"p r i s m" by composer Ellen Reid wins Pulitzer Prize for Music

Opera co-presented by LA Opera Off Grand and Beth Morrison Projects premiered in November 2018 in Los Angeles

(Los Angeles) April 15, 2019 — Columbia University just announced the winners of the 2019 Pulitzer Prizes. Receiving the Pulitzer Prize for Music was the opera “p r i s m" by composer Ellen Reid, presented by LA Opera Off Grand and Beth Morrison Projects earlier this season. The opera premiered in Los Angeles on November 29 at REDCAT (Roy and Edna Disney / CalArts Theater), with a libretto by Roxie Perkins.

“Few things are more gratifying than supporting the emergence of an exciting, exceptional and bold voice in the operatic scene,” said Christopher Koelsch (LA Opera's Sebastian Paul and Marybelle Musco President and CEO). “We are so proud to have partnered with Beth Morrison for the world premiere of Ellen Reid's insightful, incisive, wrenching, knowing, erudite ‘p r i s m,’ and thrilled that the piece resonated with the Pulitzer Prize committee. We can’t wait for her return to the LAO family.”

Addendum — a quote from Ellen Reid:
"I am blown away and incredibly honored to receive this year’s Pulitzer Prize in music. Composing p r i s m was a challenging, rewarding and deeply personal experience, and I hope this opera will help shed light on the experience of surviving sexual assault. While Roxie and I did not plan for the timeliness of the subject matter, I am so grateful that it has resonated with audiences.

A massive thank you to the collaborators who are central to this work: Roxie Perkins, Beth Morrison and everyone at BMP, James Darrah, Julian Wachner and the folks at Trinity Church Wall Street, Chris Bordenave Rebecca Jo Loeb, Anna Schubert, Tatiana Barber, Charbel Rohayem, Gigi Todisco, Christopher Koelsch & LA Opera, Daniela Candillari, PROTOTYPE, Choir of Trinity Wall Street, Garth MacAleavey, Adam Rigg, Molly Irelan, Pablo Santiago, Eclipse Projects, Adam Lesser, Karen & Randy Reid.

Now I’m going to listen to some Aretha to celebrate!"

Please see the official press release from Columbia University here.

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LA Opera Off Grand is made possible by a generous grant from
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation

Additional support comes from a consortium of generous donors
to LA Opera’s Contemporary Opera Initiative,
chaired by Barry and Nancy Sanders

 

LA Opera Media Contact
Vanessa Flores Waite, Director of Communications
vwaite@laopera.org / 213.972.7554

 

 

Production photos for "p r i s m" are available here.