the folk radio charts. Co-written with Judy Kass; it deals with delusional thinking. The song’s message is about how people literally fool themselves in believing things when they know better. It can be applied to any topic, from romance, personal dilemmas and battles, and world situations—anything that can be prevented.      Michael’s album WACHTRAUM (meaning “wake dream” in German and pronounced "Vock traum ") focuses on each month of the year with insights on life from romance to topical themes. WACHTRAUM is Michael’s 11th album.     In February Michael’s single “Valentine’s Day” hit number 1 and his album, “Wachtraum” hit number 16 on the Folk Alliance radio charts.     Michael and 3 other songwriters (Elizabeth Clark, Kelleigh McKenzie, and Jude Roberts) from New York’s Hudson Valley are part of a collaborative documentary “We Remember Songs from Survivors” on over 450 PBS TV stations starting April 26. They are collaborating with Holocaust survivors. The documentary will premiere the week of Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day. The show will broadcast again in the fall. The Online Presskit for the program is www.weremembersongsofsurvivors.com.      Michael's song “Veteran’s Day” has been covered by Judy Collins. He’s been mentored by Shawn Colvin and Bernie Sanders.   ####    "April Fools"       April Fools  Here come those April Fools again Knee deep in all their selfmade quicksand Always smiling with a shake of your hand While they try to pull the wool over on us again   The road may bring us pain There’s a cure for what remains We may be drowning in the pouring rain   Here come those April Fools again Selling their souls just like corn in the can Rolling out all the craziest plans Behind the curtain stands another straw man   Living the deluded dream Blind to what it means I’m shocked by all I’ve seen   Here come those April Fools again On the road that’s lead us to the dead end No more fooling you and fooling me The truth is clear as it will ever be   No matter what these fools believe Winter’s gonna turn to Spring Our eyes are open to the dream   ©2021 Michael Veitch (P)Burt Street Music (BMI) ©2021 Judy Kass (P)Judy Kass (BMI) All Rights Reserved