BASE Hologram and LA Opera Off Grand present "Callas in Concert"
Presented in association with the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books on April 13 at USC's Bovard Auditorium
(Los Angeles) February 19, 2019 — BASE Hologram, the leading producer of holographic based live entertainment, in partnership with LA Opera through its LA Opera Off Grand program, presents a special one-night-only event featuring renowned opera sensation Maria Callas.
Callas in Concert will bring the famed opera star back to the stage, 50 years after her last performance. Made possible through breathtaking state-of-the-art digital and laser technology, the full concert experience will feature original recordings digitally remastered alongside a live performance by the LA Opera Orchestra conducted by Eímear Noone. The special event is in conjunction with the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books and will take place at 7pm on April 13 at USC’s Bovard Auditorium (3551 Trousdale Parkway, Los Angeles, CA 90089).
“Callas in Concert will bring one of the greatest voices in opera back to the stage in a way that is both innovative and impressive,” said Brian Becker, CEO and Chairman of BASE Entertainment and BASE Hologram. “Our goal has always been to help give new audiences the opportunity to witness incredible performances they may not have otherwise been able to experience. Pairing a true diva like Maria Callas with the incredibly talented LA Opera Orchestra will make for an unforgettable evening.”
“One of the goals of LA Opera Off Grand is to explore new methodologies of storytelling and novel forms of exposure to opera,” said LA Opera’s Christopher Koelsch. “This technology provides a stunning opportunity to revisit one of the truly great interpreters of the art form through cutting edge technological innovation.”
Callas in Concert is scripted and directed by Creative Director Stephen Wadsworth—a veteran of many of Callas’ performances, including La Scala, the Met, Covent Garden—who directed Terrence McNally’s Callas play Master Class on Broadway and runs the post-graduate opera training at The Juilliard School.
“We put a lot of thought and effort into both the program and creating Callas’ character to bring an authentic experience to the stage,” said Stephen Wadsworth. “Audience members will leave with a sense of admiration at her remarkable ability to cultivate a relationship with each viewer through her emotion and dramatic conviction.”
Callas left a forever-lasting impact on the world of opera as the definition of the diva as artist—and is still one of classical music's best-selling vocalists and, arguably, the greatest soprano that has ever lived. In 2007, she was posthumously awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and in the same year, voted the greatest soprano of all time by BBC Music Magazine. Five years later her list of accomplishments grew again when she was voted into Gramophone Magazine's Hall of Fame.
From one moment to the next, fans will feel her passionate heat, cool detachment, heartrending vulnerability, fierce confidence and breath-taking grace. Audiences will bear witness as she inhabits her operatic characters, and evokes the drama that inspired her name, La Divina.
Additional information may be found at CallasInConcert.com.
About BASE Hologram
Based in Los Angeles, BASE Hologram develops, produces and distributes live entertainment and location-based productions worldwide that combine holographic cinema and mixed reality with live entertainment. These productions utilize breath-taking state-of-the-art holographic digital and laser technology and expert theatrical stagecraft to bring to life artists, icons and celebrities—living and deceased—as well as historical figures and fictional and animated characters in photorealistic, 3-D productions, performing on stage with live musicians, singers and performers, enabling audiences to connect dynamically with the content in live settings. For more information, please visit BASEHologram.com.
About LA Opera Off Grand
Under the leadership of Plácido Domingo (Eli and Edythe Broad General Director), James Conlon (Richard Seaver Music Director) and Christopher Koelsch (Sebastian Paul and Marybelle Musco President and CEO), LA Opera has become one of America’s most distinguished opera companies, dedicated to honoring tradition while pushing boundaries and making opera available to all. Callas in Concert is presented under LA Opera Off Grand, an initiative that offers a diverse and eclectic range of artistic programming in venues throughout Los Angeles. To learn more, visit LAOpera.org/OffGrand.
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Generous support for this presentation made possible by the Marc and Eva Stern Foundation
LA Opera is a non-profit organization dedicated to serving the greater Los Angeles community.
Yamaha is the Official Piano of LA Opera.
LA Opera Media Contact:
Vanessa Flores Waite
vwaite@laopera.org
213.972.7554
DKC Media Contacts:
Brett Gold
Brett_Gold@dkcnews.com
212.981.5231
Brittany Smith
Brittany_Smith@dkcnews.com
212.981.5237
