Exceptional Praise for Composer Laitman’s Fourth Solo CD, Within These Spaces

American composer Lori Laitman’s fourth solo CD of vocal works, Within These Spaces (Albany Records, 2009), has received glowing reviews from the music industry’s most important critics, confirming yet again the composer’s incomparable gift and the enduring significance of her prolific musical oeuvre.

“One hundred years hence, when critics look back at the art songs of our era, there will be many fine composers to laud and applaud, but few will deserve higher praise than Lori Laitman. …” states Gregory Berg (The Journal of Singing, 2010). 

“With nearly 200 songs already to her credit, there seems to be not the slightest diminishment in the expressive impact of her writing or the bracing originality of her ideas.  To paraphrase a comment once made about the prolific Camille Saint-Saëns, Laitman seems to create great songs as easily and naturally as a tree produces apples, and one might add that hers are especially delicious and distinctive…One of the most striking features of this collection — and indeed Laitman’s entire oeuvre — is the endless variation and variety, coupled with an overarching sense of coherence and consistency.  Laitman has her own distinctive voice as a composer, but what makes it such a seductive voice is its limitless range of inflections, which stems from the even more limitless possibilities to be found in the world of words and ideas to which she is so devoted. A basic sort of excellence which one always finds in Laitman’s songs is an unerring ability to write songs that can be sung (a simple-sounding proposition, but one that defeats many modern art song composers) and to set texts in such a way that they can be understood by listeners.  That Laitman achieves consistent success in this regard without writing cautiously is a shining testament to her impressive and still-improving skills as a composer. Finally, Laitman crafts her accompaniments with just as much care and sensitivity, and with a consistent understanding of what will work to perfectly complete the picture. …These are superb songs sung superbly, and a composer as gifted as Lori Laitman deserves nothing less than that.”

Laurence Vittes of Gramophone Magazine remarks: “Lori Laitman opens windows onto small but deeply intimate emotional experiences…Whether it is Laitman’s blend of rich American, sometimes populist tonality, out of which her deeply personal, angular vocal writing rises, or her descents into jauntier, more popular modes, she shows an affinity for identifying with the words she sets and a keen ear for poetry that will work effectively.”

 Robert Moore (American Record Guide 2009) writes: “Lori Laitman’s songs demand conscientious listening, and the time invested in doing so yields rich rewards…I agree with The Journal of Singing that ‘it is difficult to think of anyone before the public today who equals her exceptional gifts for embracing a poetic text and giving it new and deeper life through music.’ This is music of depth and richness that connects with the soul.”

Colin Clarke of Fanfare Magazine says:  “[Lori Laitman’s] songs represent outpourings of great beauty….Laitman tackles each poem’s subject mater with unfailing sympathy…yet she can react with tremendous humor, too.”  John Campbell of Artsong Update notes: “Laitman has created a circle of living poets, talented younger singing professionals and an ever growing audience that trusts her gift.” And, finally, James Manheim of Allmusic Guide recommends Lori’s music to those who make it come to life, the vocalists:  "...Laitman clearly [has] the elusive ability to pick texts that emotionally resonate with her. ...Recommended, especially to young singers, who will find music here that connects strongly with audiences."

Within These Spaces is a collection of thirty-four songs, composed since 2000, set to poems by classical and contemporary poets. The album takes its title from the first set of five songs to texts by Nebraskan women poets.

WITHIN THESE SPACES

Songs of Lori Laitman

Label: Albany Records

Catalog Number: TR1118

Running Time: 78:52

Composition Date: 2000 — 2008

Recording Dates: April, June 2005; July 2008

Recording Engineer: Edward John Kelly

Composer: Lori Laitman

Performers: Jennifer Check, soprano; Karyn Friedman, mezzo-soprano; Amanda Gosier, soprano; Sari Gruber, soprano; Warren Jones, piano; Lori Laitman, piano; Randall Scarlata, baritone.

To purchase Within These Spaces click on:

http://artsongs.com/buy/

Baritone Andrew Garland Reprises Laitman's "Men with Small Heads" in Tribute to Living American Composers

Andrew Garland Reprises Laitman's "Men with Small Heads" in Tribute to Living American Composers

Lori Laitman's humorous treatment of the poetry of Thomas Lux resonates widely with baritones, especially with Andrew Garland, who reprises the cycle Men with Small Heads in two upcoming recitals titled Living American Composers. The recitals will take place in New York City and Cincinnati and will also feature songs by Rorem, Paulus, Kohn and Cipullo.

Garland's November 2008 Weil Recital Hall performance of Laitman's cycle with pianist Donna Loewy garnered high praise from the press: "Garland thoroughly owned these quirky settings of child's-eye-view poems by Thomas Lux …Whether as the perspective-challenged six-year-old of the title song, a youth lusting after a jar of maraschino cherries, the proud owner of a tin parrot pin whose charm is lost on others or a deliciously sibilant snake warning swimmers out of his lair, Garland was utterly engaging. Laitman's sense of humor enhances her considerable skill as a text-painter, and this set was easily the highpoint of the concert."(Opera News). The title song of the cycle was named Best American Art Song by the 2004 San Francisco Song Festival and appears on Laitman's 2003 CD Dreaming.

Lori Laitman is one of America's most prolific and widely performed composers of vocal music. She has composed nearly 200 songs, setting the words of classical and contemporary poets from Emily Dickinson to Richard Wilbur. "It is difficult to think of anyone before the public today who equals her exceptional gifts for embracing a poetic text and giving it new and deeper life through music." (The Journal of Singing)

Laitman's new opera, The Scarlet Letter, premiered in 2008 to rave reviews. "Composer Lori Laitman has written gorgeous music that works hand-in-glove with the words of librettist David Mason and underpins the very essence of this psychological-social drama...the few arias are at key moments and are stunningly effective." (The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette). The opera, commissioned by The University of Central Arkansas, is based on Nathaniel Hawthorne's literary masterpiece, as adapted by award-winning poet David Mason. Mason and Laitman are continuing as collaborators on a new opera, based on Mason's verse novel, Ludlow. Currently they are working on Vedem, a Holocaust oratorio which tells the story of the boys at Terezín and their secret journal. Vedem was commissioned by Music of Remembrance and will premiere at Benaroya Hall in Seattle, WA on May 10, 2010.

Music of Remembrance also commissioned Laitman's song cycle The Seed of Dream, released on Naxos to critical acclaim. The cycle sets the poetry of Vilna Ghetto survivor Abraham Sutzkever. Dr. Sharon Mabry, in The Journal of Singing, pronounced the work "a masterpiece that should not be missed!"

Since launching her career in 1991, Laitman's music has been performed frequently in the US and abroad. Some recent U.S. venues include The Frye Art Music and Benaroya Hall in Seattle, WA; The Kennedy Center and The Phillips Collection in Washington, DC; Weill Recital Hall and Merkin Hall in New York, NY; The Granada in Santa Barbara, CA and The USC Fisher Museum in Los Angeles, CA. Her discography also continues to grow, with releases on Albany Records, Naxos, Channel Classics and other labels, showcasing the talents of some of today's top musicians, among them Jennifer Check, Sari Gruber, Warren Jones, Maureen McKay, Robert McPherson, Lee Poulis, Barbara Quintiliani, Randall Scarlata and William Sharp. Laitman frequently travels to universities and festivals to present master classes on her music.

Within These Spaces, Laitman's latest solo CD released in May 2009, is receiving exceptional praise: "This is music of depth and richness that connects with the soul." (American Record Guide); "Her affinity for the voice…is beyond doubt…her songs represent outpourings of great beauty." (Fanfare Magazine). Gramophone Magazine called Laitman's Becoming a Redwood: "An extraordinarily impressive achievement…[which indicates] increasing evidence of a major talent. Lori Laitman's beautiful, sensitively crafted songs deserve to be performed widely." In a review of her 2000 release, Mystery, Opera News says: "Composer Lori Laitman knows how to let the voice soar and explore…spinning lyrical neo-romantic vocal lines over shifting post-modern sonorities." A Journal of Singing review says of her 2003 album, Dreaming: "This is a stunning collection of widely varied songs by one of the finest art song composers on the scene today...Lori Laitman deservedly stands shoulder to shoulder with Ned Rorem for her uncommon sensitivity to text, her loving attention to the human voice and its capabilities, and her extraordinary palette of musical colors and gestures."

Laitman graduated magna cum laude from Yale College and received her Master of Music degree in flute performance from The Yale School of Music. Her recordings are available on her website, www.artsongs.com, as well as Amazon and ITunes.

Laitman is represented by Jona Rapoport Artist Management.

Living American Composers - Recital Details:

November 10, 2009, 8 pm, Christ and St. Stephen's Church, 122 W. 69th St, New York, New York. Tickets: $15, $5 for students. For more information, please visit www.csschurch.org

February 23, 2010, 8 pm, Werner Hall, Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Cincinnati, OH. For more information, please visit www.ccm.uc.edu

Visit Lori Laitman's Official Website:
www.artsongs.com

Release: Laitman's "Four Dickinson Songs" on YCA Winner Jeanine De Bique's Debut Recitals

October 4, 2009 - One of composer Lori Laitman's most frequently performed song cycles, "Four Dickinson Songs," will be presented at The Kennedy Center and Merkin Hall in the debut recitals of Trinidadian soprano Jeanine De Bique. De Bique was the winner of the 2008-2009 Young Concert Artists International Auditions and also YCA's Paul A. Fish Memorial First Prize. De Bique will be accompanied by the renowned pianist Warren Jones, who recorded the cycle on Dreaming, Laitman's second solo CD (2003, Albany Records).

Lori Laitman is one of America's most prolific and widely performed composers of vocal music. She has composed nearly 200 songs, setting the words of classical and contemporary poets from Emily Dickinson to Richard Wilbur. "It is difficult to think of anyone before the public today who equals her exceptional gifts for embracing a poetic text and giving it new and deeper life through music." (The Journal of Singing)

Laitman's new opera, The Scarlet Letter, premiered in 2008 to rave reviews. "Composer Lori Laitman has written gorgeous music that works hand-in-glove with the words of librettist David Mason and underpins the very essence of this psychological-social drama...the few arias are at key moments and are stunningly effective." (The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette). The opera, commissioned by The University of Central Arkansas, is based on Nathaniel Hawthorne's literary masterpiece, as adapted by award-winning poet David Mason. Mason and Laitman are continuing as collaborators on a new opera, based on Mason's verse novel, Ludlow. Currently they are working on Vedem, a Holocaust oratorio which tells the story of the boys at Terezín and their secret journal. Vedem was commissioned by Music of Remembrance and will premiere at Benaroya Hall in Seattle, WA on May 10, 2010.

Music of Remembrance also commissioned Laitman's song cycle The Seed of Dream, released on Naxos to critical acclaim. The cycle sets the poetry of Vilna Ghetto survivor Abraham Sutzkever. Dr. Sharon Mabry, in The Journal of Singing, pronounced the work "a masterpiece that should not be missed!"

Since launching her career in 1991, Laitman's music has been performed frequently in the US and abroad. Some recent U.S. venues include The Frye Art Music and Benaroya Hall in Seattle, WA; The Kennedy Center and The Phillips Collection in Washington, DC; Weill Recital Hall and Merkin Hall in New York, NY; The Granada in Santa Barbara, CA and The USC Fisher Museum in Los Angeles, CA. Her discography also continues to grow, with releases on Albany Records, Naxos, Channel Classics and other labels, showcasing the talents of some of today's top musicians, among them Jennifer Check, Sari Gruber, Warren Jones, Maureen McKay, Robert McPherson, Lee Poulis, Barbara Quintiliani, Randall Scarlata and William Sharp. Laitman frequently travels to universities and festivals to present master classes on her music.

Within These Spaces, Laitman's latest solo CD released in May 2009, is receiving exceptional praise: "This is music of depth and richness that connects with the soul." (American Record Guide); "Her affinity for the voice…is beyond doubt…her songs represent outpourings of great beauty." (Fanfare Magazine). Gramophone Magazine called Laitman's Becoming a Redwood: "An extraordinarily impressive achievement…[which indicates] increasing evidence of a major talent. Lori Laitman's beautiful, sensitively crafted songs deserve to be performed widely." In a review of her 2000 release, Mystery, Opera News says: "Composer Lori Laitman knows how to let the voice soar and explore…spinning lyrical neo-romantic vocal lines over shifting post-modern sonorities." A Journal of Singing review says of her 2003 album, Dreaming: "This is a stunning collection of widely varied songs by one of the finest art song composers on the scene today...Lori Laitman deservedly stands shoulder to shoulder with Ned Rorem for her uncommon sensitivity to text, her loving attention to the human voice and its capabilities, and her extraordinary palette of musical colors and gestures."

Laitman graduated magna cum laude from Yale College and received her Master of Music degree in flute performance from The Yale School of Music. Her recordings are available on her website, www.artsongs.com, as well as Amazon and ITunes.

Laitman is represented by Jona Rapoport Artist Management.

Recital Details:

October 25, 2009, 2pm: Terrace Theater, The Kennedy Center, Washington, DC. Tickets: $30.

November 3, 2009, 7:30 pm: With Guest Artist, YCA Alumnus Daniel Phillips, violist., Merkin Concert Hall, 129 W. 57th Street, NY, NY. Tickets: $40, $25, $10 (Discounted tickets can be purchased at the box office or by calling 212-501-3330).

Visit Lori Laitman's Official Website:
www.artsongs.com

Laitman's Songs in Concert Celebrating Artist Victor Raphael at USC Fisher Museum October 2009

Los Angeles, CA - October 3, 2009 - Two art songs by acclaimed American composer Lori Laitman will be performed in a concert celebrating the work of artist Victor Raphael, in conjunction with the University of Southern California Fisher Museum retrospective titled "Travels and Wanderings, 1979-2000." Soprano Julie Makerov, accompanied by pianist Victoria Kirsch, will perform "Nightfall" and "The Night Has a Thousand Eyes" to poetry by Sara Teasdale and Francis Bourdillon. Both works were recorded on Laitman's first solo CD (Mystery, Albany Records, 2000). The October 15, 2009 concert, titled "Songs in the Earth and Air," will also feature composer Thadeus Frazier Reed, and will include operatic excerpts, readings and a selection of art songs which reflect on images of the sun, moon, starts, planets, earth and water.

Lori Laitman is one of America's most prolific and widely performed composers of vocal music. She has composed nearly 200 songs, setting the words of classical and contemporary poets from Emily Dickinson to Richard Wilbur. "It is difficult to think of anyone before the public today who equals her exceptional gifts for embracing a poetic text and giving it new and deeper life through music." (The Journal of Singing)

Laitman's new opera, The Scarlet Letter, premiered in 2008 to rave reviews. "Composer Lori Laitman has written gorgeous music that works hand-in-glove with the words of librettist David Mason and underpins the very essence of this psychological-social drama...the few arias are at key moments and are stunningly effective." (The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette). The opera, commissioned by The University of Central Arkansas, is based on Nathaniel Hawthorne's literary masterpiece, as adapted by award-winning poet David Mason. Mason and Laitman are continuing as collaborators on a new opera, based on Mason's verse novel, Ludlow. Currently they are working on Vedem, a Holocaust oratorio which tells the story of the boys at Terezín and their secret journal. Vedem was commissioned by Music of Remembrance and will premiere at Benaroya Hall in Seattle, WA on May 10, 2010.

Music of Remembrance also commissioned Laitman's song cycle The Seed of Dream, released on Naxos to critical acclaim. The cycle sets the poetry of Vilna Ghetto survivor Abraham Sutzkever. Dr. Sharon Mabry, in The Journal of Singing, pronounced the work "a masterpiece that should not be missed!"

Since launching her career in 1991, Laitman's music has been performed frequently in the US and abroad. Some recent U.S. venues include The Frye Art Music and Benaroya Hall in Seattle, WA; The Kennedy Center and The Phillips Collection in Washington, DC; Weill Recital Hall and Merkin Hall in New York, NY; The Granada in Santa Barbara, CA and The USC Fisher Art Gallery in Los Angeles, CA. Her discography also continues to grow, with releases on Albany Records, Naxos, Channel Classics and other labels, showcasing the talents of some of today's top musicians, among them Jennifer Check, Sari Gruber, Warren Jones, Maureen McKay, Robert McPherson, Lee Poulis, Barbara Quintiliani, Randall Scarlata and William Sharp. Laitman frequently travels to universities and festivals to present master classes on her music.

Within These Spaces, Laitman's latest solo CD released in May 2009, is receiving exceptional praise: "This is music of depth and richness that connects with the soul." (American Record Guide); "Her affinity for the voice…is beyond doubt…her songs represent outpourings of great beauty." (Fanfare Magazine). Gramophone Magazine called Laitman's Becoming a Redwood: "An extraordinarily impressive achievement…[which indicates] increasing evidence of a major talent. Lori Laitman's beautiful, sensitively crafted songs deserve to be performed widely." In a review of her 2000 release, Mystery, Opera News says: "Composer Lori Laitman knows how to let the voice soar and explore…spinning lyrical neo-romantic vocal lines over shifting post-modern sonorities." A Journal of Singing review says of her 2003 album, Dreaming: "This is a stunning collection of widely varied songs by one of the finest art song composers on the scene today...Lori Laitman deservedly stands shoulder to shoulder with Ned Rorem for her uncommon sensitivity to text, her loving attention to the human voice and its capabilities, and her extraordinary palette of musical colors and gestures."

Laitman graduated magna cum laude from Yale College and received her Master of Music degree in flute performance from The Yale School of Music. Her recordings are available on her website, www.artsongs.com, as well as Amazon and ITunes. Laitman is represented by Jona Rapoport Artist Management.

Concert Details:
October 15, 2009, 7:30 pm, USC Fisher Museum of Art, University Park Campus, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA. Admission is free. For more information please visit www.usc.edu/visionsandvoices

Composer Laitman Presents Classes and Recitals in Cleveland and Colorado Springs October 2009

Acclaimed American composer Lori Laitman will be the guest composer at The Cleveland Institute of Music, Baldwin-Wallace Conservatory of Music and the Buckeye NATS Fall Meeting from October 8th to October 10th, 2009. She will also be the Distinguished Visiting Composer at Colorado College from October 27th to October 30th, 2009. Laitman will coach vocalists, present lectures and master classes and have her songs performed in recitals by faculty and students at Baldwin-Wallace and Colorado College on October 9th and October 30th respectively.

Lori Laitman is one of America's most prolific and widely performed composers of vocal music. She has composed nearly 200 songs, setting the words of classical and contemporary poets from Emily Dickinson to Richard Wilbur. "It is difficult to think of anyone before the public today who equals her exceptional gifts for embracing a poetic text and giving it new and deeper life through music." (The Journal of Singing)

Laitman's new opera, The Scarlet Letter, premiered in 2008 to rave reviews. "Composer Lori Laitman has written gorgeous music that works hand-in-glove with the words of librettist David Mason and underpins the very essence of this psychological-social drama...the few arias are at key moments and are stunningly effective." (The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette). The opera, commissioned by The University of Central Arkansas, is based on Nathaniel Hawthorne's literary masterpiece, as adapted by award-winning poet David Mason. Mason and Laitman are continuing as collaborators on a new opera, based on Mason's verse novel, Ludlow. Currently they are working on Vedem, a Holocaust oratorio which tells the story of the boys at Terezín and their secret journal. Vedem was commissioned by Music of Remembrance and will premiere at Benaroya Hall in Seattle, WA on May 10, 2010.

Music of Remembrance also commissioned Laitman's song cycle The Seed of Dream, released on Naxos to critical acclaim. The cycle sets the poetry of Vilna Ghetto survivor Abraham Sutzkever. Dr. Sharon Mabry, in The Journal of Singing, pronounced the work "a masterpiece that should not be missed!"

Since launching her career in 1991, Laitman's music has been performed frequently in the US and abroad. Some recent U.S. venues include The Frye Art Music and Benaroya Hall in Seattle, WA; The Kennedy Center and The Phillips Collection in Washington, DC; Weill Recital Hall and Merkin Hall in New York, NY; The Granada in Santa Barbara, CA and The USC Fisher Art Gallery in Los Angeles, CA. Her discography also continues to grow, with releases on Albany Records, Naxos, Channel Classics and other labels, showcasing the talents of some of today's top musicians, among them Jennifer Check, Sari Gruber, Warren Jones, Maureen McKay, Robert McPherson, Lee Poulis, Barbara Quintiliani, Randall Scarlata and William Sharp. Laitman frequently travels to universities and festivals to present master classes on her music.

Within These Spaces, Laitman's latest solo CD released in May 2009, is receiving exceptional praise: "This is music of depth and richness that connects with the soul." (American Record Guide); "Her affinity for the voice…is beyond doubt…her songs represent outpourings of great beauty." (Fanfare Magazine). Gramophone Magazine called Laitman's Becoming a Redwood: "An extraordinarily impressive achievement…[which indicates] increasing evidence of a major talent. Lori Laitman's beautiful, sensitively crafted songs deserve to be performed widely." In a review of her 2000 release, Mystery, Opera News says: "Composer Lori Laitman knows how to let the voice soar and explore…spinning lyrical neo-romantic vocal lines over shifting post-modern sonorities." A Journal of Singing review says of her 2003 album, Dreaming: "This is a stunning collection of widely varied songs by one of the finest art song composers on the scene today...Lori Laitman deservedly stands shoulder to shoulder with Ned Rorem for her uncommon sensitivity to text, her loving attention to the human voice and its capabilities, and her extraordinary palette of musical colors and gestures."

Laitman graduated magna cum laude from Yale College and received her Master of Music degree in flute performance from The Yale School of Music. Her recordings are available on her website, www.artsongs.com, as well as Amazon and ITunes. Laitman is represented by Jona Rapoport Artist Management.


Songs of Lori Laitman - Recital Information:

October 9, 2009 : 8 pm, Gamble Auditorium, Baldwin-Wallace Conservatory, 275 Eastland Road, Berea, Ohio 44017. Tel: 440-826-2222. For more information, please visit www.bw.edu

October 30, 2009: 7:30 pm, Packard Hall, Colorado College, 5 W. Cache La Poudre St, Colorado Springs, CO. This event is free and open to the public. For more information, please visit www.coloradocollege.edu

Laitman's Mystery Garners Further Acclaim in Patricia Green's New CD

Laitman's Mystery Garners Further Acclaim in Patricia Green's New CD

"Laitman is one of the best and most prolific song writers at work today," writes Robert Moore in the American Record Guide Review of Patricia Green's new Blue Griffin release, Unsleeping, in which the Canadian mezzo-soprano pays tribute to six living international composers, with Laitman singled out to represent the United States with a song cycle titled Mystery. This version of the 1998 cycle, originally composed for baritone and recorded on Laitman's eponymous first solo CD, has already received several glowing reviews, and serves as a testament to the composer's extraordinary skills in adapting her remarkable art songs to a variety of voice types, making them accessible to a wider tapestry of vocal talent. In speaking of her approach and method, the composer says:

"In my vocal writing, I always compose the vocal line first. I custom construct each melody to emphasize the words or phrases of a poem that I find most important. I also take great care to create a musical line that will work well for the voice. Of course, other musical aspects factor into my work, but having a primary focus on melody makes my songs particularly adaptable to other voice types — so long as the accompaniment can function in another key and the text remains appropriate."

The song cycle consists of five settings to poems by American poet Sara Teasdale. Of the current recording Gramophone Magazine writes: "The teaming of composer Lori Laitman and poet Sara Teasdale in Mystery results in five songs of generous lyricism and propulsive ardour." Colin Clarke of Fanfare Magazine says: "Laitman… has made her name in the field of art song, and it is not difficult to hear why. These are exquisitely crafted miniatures. The delicious love song, "Spray" (the cycle's second movement), is most movingly and tenderly rendered here. The quasi-improvised nature of the piano part to "The Mystery" gives it almost a late-night jazz feel before "The Rose" introduces the character of Pierrot in a portrayal of deeply felt regret."

The youngest composer featured on this new recording, Lori Laitman's "exceptional gifts for embracing a poetic text and giving it new and deeper life through music" (The Journal of Singing), finds the composer with over 200 songs to her credit, setting the words of classical and contemporary poets with uncanny skill and unmatched beauty. Laitman's own fourth solo CD, Within These Spaces, was released in May 2009 by Albany Records. The composer's full-length opera, The Scarlet Letter, to poet David Mason's libretto on Hawthorne's literary masterpiece, opened to splendid accolades in November 2008.

Laitman is currently composing Vedem, a Holocaust oratorio commissioned by Music of Remembrance. The work is based on the story of the underground magazine published at the Terezin concentration camp, and weaves poet David Mason's haunting new libretto with poetry written by the Czech boys imprisoned at the camp. Vedem will premiere on May 10, 2010 in Seattle, WA, and will feature musicians from Music of Remembrance as well as the famed Northwest Boy choir. The busy composer's calendar in the upcoming months will see her presenting master classes and workshops at Cleveland Institute of Music, Baldwin-Wallace Conservatory, The Buckeye NATS Fall Workshop, Colorado College, and the Virginia NATS Spring Conference.

Find more information about Lori Laitman's music on her official website at: www.artsongs.com.

Scenes from Lori Laitman's Opera "The Scarlet Letter" at The Clinton Presidential Library

Scenes from renowned American composer Lori Laitman's opera, The Scarlet Letter, based on Nathaniel Hawthorne's 19th century American literary masterpiece, will be presented in recital at the Great Hall of the Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, AR, on February 8th, 2009 at 3:00 p.m. Vocalists from the original production, which premiered to critical acclaim last November, will perform two scenes and select signature arias.

The opera, commissioned by The University of Central Arkansas through Robert Holden and The UCA Opera Program, provided the prolific American composer, admired for her masterful compositions for voice, an opportunity to collaborate with award-winning American poet David Mason.

"Composer Lori Laitman has written gorgeous music that works hand-in-glove with the words of librettist David Mason and underpins the very essence of this psychological-social drama," wrote Ellis Widner of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette following the world premiere on November 6th, 2008. "This great story seems be on its way to becoming great opera..... It is mostly sung dialog, but the few arias are at key moments and are stunningly effective...Laitman's music can turn on an emotional dime, from the tense and emotionally complex confrontation between convicted adulteress Hester Prynne (soprano Christine Donahue) and Roger Chillingworth (baritone Robert Holden), the resurfaced husband determined to learn the identity of the child's father, to the achingly tender lullaby she sings to her daughter after Chillingworth departs. Laitman also shows great skill in the combination and repetition of motifs to heighten tension and revive a social-emotional subtext. At times, her music suggests the lushness of Stephen Sondheim."

The recital will take place on February 8th at 3:00 p.m. at The Great Hall, Clinton Presidential Library and Museum, 1200 President Lincoln Avenue, Little Rock, Arkansas.

Cast includes Baritone Robert Holden as Roger Chillingworth,Soprano Christine Donahue as Hester Prynne,Tenor John Garst as Arthur Dimmesdale and Carl Anthony on piano. Admission is free to the public.

Scenes from Lori Laitman's Opera "The Scarlet Letter" at The Clinton Presidential Library February 8, 2009

Scenes from Lori Laitman's Opera "The Scarlet Letter" at The Clinton Presidential Library

Scenes from renowned American composer Lori Laitman's opera, The Scarlet Letter, based on Nathaniel Hawthorne's 19th century American literary masterpiece, will be presented in recital at the Great Hall of the Clinton Presidential Library in Little Rock, AR, on February 8th, 2009 at 3:00 p.m. Vocalists from the original production, which premiered to critical acclaim last November, will perform two scenes and select signature arias.

The opera, commissioned by The University of Central Arkansas through Robert Holden and The UCA Opera Program, provided the prolific American composer, admired for her masterful compositions for voice, an opportunity to collaborate with award-winning American poet David Mason.

"Composer Lori Laitman has written gorgeous music that works hand-in-glove with the words of librettist David Mason and underpins the very essence of this psychological-social drama," wrote Ellis Widner of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette following the world premiere on November 6th, 2008. "This great story seems be on its way to becoming great opera..... It is mostly sung dialog, but the few arias are at key moments and are stunningly effective...Laitman's music can turn on an emotional dime, from the tense and emotionally complex confrontation between convicted adulteress Hester Prynne (soprano Christine Donahue) and Roger Chillingworth (baritone Robert Holden), the resurfaced husband determined to learn the identity of the child's father, to the achingly tender lullaby she sings to her daughter after Chillingworth departs. Laitman also shows great skill in the combination and repetition of motifs to heighten tension and revive a social-emotional subtext. At times, her music suggests the lushness of Stephen Sondheim."

The recital will take place on February 8th at 3:00 p.m. at The Great Hall, Clinton Presidential Library and Museum, 1200 President Lincoln Avenue, Little Rock, Arkansas.

Cast includes Baritone Robert Holden as Roger Chillingworth,Soprano Christine Donahue as Hester Prynne,Tenor John Garst as Arthur Dimmesdale and Carl Anthony on piano. Admission is free to the public.