Overtone Industries, a celebrated force in the evolution of contemporary music theatre and experimental opera, will share the stage at REDCAT, CalArt’s downtown center for contemporary arts, with two other Los Angeles-based arts organizations during the kick-off weekend of the New Original Works Festival 2014 (NOW Festival), Thursday, July 24, through Saturday, July 26, 2014. Overtone Industries will present the first glimpse of ICELAND, a new multidisciplinary work, written, composed, and directed by O-Lan Jones in collaboration with critically acclaimed singer-songwriter Emmett Tinley. The production will feature a fourteen-member cast, with two soloists, a twelve-member choir, and a chamber orchestra. ICELAND is a modern love story, set in a mythical and timeless world, where elemental forces and ancient creatures challenge the hero and heroine on an archetypal journey.  Read the rest of this entry »

Angel City Chorale, L.A.’s hometown choir, presents the voices and music of Los Angeles in two not-to-be missed performances on Saturday, June 2 and Sunday, June 3, 2012.  Angels Over L.A.: An L.A. Story features local composers and sounds, from the acknowledged mastery of Morten Lauridsen to a world premiere from up-and-coming young composer Philip White.  The award-winning songwriting of T Bone Burnett, the acclaimed eclecticism of David O, and even the classic sounds of the Beach Boys find their way into the story.  Inspired by everything from Hollywood soundtracks and videogame scores to the Bhagavad Gita, Angels Over L.A. is a unique Los Angeles story with something for everyone, as inclusive and vibrant as the city we love.  The concerts, starting at 7:00pm on both nights, will take place at Wilshire United Methodist Church, which is located at 4350 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90010.

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Nonprofit organization Overtone Industries presents the world premiere of its new opera The Woman in the Wall, with two weekends of performances opening Friday, March 23, 2012 at the Masonic Lodge in Culver City.  Reuniting the award-winning Overtone creative team of the critically-acclaimed 2010 Songs & Dances of Imaginary Lands, The Woman in the Wall is an operatic work by Composer O-Lan Jones and Librettist Kathleen Cramer, conducted by David O, and produced by Vibrant Production Management.  Inspired by the 14th Century tradition of The Anchoress, the opera is a “mystery play” in the ancient tradition; it explores the openings and paths inside that are revealed when all doors are locked shut.  For more information, please see http://www.overtoneindustries.org and https://www.facebook.com/overtoneindustries

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"War Machine" photo credit: Michael Tullberg

After seven years in development, non-profit organization Overtone Industries is set to launch their site-specific theatricale, Songs and Dances of Imaginary Lands, with three weekends of performances opening Thursday, July 8, 2010.  Billed as a contemporary opera, the large-scale, genre-bending production integrates an astounding array of innovative art installation, dance, voice, live and recorded music, projected video, costuming, community participation, and theater. Songs and Dances of Imaginary Lands was developed and cultivated by Director O-Lan Jones in an extensive guided collaboration that involves twenty one librettists, eleven composers, Costume and Scenic Designer Snezana Petrovic, Musical Director David O, Instrument Inventor Bart Hopkin, Choreographer Nina Winthrop, twenty performers, a nine-piece live orchestra, dozens of crew members, scores of community volunteers, and many others.

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