Charlie Parker's YARDBIRD
Acclaimed jazz saxophonist and composer Charlie Parker loved music, drugs, and women. He lived fast and died young, leaving an incredible legacy of jazz music in his short time.
YARDBIRD tells a not-quite-true story of Parker composing his final masterpiece while in the thin veil between life and death, reflecting on the women who influenced him and made him the master musician he was.
Le Maison Rouge at Paris on Ponce transforms into Parker’s Birdland nightclub to immerse you fully in this fast-paced 90 minute jazz opera, leaving you breathless and wanting more.
Performed in English with English supertitles
Le Maison Rouge at Paris on Ponce
This production sponsored by The Molly Blank Fund of the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation
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Synopsis
Composer: Daniel Schnyder
Librettist: Bridgette A. Wimberly
Premiere Date: June 5, 2015
A HISTORICAL INTRODUCTION
“If you don’t live it, it won’t come out of your horn.” -Charlie Parker
On March 9, 1955, on his way to a gig in Boston, jazz great Charlie Parker stopped at the Stanhope Hotel to visit his friend and jazz patron, the Baroness Nica de Koenigswarter. He was near death; decades of heroin addiction, alcoholism, a bad heart, cirrhosis, and depression had taken their toll. His wife Chan had left him and moved to another state with their remaining children after the devastating death of their two-yearold daughter, Pree. For the next few days, Nica would try her best to nurse him back to health, soliciting the help of her physician who warned Charlie that he should be hospitalized or risk death, but Charlie refused. On March 12, while watching television, Charles Parker, Jr. died at the age of 34. His death certificate stated the cause of death as lobar pneumonia.
No good deed goes unpunished. The facts about his untimely death and what happened to him postmortem created quite a media sensation that followed the Baroness for the rest of her life. These accusations included the deliberate misidentification of his body with the wrong name and age on his toe, the amount of time it took to get his body to the morgue (about five hours), and why Nica did not tell anyone he had passed, allowing his body to lay unclaimed in the morgue for days. Because Nica was part of the Rothschild family, her actions were attributed to covering up the scandal of a black man dying in a wealthy, married, white woman’s hotel suite. Nica vehemently countered, stating she was only trying to help a sick friend get well and had immediately called the doctor when it appeared that he had passed. Charlie was taken to Bellevue’s Morgue with his correct name, and Nica said she wanted to find Chan to let her know about his death first, from a friendly source, before the newspapers or radio announced it. Nica searched all of New York, but Chan had moved to Pennsylvania. It wasn’t until Nica was able to find and notify Chan’s mother that she found out, adding a day or two more to Charlie’s stay in the morgue. As soon as Chan claimed his body, however, Charlie’s third wife Doris claimed him because Charlie and Chan had not legally married. As they fought over his body and later his estate for decades, Nica was evicted from the Stanhope, a segregated hotel, and disinherited by her family. Her husband later divorced her and took custody of their youngest children.
Get the Feeling
Photos by Dominic M. Mercier
Characters & Cast
Charlie Parker
The tortured jazz icon who composes his final masterpiece while contemplating his inspirations and battling his inner demons.
Martin Bakari
(Sept 27, 29, Oct 3, 5, 7)
Praised by Opera News as a “vocally charismatic” performer with a “golden tenor”, Martin Bakari will make his Atlanta Opera debut as Charlie Parker.
Charlie Parker
Joshua Stewart
(Sept 28, 30, Oct 2)
Tenor Joshua Stewart has been praised for his “big, warm, confident voice” (Palm Beach Arts Paper). he is quickly making a name for himself in the world of opera without losing touch with his jazz roots.
Addie Parker
Parker’s mother. A strong woman who worked long hours and doted on him as a child.
Angela Brown
Soprano Angela Brown has performed multiple roles around the world and was a featured artist at the Grammy Awards. She will sing Addie Parker, a role that she created for the 2015 world premiere with Opera Philadelphia.
Chan Parker
Parker’s estranged partner and mother of his daughter Pree, who died as an infant.
Rachel Sterrenberg
Soprano Rachel Sterrenberg will make her Atlanta Opera debut in the role of Chan Parker, which she created for the 2105 world premiere and has sung several times since.
Doris Parker
Parker’s third wife; claims him at the morgue.
Maria Valdes
praised for her “silvery tone, glassily smooth phrasing, and fine-caliber dynamics” (San Francisco Classical Voice), Atlanta native Maria Valdes recently performed the role of Diana for the world premiere of Cruzar la Cara de la Luna.
Rebecca Parker
Parker’s first wife, whom he left with an infant son 15 years earlier.
Chrystal E. Williams
Mezzo-soprano Chrystal E. Williams makes her Atlanta Opera debut and reprises the role of Rebecca, which she created for Opera Philadelphia in 2015.
Dizzy Gillespie
Jazz legend and Parker’s partner in the bebop revolution.
Sidney Outlaw
Baritone Sidney Outlaw has been lauded by The New York Times for his “deep, rich timbre”, and was recently nominated for a 2018 Grammy Award. He was last seen at The Atlanta Opera as Figaro in The Barber of Seville (2014).
Baroness Pannonica (“Nica”) De Koenigswarter
Jazz patron and friend of Charlie Parker. He dies in her room at the Stanhope Hotel and she is left to deal with a media frenzy.
Gina Perregrino
Mezzo-soprano Gina Perregrino returns to The Atlanta Opera in a role debut. As a 2017-18 Studio artist, she performed in Out of Darkness, The Seven Deadly Sins, and The Magic Flute.
Sponsored by the Molly Blank Fund of the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation
The Discoveries series
The Discoveries series is dedicated to audience members who are seeking new works, new ideas and fresh perspectives. These are not your standard operas.
Locations
As part of The Opera’s effort to bring opera to new audiences all over Atlanta, these productions are performed in exciting alternative venues that we don’t traditionally perform opera in.
Supertitles
Many operas are in a foreign language. Supertitles are similar to subtitles in a film, except they are projected above the stage. These translations will help you follow what’s happening on stage.
What to Wear
There is no dress code at The Opera and you will see everything from jeans to evening gowns and formal suits. Most people use it as a chance to enjoy dressing up in their own style.
Arriving in Good Time
If you are late, you will have to sit the first act in the back and then in the intermission ushers will show you to your seat. Plan ahead to arrive with extra time.
Enhance Your Visit
Backstory
Discoveries series performances include events either before or after the performance. As part of the Backstory program, these experiences allow audience members to learn more about the opera, open a conversation around important topics, and participate with the cast in conversation, dancing, and many other formats. Free for ticket holders.
Familiarizing Yourself with the Story
Because of the foreign languages, classical music, and often complex plots, you will very likely enjoy the performance better if you spend a few minutes familiarizing yourself with the story and characters in advance. Some people even like to listen to the music in advance and others prefer to let it wash over them during the show and perhaps look it up afterwards.
Composer
Daniel Schnyder
The Swiss American composer Daniel Schnyder was born 1961 in Zurich, Switzerland and lives in New York City.
Among his credits as a composer are commissions to write new works for the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra in New York, the Tonkuenstler Orchestra in Vienna, the Radio Symphony Orchestra in Berlin, The Norrlands Operan in Sweden, the Chicago Sinfonietta, the Vienna Art Orchestra, the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, the Opera of Bern, the NDR Orchestra in Hannover, the NDR Big Band in Germany, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, the New York based new music group “Absolute Ensemble” under the direction of Kristjan Jaervi, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, the Chicago Jazz Philharmonic, the American Composers Orchestra, the Postclassical Ensemble in Washington, DC, the Pacific Symphony Orchestra and Opera Philadelphia besides many others.
The Album “Absolution” (Enja Nova) featuring Daniel Schnyder’s Trombone Concerto received a Grammy nomination for “Best Classical Small Ensemble Recording” in 2002.
He frequently performs with his special chamber music project for saxophone and string quartet, combining composition and improvisation, jazz and traditional chamber music, a format also featured at the Gaia Festival 2015.
The extended catalogue of his chamber music works gets performed and recorded all around the globe.
As an arranger/composer he produced albums for jazz artists Abdullah Ibrahim (“African Suite”), Lee Konitz (“Tribute to Billie Holiday”) and Paquito D’Rivera (“Habañera”, Enja Records). He also worked with Simon Shaheen, Peter Herbert, Burhan Öcal, Bassam Saba, Jing Jang, Marcel Kalife and Jamey Haddad on a variety of projects, merging Arab music and Chinese music elements with jazz and classical music.
Librettist
Bridgette A. Wimberly
Bridgette A. Wimberly is an award-winning poet and author of eight plays who has been commissioned and produced by several theaters Off-Broadway and across the country, including Opera Philadelphia (Charlie Parker’s YARDBIRD), Alliance Theatre, The Cherry LaneTheatre, St. Louis Black Repertory Theatre, and The Women’s Project (Saint Lucy’s Eyes starring Ruby Dee), Kuntu Repertory Theatre, Arena Stage (The Separation of Blood), Ensemble StudioTheatre (Rally, and Mail), The Castillo Theatre (Rally), The Cleveland Play House (Forest City), Karamu Theatre (From Breast Cancer to Broadway), Here/Tiny Mythic Theatre (Valentine), and Manhattan Theater Club (The Mark). Her plays have been published by Samuel French and are included in the anthologies of Smith and Kraus’ “Best Plays by Women 2001,” “Best 10 Minute Plays 2010,” and the Women’s Project and Production’s “A Theatrefor Women’s Voices,” 2003.
Conductor
Clinton Smith
Clinton Smith’s 2018-19 season includes debuts at Atlanta and Arizona Opera conducting Charlie Parker’s Yardbird as well as Pagliacci/Pulcinella for Opera Orlando. He joins Atlanta Opera’s music staff for Dead Man Walking and will cover Dr. Atomic at Santa Fe Opera.
Clinton’s recent conducting credits include Il barbiere di Siviglia at Dayton Opera and the University of Michigan, Le nozze di Figaro at Tacoma Opera, Alcina at Fargo-Moorhead Opera, Turandot, Norma, and Hansel und Gretel with Pacific Northwest Opera, The Mikado for Kentucky Opera, and Noah’s Flood with Opera Las Vegas. He has served on the music staff of Santa Fe Opera, Juilliard Opera, Minnesota Opera, Atltanta Opera, Portland Opera, Kentucky Opera and Ash Lawn Opera.
Stage Director
Omer Ben Seadia
Native Israeli stage director, Omer Ben Seadia, has quickly established herself as one of the fresh new voices in opera to watch. With a varied repertoire spanning from theater to opera, classic and modern repertoire her work is continuously committed to telling human stories with a social and critical perspective.
Ms. Ben Seadia’s recent work includes the development and production of Opera Colorado’s world premier Steal a Pencil for Me which will debut in January 2018. Other exciting projects to come include a new production of Gounod’s Faust at Tulsa Opera and making her debut at the Santa Fe Opera directing the the prestigious Apprentice Scenes Program.
Ms. Ben Seadia’s various directing credits include a revival production of Tosca at Houston Grand Opera, an original production of L’italiana in Algeri and a revival production of A Streetcar Named Desire at Opera Santa Barbara, the regional premier of Considering Matthew Shepard a fusion oratorio by Grammy nominne Craig Hella Johnson produced by Cincinnati Opera and The Cincinnati Vocal Arts Ensemble, Pursuing the Dream and Let’s Cook up an Opera at Cincinnati Opera, Surviving the Amazing Opera Race at Dayton Opera, Così fan Tutte at The University of Michigan, Romeo et Juliet, featuring the award winning actress Dietlinde Maazel, for The International Vocal Arts Institute in New York, a double bill of Der Kaiser von Atlantis/Brundibár with the Cincinnati Chamber Opera as part of the Theresienstadt Opera Project, The Sound of Music at the Crested Butte Music Festival, The Coffee Cantata with the Barrocade Orchestra, The Golden Vanity with the Cincinnati Boychoir.
